The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-26
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Special Land Agent C. +. Conrad
Is Dismissed
FOR FEARLESsLY DOING HIS DUTY
In Exposing the Great Land Frauds of John
A. Benson and His California
Syndicate.
lspeelal o THE HERAIp-ExamLner DIspateh.

Special 10 THE HRRALD-Examiner Dispatch,
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-Charles A. Con
rad, special agent of the general land office,
who was detailed for duty in California to
make an investigation of the famous Ben
? son land survey frauds, has been removed
by Secretary Noble by telegram upon the
eve of the trial of the notorious John A.
Benson and his fellow cOnspirators. The
dismissal at this important iuncture of
Conrad, who for three and half years has
patiently urraveled the net so ingeniously
woven by Benson and his confederates,
and who is solely in the possession of
evidence upon which more than half a
hundred swindlers, and the restoration of
half million dollars to the government can
be secured, brings to light scandal of the
first magnitude.
The plot which the Worlds correspon-
DENTS enabled lay bare, reaches from the
gold coast to the capital city, and from
the land surveyors tent to the United
r States senate chamber. The story OF this
scheme to swindle the government is
gathered entirely from official records.
There is not an atom of heresay evidence
and as a fitting climax with which to cap
it. stands out this latest episode-the re-
moval of Charles w. Conrad-an act which
in view of the circumstances surrounding
it, and the agencies that have brought it
about must appear without any apparent
excuse Conrad has been removed by
Noble upon the demands of cert ain United
States Senators, because the special agents
absence is necessary, in order to secure
the acquittal of those whom they are
charged, in official documents under both
Democratic and Republican administra
4 tons with having aided and abetted for
years, and whose ill-gotten gains they have
!. directly and indirectly shared.
There is little doubt that the survey
: frauds perpetrated by the so-called Califor-
fornia syndicate, at the head of which
stood John 4. Benson, are the most com
preheusive and far reaching ever attempted
upon government by public land swim
dlers. In organizing his gigantic ma
chime Benson made preparations to oper-
ate in a dozen different states and territor-
les. His confederates were scattered
throughout local land offices and offices of
various sur yeyors- general, and until Con-
gress has thoroughly invt stigated this
great steal. it cannot be said with Ger
tainty that they have not occupied desks
in the government departments at Wash
ington.
The investigations of Agent Conrad have
been almost entirely confined to California,
in which state Benson'S syndicate frauds
amount to more than five hundred
thousand dsllars. Benson also operated in
Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho Montana
Dakota, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and New
Mexico; the aggregate of the steals in
these states. Conrad believes will foot up
20 over five million dollars
Il am very sorry to think, said Conrad
I'that l shall not be Oh the ground when
these cases over which | have worked so
hard, come up next month. Though l am
greatly disappointed | can not say that l
am entirely surprised at this outcome, for
no man who has lived on the coast and has
felt the power and influence of the great
Nevada bank, and the California million
aire Senators, would be astonished at this
denouement."
According to the official records of the
surveyor generals Office, Henry E. Buck
ley was granted certain contracts for sur
! yeys, for which the government paid out
more than tWenty-Seven thousand dollars.
Agent Conrad hunted Buckley up and
secured a sworn statement from him.
Buckley admitted upon oath he never mad
contract for surveys with the govern
ment. He was hired at salary of $50 per
month by Woods & Benson 10 90 with
surveying party. Prior to starting he was
taken to Benson's Office in San Francisco
and instructed there to sign his name to
number of printed blanks. He did so
sign his name on a number of papers, but
did not know their nature or number,
Swore that at the surveyor generals Office
he had been asked several questions as to
his previous experience in surveying, which
he answered according to instructions pre-
yiously received from Benson's agents.
Buckley was taken to Ogden, his fare and
expenses being paid by Benson, where he
stayed IN camp about six weeks doing
nothing. When a surveying party got
ready TO go into the field Buckley, left Og
den and returned to Sacramento. This was
the extent of his surveying.
When he was arrested he was placed IN
der 1880 bonds. He was speedily re
leased, however, when r. H. Follis and
O'ConnOr, two directors of the Nevada
bank of San Francisco, came forward and
offered bail. Upon investigation, Agent
Conrad discovered that the Nevada bank
was interested in Benson's frauds to the
tune of 1898, 240.3l.
After Benson's return the Nevada bauk
employed to aid him, Senator w. NJ. Stew
art. On his return from Denmark Judge
Sawyer had, on motion of the United States
district attorney. placed the amount Of his
bonds at $4,000. Subsequently Judge
|. Sawyer heard the arguments on this motion
Asad remarked from the bench upon their
conclusion:
The court is of the opinion, that If the Nevada
bank has that confidence in Benson which il
asks this court TO have, il should not hesitate 10
give $50. 600 bonds; and II on the other hand the
Nevada bank has not sufficient confidence 10
Induce them to give these bonds for $4,000 I am
at Il loss 20 perceive why the court should have
Il by reducing his bonds
Nevertheless, within two hours after
making this statement, Judge Sawyer or
dered his bonds reduced to $4,000. But
the Nevada bank was not the only power
behind Benson. The ever present South
ern Pacific railroad company was mixed up
with fraudulent surveys. In this conn zee
ton il appears that Benson actually did
some surveying. Under the law giving
land grants to certain railroads, alternate
sections along the line of the road became
the property of the road upon its compile
ton. They must, however, be surveyed.
This work was largely executed by Ben
son, and Agent Conrad discovered that
the townships laid out and credited to rail-
roads frequently contained from enc thou
sand to fourteen hundred acres instead OF
the customary $40.
In view of the undeniable interest which
the Southern Pacific railroad had in the Ben
son contracts, it is natural to suppose that
President Leland Stanford, United States
Senator did not relish the ioea of having
Benson and his fellow conspirators brought
up in the courts for trial upon the merits
of the case.
SAN FRANCISCO, Gala, Aug. 16, 1889.
NGovernor Pattison, Chairman Of Pacific Rail
road Commission.
Sir:-Acting under instruction from the hon
orable commissioner OF the general land office,
during Aprillast visited nearly all the mission
indian reservations in Southern California, be-
tween the Mexican line and the San Gorgonio
pass, and in my report gave IN detail 1nforma-
ton regarding three so-called improvements
roIupanies located at Banning, Cabaza and Hot
Springs. in which I was led 10 believe the
Southern Pacific company was and Is