The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1895-09-28
A BIG FUSS ABOUT NOTHING
The United States Grand Jury Fails -
Find Case Against Any of
the Accused.
Spokane, Wash, Sept. ~

Spokane, Wash, Sept. a.
The United States grand jury has re-
turned mot true bill' in what ID
known as the Chinese registration
cases and by it James Graham, regis.
ter Of the land office at Occur d'Alene
Idaho, Edward Rick, an engraver Of
this city, w. e. Pollard Harry Tolton
and Ernest Deuselem, were declared
not guilty Of forging the Chinese GER
tificates as charged by the United
States officials.
The case has been watched with
great deal of interest, not only because
several Of the parties are we'll known
but further because it was alleged
by the officials having the matter in
hand, that they had a clear case.
THE ARRESTS.
The arrests in the case were made on
the first Of last July. Some time before
that the government officials had dis
covered that bogus Chinese certificates
were being disposed Of in this section.
AS the local officers were unable to To-
cate the parties who were issuing them.
Special Agent f. D. Schuyler was de-
tailed to take the matter in hand and
make a thorough investigation.
AS a result, on his affidavits, war
rants were issued and the parties were
| arrested and all except Harry Tolton,
who was not found at the time, tried
before Commissioner Kenyon and
bound over to appear a. the September
term of the United States court
! Young Tolton was afterwards arrested
at Walla Walla and bound over by the
! United States commissioner there. All
protested their innocence, and Mr..
] Graham, who had always borne an ex-
cellent reputation. was more than sur
| prised at the arrest.
! The charges preferred by Mr.. Schuy-
/ Ter were that the parties named were in
! one way or another connected with the
fraudulent issuing of Chinese certii-
Gates of registration bearing the seal
| of Ambrose w. Lyman, collector OF in
! ternal revenue for the district Of Mon
| tana. Some three hundred Of such GER
! tilcates were disposed of.
! COST 500 A DAY.
/ The men who We're at work on the
| case spent some time before the ar.
rests We're made, and it is said the case
! has been costing the United States over
500 day since Mr.. Schuyler first took
the matter in charge. ]. e. Fenton,
who had been employed as the attor-
ney of Mr.. Graham, fearing that true
bill might be returned, appeared in the
| United States court the day the grand
| jury was sworn in and made a motion
to quash the panel, which motion was
overruled by Judge Hanford. This was
done in. order that the interests of his
client would be protected in an appeal
Mr.. Graham, however, has always con-
tended that the case was a manufac-
tured one and that the jury would so
find after they had thoroughly investl-
gated the matter. The other partleS
implicated were equally positive that
no case could be found against them.
MI. Graham was informed Of the out
come by wire, and came down ITO"
Occur dAlene last night.
The result is exactly what l eA-
pected," he said to a reporter OF Ihe
Spokesman-Review. .''In fact, I never
expected any other ending. The charges
were entirely manufactured, from oo'-
tom to top, and it was a most con-
temptible Matchmaking scheme"
The grand jury went into the cases
with much thoroughness, examining - !.
or 80 witnesses, and it is understoou
that the vote on the question of inolc'-
ing stood IA to 2.