The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-30
THE LAND FRAUDS. /"
special Agent. Freemans Re-
ports Being Looked Into.
HoQu,AM AND OTHER PRoTGsrs
Commissioner yAmorsux Deo1Aes 70
Send Anosher special AUsut - 0say's
Harbor 70 straightsn Maetsrs.

Washington City. March s.-speciAl.-
Commissioner IAmoreux has given q
great deal OF consideration to the nums-
ously signed protests from HcQuiam. ABB
erdsen and Cosmopclls against the action
OF Special Agent Freeman in reporting ad-
verseSy upon entries in township q north,
range 9 west, which set forth that said
agent has been misled and misinformed BY
disreputahle persons, and alleging that the
entries were made in good faith after large
expense and much hardship 10 the entry
men. and that they should be allowed 10
20 to patent.
Commissions Lamorsux states that he
has every reason TO believe that Agent
Freeman has conscfenficsssIy done his duty
concerning his investigation 81 and reports
upon entries IN said township. yet IL seems
to him that some favorable cor.stssr&.ion
should be given 10 tbs protests a5,oye mem
toned. He has concluded. therefore. 10
have tho cases ia question. or sorne %
them at least. rsinssssizats5 BY another
special agent before subjscslng III, entry
men TO further expense IN thssr efforts 70
defend their entries aid, a. tSe same time.
has Issued instructions 70 the register and
receiver at Olympia 70 suspend action in
the cases in whach hssripss have been or
dered upon Agent Freer1an's reports. I'M
III lils new inspector &E&64f nave maze MS
investigation and reported.
The disclosures made BY the Post-Yntel-
hgencer Of Inspector Freeman's report
concerning the alleged cabal existing
among prominent citizens OF the Gray's
harbor towns. ard the "stupendous land
frauds" which he discovered when in the
state Of Washington, has aroused that
young hopeful to heated protests and wild
denuncsat,ons o. the loose methods" Of
ART
newspaper correspondents to discover the
contents Of Important reports and by
making them public 'tbaik the investiga-
lions" The fact of the matter is that
while Commissioner Lamoreux Is uphold
ing the young man and giving him every
opportunity 10 prove the truth of his first
startling allegations. the secretary of the
interior puts very little faith in the wild
charges of the Connecticut man, whose
principal claim TO distinction seems to be
that he is a graduate from Yale and Har-
ward and a member of the best families"
Secretary Smith has received consider
able private information on this subject,
wholly outside of the investigation, which
is being carried on by Commissioner Lam
oreux. and expressed himself to a friend
the other day as being pretty nearly con-
WINGED that the aggre CATION of frauds re-
ported by the juvenile "Hawkshaw' as
existing in the Olympia land Office was all
In the brain of an ambitious dreamer of
promotion. 1t does appear satisfactorily
TO the department that an attempt 10 prlr-
chase the claims after settlement is being
generally made, and that many settlers
have taken timber and other claims for
no other purpose than to sell the same to
SPECTATORS: but these are individual cases,
and while the buyers are doubtless acting
under private understanding. the set
tiers from whom they are purchasing or
attempting to purchase have been acting
in good faith and in total ignorance OF any
combination on the part of capitalists to
secure these lands.
Receiver Hawkins. Of Olympia, is hay-
ing some difficulty in getting reimbursed
for the expenses he was put to in coming
here to defend himself before the interior
department. as a result of the report
made by Special Agent Freeman. Mr..
Hawkins claims that his expenes on this
Eastern trip should bs paid him, and
friends of his in this city have been urg-
ing the secretary Of the interior to audit
his expense account; but the secretary saii
that he had investigated the matter AMI
that Mr.. Hawkins did not come to WASH
ington City upon the demand OF the land
department but because he telsgraph.i
and asked permission to come and defend
himself; that in such an event, although
he had permission to cone. II was a per-
expenses. This, however, was not an off,
cal opinion. the secretary sraciously say
ing that he would leave the whole matter
with Commissioner Lamoreux, who has
submitted IL TO one of the department at
torney's for an opinion.
What annoyed Receiver Hawkins most,
during his visit to this city. was a state
ment made, among the other charges
against him. that he was illiterate and I'M
educated. He exclaimed, with heat, TO the
secretary of the interior: why, sir. I
am graduate of oxford, State University
of Mississippi, and Of the Washington and
Lee college of Virginia; and this man
Freeman is only a scholar of institutions
like Yale and Harvard
The audacity of comparing Yale and
Harvard to oxford. Mississippi. and TO
the Washington and Lee Military college
of Virginia was too much for the receiver.
II was thars that his Southern blood rose
to the boiling point and huboled over.
Special Agent Freeinan's report is still
carefully guarded at the interior depart
ment but It does not bear the weight now
that It did when 1t burst In all Its first
freshness upon the officials here. and for
a time created the greatest excitement.
Among the prominent names noticed n
elarclnr over tho papers filed in behalf
OF the original claimants TO thu land are
the following:
Nontesano-John G. Lewis. D. r. Jones,
J. A. Graham. sheriff: C. e. Sackett. au-
dltor OF Chehalis county; j. A. Hutche-
son. county school superintendent; John
T Carney. editor OF the Economist; @.
NJ. Cochran, secretary OF the Democratic
county central committee; d. NJ. Fleet.
city clerk: J. B. Bridges, prosecuting at
torney: George D. Sheffield ex-prcsecu.-
ing attorney. r. L. Carr, manager OF the
bank az Montesane: c. n. Wilson. city
treasurer.
Cosmopolis--L- B. Minis. state represen-
tstlve: A. ". Strange. postmaster. w. F.
Patison, editor of the Enterprise; J. -.
Mocine mayor. W. L. Pagett. town treas
urer.
HoGuiam-J. +. Soule. Alexander Pol
son. John c. Mcmillan. Gorge II. Emer-
son. H. p Albright, A. c. Newman, NJ.
n. Sanford. c. d. Petit II. G. Winters.
Ralph L. Philerick-
Aberdeen-W ]. Patterson. H. A.
fS| - 80