Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-11-28
MOSBY BRINGS HIS BROOM
Bears from Washington Instructions to
Sweep Away Illegal Fences
WILL VISIT DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO-DAY
Then Goes on TO Investigate Lesser's
Case and Eventually win Reach
North Platte and Begin
Operations.


Il have come out here with instructions
from the government, from President
Roosevelt down 10 the landufice TO clean
out all the fences on government land and
incidentally TO clean out all the frsudu-
lent homestead entries, particularly those
Of subsidized soldiers widows. II District
Attorney Summers is Indifferent in the mat
ter ! shall report so to the attorney gen
eral, as ! have once before reported. AS
for the interview recently given out by
Special Agent A. NJ. Lesser. concerning the
charges against him, it is simply an evasion
of the real charge, which is obtaining
money from the government by the use Of
false and fraudulent vouchers. Senator Al
lson, at whose instance he was originally
appointed. has not yet spoken in his be-
half. Senator Millard has requested his
reinstatement, but that is because those
cattlemen up there want Lesser kept. /
haven't heard anything from Senator Diet
rich"
MOsBy's Itinerary.
Such were the declarations Of Colonel
John S. Mosby, special inspector OF the land
Office, shortly after his arrival in Omaha
the illegal fences of Colorado and then
started the present agitation in Nebraska.
Now he comes TO pursue the subject still
further, on instructions from President
Roosevelt himself This morning he viii
visit District Attorney W. S. Summers, dis
cuss the situation see what the attorney
has done or is planning TO do in the mat
ter, submit to him the names of many wit
nesses who should be called before the
present federal grand jury and then go on
to North Platte. AT North Platte he is
instructed to investigate the transactions
of Special Agent Lesser. now under sus-
pension.
From North Platte he will go TO Alliance
and there Commence pulling down the
fences in the legal way" TO quote his own
words, beginning on those Of the Standard
Cattle company which has secured tracts
next that of Bartlett Richards and which
is, the colonel says, an even greater Of
fender than Richards, who has fenced in a
single strip sixty miles long and seventy
miles wide How long he will be detained
at the various points Colonel Mosby does
not know.
Il saw Senator MilIard in the depot at
4
for moment, and we passed merely a
remark or TWO as TO our respective destina-
tions," added Colonel Mosby.
Concerning Agent Lesser.
'The senator wants Lesser reinstated.
but that is because Lesser, having been
SIX years IN Dfice without q single fence
being torn down, stands in with those cat
tlemen up there. ! have seen Lessers in
terview in reply to my previous remarks,
but ! observe that in that interview the
issue he raises is wholly false one He
talks Of the frauds in the widows filings,
whereas, while Lesser winked at those
they are not even mentioned in the depart
ments letter Of removal. nor did he men
tion them in his reply to the department
! would sugl Jst to Lesser that he publish
that correspondence II he wants the public
TO know just why he is under investiga-
ton. ] have seen 1t and / know what was
written.
Those POstmarlks Again.
"The facts are, as have previously re-
lated, that after Lesser sent in his weekly
report for the week ending Saturday, Oc-
tober %, last the commissioner of the land
office, noting that the letter was mailed
on a Northwestern train instead of at the
postofice at North Platte, where the re-
port purported to have been made out
wired TO the register at North Platte and
aBcertained that Lesser had not been there
through the week. Investigating further, il
was learned that Lesser had been at North
Platte just nine days in the interval be-
tween March ] and July /, and not at al
during July. This information was cor
roborated by the statement of the post
master at Tama, Ia, which is Lesser's real
home, that he spends 60 per cent of his
time there. Lesser had been reporting
himself as working In this state and IL
his land district because if a special agent
fails TO account for each day Of the weei
he loses pay Tor that day. The land de-
partment now has thirty envelopes whicf
enclosed correspondence from him ant
which bear the Northwesterns postmark.
He viii Ask Summers.
las to plans and procedure in the matter
of getting down the fences and prosecuting
those who fail to heed the notice giver
them, do not care TO speak further unit
see Attorney Summers"
what if Attorney Summers should b,
Indifferent in the matter?" was asked
Colonel Mosby.
4hSh VIII iNpoit 1Ao AaSNS ~ thS ~
torney general. / made such a report onc'
before and he was given instructions by thi
attorney general that were based upon tn,
report of the land frauds that ] provided
the attorney general with"
Colonel Mosby was interviewed in Chi
eago as he passed through there ana II
that interview is credited with severel,
criticising Senators Millard and Dietriel
and with making "the explicit charge tina
these senators are interested IN the fencinl
OF the lands by the cattle barons becaus'
as presidents of national banks they holt
mortgages on cattle running on the land
under the control Of the eattlemen."