Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-02-18
GIVES EVIDENCED
Promoter of the Sale of Fort Steven
son Denies Making Promises to
Other Bidders.
Testimony Given Before Officials Of the
Land Office This Morning Re-
garding Sale.

Land Office This Morning Re-
garding Sale.
The government closed its case in
the inquiry into the sale of the Fort
Stevenson reservation this morning
with the possible exception of one or
two witnesses that Col. Zevly said he
might call before the inquiry was con
cluded. The star witness Of the morn
ing was T. R. G. Corwell Of Fargo,
who gave his occupation as that of a
promoter" and said that he had been
interested in a number Of enterprises
in the state. Crowell is the man
whom Secor and the other bidders
charge with having led them to believe
that if they refrained from bidding
they could obtain what land they
wanted after the sale at an advance of
ten or twenty per cent. In his state
ment this morning Mr.. Crowell denied
fatty that he had made any such prop
ositiOns to them. He said Secor had
asked him if he could not make such
an agreement, but that word had been
sent to Secor through Black that he
would not be a party to any such an
agreement and that before he fBlack)
would consider any propositions of the
kind he would put OF his coat and go
home, :,
Mr.. Crowell said that. last May he
had met Mr.. A. Won Steinwehr at
Fargo and that the two had had a
conversation regarding the Fort Stew
enson military reservation. Won
Steinwehr asked Crowell If he was
familiar with the reservation and
CroWell said he had been over it with
a view Of the establishment of a beet
sugar factory there. He at that time
intended to go to New York to see the
agents of a sugar beet machinery con-
Germ but Won Steinwehr suggested
that he go to Cincinnati and meet some
of his friends there. Crowell went to
Cincinnati and there met Mr.. Black
and Mr.. Bosworth. Crowell said he
had a builder who offered to; furnish
$45O,OOO worth of machinery for such
a beet sugar factory and place it on.
the land if a company would sign a
guaranty to furnish $l50.0OO to be Sc
cured by a mortgage on the plant. OF
this amount, $4,000 was to be ex-
pended for buildings and shipping ia
~cilities and the balance ito be kept as
q reserve fund to work upon. This
proposition had been made to MI.
Black and his associates. Mr.. Black
said no proposition Of the kind could
be considered until they first had title
to the land. Mr.. Crowell said that
then he had made a trip over the prop
erty with Won Steinwehr and Bosworth
with a view to determining the char
acter Of the land. He had no agency
or authority OF any kind from Mr..
Black, and the only interest he had
in the sale was that contingent upon
the establishment Of the beet sugar
factory. At Mr.. Blacks request he
had accompanied him to Bismarck at
the time Of the sale as his familiarity
with the land would enable MI. Black
to bid intelligently upon the various
parts Of the reservation. Mr.. Crowell
said, however, that If the beet sugar
factory were established he could
make nearly $4,000. He had come
here at the time Of the sale and had
met Secor in the Northwest hotel, dur
Ing the noon recess, on the day of the
sale. Mr.. Secor wanted to meet
Black and CroWell had gone to Blacks
room and told him. Black said he
did not care to see Secor, that he had
no propositions to make or decline
and told Nh. CroWell to take that an
swer back. Crowell then went to Sc.
cor's room and found Secor looking
at a map of the reservation with Ger.
tain parts Of it marked of in pencil
across the sections. Secor told hin
what land he had come to buy. Mr.
CroweH said he delivered the message
Mr.. Black had sent to secor. Their
Secor wanted to know IL Black would
not bid in the land and let him hav.
it afterward at an advance OF 10 pc,
cent. II this was not done he tSecor,
said he would run the land up at til,
bidding. When Nh. Black heard thi,
he said before he would enter init
any deal OF this kind he would put OF
his coat and go home and drop til,
whole business. Mr.. Crowell said b.
did not make any proposition Ia ge
him his choice Of the lands at a tel
per cent advance after the sale, mo-
did he make any arrangement Of thu
kind with Secor. Again at Fargo
Secor had asked him ErowelI) to IN
tercede with Black and get him som.
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