The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1903-12-25
CHARGED WITH BIRDING AN OF.
FlclAL IN THE GENERAL
LAND OFFICE.
MANY IMPLICATED IN FRAUD
GOVERNMENT pEFRAupEp OF
100000 ACRES BY vARl-
Gus SCHEMES.


head Of the alleged land frauds ex-
tending over q dozen Western states
and territories to which Secretary
Hitchcock referred vigorously and at
length in his annual report, was ar
rested on charge of bribery yester-
day at the Willard hotel by Secret
Service Officer J. M. Burns. 1t is al
legged in the warrant that Benson paid
$500 to Woodward d. Harlan, formerly
chief Of tho special service division Of
the general land Office and now
clerk in that Office, on March IL, 1903.
to extract Information regarding an in
vestigation Of his operations by the
land Office.
An officer of the government yester-
day said that the information obtained
regarding the alleged conspiracy inl-
plicates a Eumbc- If persons at pres
ent employed in the interior depart
ment at Washington and elsewhere.
Numerous arrests are expected to fol-
low that of Benson, and some en-
ployes who may not be arres ted
Will Be Dismissed
from the service. 1t is said that Secre-
tary Hitchcock and the several tt
torneys in the case hold it absolutely
necessary to a successful working out
of the case that no action be taken
with reference to any of the alleged
offenders unit. the principals in the
case have been aEprehended.
Arthur B. Pugh, who has been the
special attorney for the interior de-
partment on the land frauds, and Oil
yer Pagin, assistant attorney of the
department, in asking for large bail
bonds for Benson, said that he had
been guilty of bribery during his pres
ent visit to Washington since last
Monday in the interior department
awaro aas iSas
with the land frauds were fully known
I'd the department. Another assertion
Of the government officers is that
Benson came to Washington in an
sfer to decoy letters and with the in
tention of bribing people in the land
Office, who were in reality acting for
the secret service
The information on which the war
rant was issued said in brief that Mr.
Harlan, in his capacity as chief OF the
special service division of the general
land Office, had charge of the investi-
CATION of the land frauds, sending out
special agents in
Susnected Gases of Fraud,
and receiving the reports of such
agents on the cases, and that Benson
had paid to him the sum of $500 in re-
turn for being allowed to examine the
reports of the special agents in his
own case.
Attorneys Pugh and Pagin were
sworn in as assistant United States at
torneys for the purpose of prosecuting
the case against Benson.
Mr.. Benson is said to have been
taken entirely by surprise. He had
no lawyer in Washington and when he
was taken, Immediately after his ar
rest, before United States Commits.
sioner Taylor, a delay of an hour or
more occurred while lawyer was
sought for him. Mr.. Benson made q
formal plea of not guilty.
Benson declined to make any state
ment further than to say he would ap-
near when wanted. Mr.. Benson is the
senior member of the real estate firm
of Benson & Hyde of San Francisco,
and it is asserted, has defrauded the
government out of at least 100000
acres of land by various schemes
since the passage of the forest reserve
act of 1885,.