The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-19
ARREST OF ]. c, BENSON
FOR BIG LAND FRAUDS
Wealthy Californian Taken in Gus
tody for Alleged Bribery of an
Interior Department Clerk.
IN HEAVY BOND
Said to Have Defrauded the Gov
ernment of 100000 Acres of
Valuable Lands in Six Years.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1S.-John A. Ben
son, wealthy San Francisco real-estate
operator, charged by the Interior Depart
ment with being the head of alleged land
frauds extending over a dozen Western
States and Territories, to which Secretary
Hitchcock alluded at length in his annual
report, was arrested charge of bribery
to-day at the Willard Hotel by Secret Serv-
ice Officer John A. Burns.
1t is alleged in the warrant that Benson
paid $500 to woodford d. Harlan. formerly
chief of the special service division Of the
General Land ONCE, and now a clerk In
that Office, on March Is. 1903. to extract in
formation regarding an investigation Of his
operations by the Land Office.
AS soon as Benson was apprehended he
was taken before Commissioner Taylor, who
issued the warrant. He wished to have
preliminary hearing of his case postponed.
and the date for such hearing was fixed at
Wednesday. Dec. 30. He gave bail for his ap-
pearance on that date, when the govern
ment attorneys will ask to have him held
for a grand jury.
An officer of the government tonight said
that the information obtained regarding the
alleged conspiracy duplicates a number of
persons at present employed in the Interior
Department at Washington and elsewhere.
Numerous arrests are expected to follow
that of Benson, and some employees, who
may not be arrested, will be dismissed from
the service. 1t is said that Secretary Hitch
cock and the special attorneys in the case
full working out of the case that no action
be taken with reference to any of the other
alleged offenders until the principals In the
case have been apprehended.
Arthur L. Pugh, who has been the spe-
cial attorney for the Interior Department
on the land frauds. and Oliver Pagin. as
sistant attorney of the Department of JUS
tice in asking for a large bail bond for
Benson, said he had been guilty of bribery
during his present visit to Washington, and
in the Interior Department itself. notwith-
connection with the alleged frauds was
fully known by the department. The state
ment was made later that Secretary Hitch
cock was SO incensed at the fagrancy of
this alleged offense that he told the officers
to have Benson arrested at once, although
1t had not been planned to apprehend him
at present. Government officers say Ben
son came to Washington in answer to decoy
letters, and with the intention of bribing
persons supposed to work in the land Office,
but who were in reality secret service
officers
Mr.. Benson is said to have been taken
entirely by surprise He had no lawyer in
Washington. and when lie was taken i'm
medately after his arrest before United
States Commissioner Taylor a delay of an
hour or more occurred while lawyer was
sought for him. Mr.. Benson made formal
plea of not guilty. Benson declined to make
any statement further than to say he would
appear when wanted.
Benson is the senior member of the real
estate firm of Benson & Hyde, of San Fran
cisco, and IL 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 in 1897. That act
provides that the owner of land which is
wanted by the government for a forest
reservation shall be allowed to select In
place of Il other public land. Ii is alleged
that Benson obtained advance information
as to the land that would be wanted by the
government for forest reserves, and that by
means Of fraudulent entries. or by pur-
chase immense tracts of such lands were
obtained and afterward exchanged for val
liable public lands.