The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-19
.DECOY LETTERS
 WORK SMOOTHLY.
Wealthy Real Estate Operator
 Arrested in Washington
CHARGED WITH LAND FRAUD
While Under Suspicion He Comes From San Francisco and 1t Is AL
 legged Was Guilty of Brlb-
 cry In the Department.

Washington, December 1s.--John A. Ben- son, a wealthy San Francisco real estate operator. charged by the interior depart ment with being the head of alleged land frauds extending over western states and territories, to which Secretary Hitchcock referred at length in his annual report, was arrested on a charge of bribery at the Winfield hotel by secret service officer John A. Burns. It is alleged in the war rant that Benson paid $500 to Woodford T. Harlan, former chief of the special service division of the agricultural office on March 15, 1903, to extract information re- garding an investigation of his operations by the land office. As soon as Benson was apprehended he was taken before Commissioner Taylor, who issued the war rants. He wished to have a preliminary hearing of his case postponed and the date for such hearing was fixed at De- cember aO He gave bail for his appear. ance.
 An officer of the government tonight said that the information obtained regard ing the alleged conspiracy duplicates number of people at present employed in the interior department at Washington and elsewhere.
 Guilty of Bribery.
 Arthur B. Hughes, who has been the special attorney for the interior depart ment on the land frauds, and Oliver Ha- gin, assistant attorney of the department of justice, In asking for large ball for Benson, said that he had been guilty of bribery during his visit to Washington and the interior department itself, al- though he was fully aware that his con- nection with the alleged frauds was fully known by the department The statement was made later that Secretary Hitchcock was so incensed at the lagrancy of this alleged offense that he told the officers to have Benson arrested at once although it had not been intended to apprehend him at present. Government officers say that Benson 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 se- cret service officers.
 The information on which the warrant issued said in brief that MT. Harlan in his capacity as chief of the special serv- ice division of the general land office had charge of the investigation of the land frauds sending out special agents in any suspected cases of fraud, and re- | ceiving the reports of such agents on | the cases and that Benson had paid to 1 him the sum of $500 in return for being | allowed to examine the reports of the special agents in his own case.
 VIII Make No Statement. | Benson declined to make any stateA ment further than to say he would ap- pear when wanted. Mr. Benson is the senior member of the real estate firm of Benson & Hide of San Francisco, and it is asserted he deffauded the govern- ment out of at least 100 acres of land by various schemes since the passage of the forest reserve act in 1897 That act pro- vides that the owner of land which is wanted by the government for forest reserve, shall be allowed to select in place of 1t other public land. It is al- legged that Benson obtained advance n- wanted by the government for forest reserves and that by means of fraudulent entries, or by purchase. immense tracts of such lands were obtained and after wards exchanged for valuable public lands. The information alleges that frauds were perpetrated as to lands in almost all of the western and north western states.
 Mir. Richards of the general land of- flee said tonight that on assuming of- flee he reduced Woodford Harlan from chief of the special service division of the general land office to a clerkship because he was dissatisfied with his work and misconducting his office.