Arizona republican., 1903-12-19
THIEF LANDED
Arrest of John $. Benson
 for Land Frauds
Charged With Bribery of Officials.
 Other Arrests and Cleaning Out of the Interior Department to Follow.

Washington, Dec. 1S.-John A. Ben | son, a wealthy San Francisco real es- tate operator, charged by the inter- for department with being at the head of the alleged frauds extending ever a dozen western states and territories to which Secretary Hitchcock referred vigorously and at length in his an- nual report, was arrested here today 1 at the Willard Hotel by Secret Ser vice Officer Burns, just as Benson was preparing to leave the city for New York.
 The charge on which the arrest was made was bribery, 1t being alleged in the affidavit Of MT. Burns and in the warrant, that Benson had paid $500 to Woodford Harlan. formerly chief of the special service division of the general land office and now a clerk in that office on March 15 of this year, for the purpose of extracting from him in- formation regarding the investigation of Benson's operations, at that time being made by United States Commis- sioner Anson s. Taylor. As soon as Benson had been apprehended by Off, Ger Burns, he was taken before Com missioner Taylor. He wished to have the preliminary hearing on his case postponed and the date for such hear ing was fixed at Wednesday, Dec. 30.
 The statement was made by an Of ficer of the government tonight that the information obtained regarding the alleged conspiracy duplicates number of persons at present employed in the interior department at Wash ington and elsewhere. Numerous ar rests are expected to follow that of Benson in short order and some em- ployes who may not be arrested will be dismissed from the service.
 It is said that Secretary Hitchcock and the special attorneys in the case have considered it absolutely necessary to the successful working out of the case but no action be taken with ref erence to any of the other alleged of- lenders until the principals of the case had been apprehended. The government attorneys, Arthur B. Pugh. who has been the special attorney for the in terior department on the land frauds and Oliver Pagin. aSsistsnt attorney for the department of justice. who has also been employed on the case, stated in asking for large bail bond for Ben son that he had been guilty of bribery during his present visit to Washing ton since last Monday, and in the in terior department itself, notwithstand- ing that he was fully aware that his connection with the alleged frauds was fully known by the department
 The statement was made later that Secretary Hitchcock was s0 incensad at the flagrancy of this alleged offense that he told the officers to have Ben a tnd at althnrr0h hod not been planned to apprehend him at present. Another assertion of the gov ernment officers is that Benson came to Washington in answer to. decoy let ters and With the intention of bribing people in the land office who in reality were acting for the secret service.
 The warrant ou which Benson was arrested charged that on March 15. last. he unlawfully gave "A sum of money, to-wit, $500 to one Woodford D. Harlan, who wBs then and there an officer of said United States. to-wit. chief of the special service division of the general land office of the United States. with intent to induce the said WGodford ,. Harlan to do m act in violation of his lawful duty as such of ficer, that is to say, reveal to him, the said John :. Benson, the contents of the reports of certain of the subordn- ates in the office of him, the said WoOdfOTd D. Harlan, concerning an in vesti<ation of the conduct of the said John s. Benson and his associates in making fraudulent selections and entries cf public lands of the said Unit ed States in lieu of lands owned by them within the limits of forest re- serves heretofore established under the laws of the United States in the states of California and Oregon and in committing trespsss upon said public lands"