Bisbee daily review., 1903-10-30
TUCS0NITE INVOLVED
 IN LAND FRAUDS

The dispatch from Washington pub lshr1 yesterday disc'cs;ng extensive land frauds in the west. has a Tucson end.
 An investigation on the part of the United States land office began over year ago, when J. H. Schneider. formerly of Oakland. California, but who has lived at Tucson for about two years, through James A. Zabriskie, ex-United States attorney for Arizona, first brought the matter to the atten- ton of the general land office.
 Zabriskie advised Commissioner Hermann that he had a client who could expose great irregularities in the taking up and disposing of gov e~nment lands. Schneider had been connected with a man named Hyde eni other land operators in Cali fornia for number of years and was familiar with the methods of taking UT land just before it was reserved. He had fallen out with his associates, and after coming to Arizona agreed to eIrose them.
 Commissioner Hermann advised Colonel Zabriskie. attorney for Scnei- der. that an arrangement by which testimony coul6 be taken would Je made and s. J. Holsinger. special e~e-t If the land office, was sent to Tucson. where Schneider laid the whole matte- before him, giving in detail the plan of operations for years pest. The paners went on to Wash i-eton and William J. Burns. of the secret service division of the treasury oa0r-+ment and A. B. Pus-. assistar' attorney general for the interior de ra-'~e-t. were sent to Tucson to in veStipate
 Whom they encountered Schneide- thnv fou-d that he regrette6 having hroreht the matter to the attention Of the derartment and they were referred bv him to his attorneys who are also at'or-nvs for evteueive land one-s' ors Tho only reason they would give whv Schneider should thus go hack or his former statement and refuse to give any further evidence. was he couce he had fonrtf that number or his friends would be crawn into tho matter ard at least one had th-eat- eped to commit suicide if exposed.
 As Schneider has dismissed Zabris- kie as attorney. who had heen first assoriated with him. the secret se-- vice officers took him into the case ac srerial n-osecrtor and a thorough in vestieation of inc ease was becun all tnrough the Pecifit coast states in which land g-aftersn have been en- gage5i in business. Zahriskie recent- ly returned from two months absence spent in San Francisco, whe-e he met Burns, Pueh and three other secret service officers working on the case and where he also consulted Binger Hermann, who was commissioner at the time the charges were f-st brought. Zabriskie expects to leave for Washington shortly. Special Agent Holsinger is now in Tucson. but he refused to talk about the investiga- tiOD.
 Although J. Fl. Schneider, the land office officials and F. H. Hereford, at
  all continue to maintain the strictest silence, in reference to the alleged gi- gantic land frauds perpetrated while Schneider was connected with Hyde in California and Oregon, the facts are slowly leaking out and it was given out here that Schneider had dis posed. of his business interests in
  probably at Nagdalena. He recently returned rom visit to Sonora where he went 10 look for location. antici- pating the exposure that would result from the investigation which the se- cTet service men have been conduct ing
 Schneider dates his trouble with Hyde rom the time that he first wis fled Arizona. He had been superin- tendeDt cf Hyde's California cattle ranches; he had been his agent for long time in securing options on lands about to be reserved, and had been sent 10 buy cattle just after Hyde had made him a presen: of s GOO.
 Subsequently Schneider located in Tucson. became dissatisfied over his treatment at the hands Of Hyde after having assisted him in massing fort une by land speculation and through his attorney offered to make the ex- posture on the promise of immunity from persecution which was assured him a. the time he told his story to Insuector Holsipger.
 Before Secret Service Agents Burns ard Pugh had reached Tucson to be gin the investigation of the case, Hyde had learned of the charges made by Schneider and made overtures to his former ranch superintendent and as sociate in the land frauds Hyde's attorneys threatened to prosecute Schneider if he refused to testify in reference to the matter. Walter Slack, uf San Francisco, who was in volved. threatened to commit suicde if the exposures were made and other strong irnuence5 were brought to bear on Schneider.
 So thorourhly did Schneider feel that he had made a mistake and tbat his own ruin as well as that of others stared him in the face. that when Special InsDectors Burrs and, Push ar
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