The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-19
HITCHCOCK RFTICENT
ON BENSON'S ARREST

~ ~ 4 AlAALO
investigation. is about completed. and
before the first OF the year there will
be startling developments in the way of
arrests and dismissals.
BTibes Were offered.
The ramifcations Of the alleged frauds
Of Benson were astonishing. Not only
were officials Of the land Offices in the
various States bribed for information
and other services, but persons within
the General Land Office. such ss Har-
Ian. and general and special agents in
the field were approached with money.
knowing where forest reserves were to
DC declared, the spectators bought for
nominal price large areas within the
pToDosed reserve. much OF the land
bought having no value. When the re-
serve was made the holders of the land
We're entitled TO change it for an equal
area OF public forest land anywhere
they might select They would then So
lect the most valuable forest land, some
Of it worth large sums. in lieu of thas
which had been reserved.
The profits of this scheme were enor-
nous. and the industry with which It
was carried out is shown by the allie.
cation that IL was worked in Washing
ton, Oregon. California. Montana. Idaho.
Nevada. Utah. Wyoming. North Dakota
Colorado. South Dakota. Nebraska
Kansas. Minnesota. New Mexico ane
Arizona. Benson and his associates
were by no means the only persons
who are accused Of having worked the
lieu land fraud. The Interior De-
partment has a long list of suspects.
Some Of them were extensive operators
on the Benson plan. while others are
smaller fry who were content with ons
or two investments.
Evidence Hard to Get.
Tho difficulty has been to get evil
dence on which to bring criminal ac-
ton. On their faces the transactions
are legitimate. as the law gives the right
Of lieu selection, and the information
sought by the spectators could be con-
veyed by word of mouth, thus leaving
no trace or crookedness. no matter how
strongly convinced the investigators
might be that the Government had been
defrauded. Bribery and conspiracy
were the grounds on which indictments
he'd 10 be sought, and they are among
the hardest crimes to prove before a
jury Despite these handicaps the de-
the probing. and now there is believed
to be at hand sufficient evidence to
send some Of the leaders in the scheme
to. the penitentia-y.
Those employees against whom there is
not enough evidence to warrant crimi-
nal action will be quietly dropped
from the rolls. but when the work Of
cleaning out the office viii begin is not
known.
A dispatch from San Francisco says
Benson is q conspicuous figure there in
deals in Government lands. and has
been in frequent litigation. At one time
he was United States surveyor general
for California.
Arrested Once Before.
This is not the first time Benson has
been in trouble with the Government
In 1885. in the first Cleveland Admin
istration. Benson, who was then a resi-
dent Of San Francisco. was arrested for
fraud in connection with the surveying
of public lands in California and other
Western States. The specific charge
against him. as now. was the bribery OF
public officials.
His trial was held in San Francisco
in the ensuing year. and he was &C
quilted, but was later arrested on an
other charge While cut under bail
awaiting trial for his second onense
he jumped his bail and went abroad,
and resided in Copenhagen for a number
Of years He returned TO the United
States and to his old home. San Fran
cisco. about eight years ago and again
went into the real estate business.
Since then the firm of Benson g. Hyde
has dealt almost exclusively in the
manipulation Of lands under the forest
reserve lien act. and 1t was through
the knowledge of Benson's former un-
savory record and the nature of his
present business that attention was first
attracted 10 him in connection with the
present land frauds.