The Ely miner., 1903-12-25
IS Charged With
BIG Land FRAUDS
John A. Benson, Wealthy Real Es-
tate Operator, Arrested in
Washington.
DECLARED TO Be HEAD OF A
CONSPIRACY TO CHEAT NATION
First Step in Secretary Hftchcock's
Campaign Against Government
Swindlers Taken-Several Interior
Department Clerks Said to BE In
vOlved and More Arrests to Follow.

Washington, Dec 21.-John A. Ben
son, wealthy real estate operator OF
the firm of Benson & Hyde, was arrested
here Friday night, charged with bribery.
He will be held to the grand jury and
then evidence duplicating him in extern
sive land frauds will be produced. Ben
sons arrest is Secretary Hitchcock's first
step in his campaign against perpe-
traitors of land frauds. Many more ar
rests will follow at once. A number of
interior department employees are in
volved, and will either be arrested or
dismissed. Benson has been under in
vestigation by secret service agents for
more than a year. 1t is asserted he 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 forest reserve shall
be allowed to select in place of it other
public land.
Frauds in Several States.
1t is alleged Benson obtained advance
information as to the land that would be
wanted by the government for forest
reserves, and that by means of fraudu-
lent entries or by purchase immense
tracts of such lands were obtained and
afterward exchanged for valuable pub
lie lands. The information alleges that
frauds were perpetrated as to lands in
Washington, Oregon, California, Mon
tana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming,
Colorado, North Dakota South Dakota,
Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Arizona
and New Mexico.
Benson made a formal plea of not
guilty, and then his attorneys asked that
he be released on bail. The accused of
fered bail in $4,000 cash, while the gov
ernment attorneys demanded bond in
the sum of $4,000. Finally Commits
sioner Taylor fixed the bond at $4,000,
and Mr.. Benson was released to appear
December 80, when preliminary hear
ing will take place.
In 1884 Benson and others secured a
contract with the government to sur
vey certain public lands, establish
boundary lines, ETC., for which they were
to receive about $1,100,0OO. Later the
discovery was made that gross frauds
had been perpetrated. AS result Ben
son and his colleagues were indicted and
25 civil and criminal suits instituted
against them. Benson, released on bail.
fled the country, but was arrested in
Denmark, brought back, tried and ac-
quilted on the criminal charges.
More Developments Expected.
More important developments in the
big land fraud scheme, for alleged COM
plicity in which John A. Benson, of San
Francisco, was arrested Friday, are ex-
pected shortly, but the utmost secrecy
guards the proceedings. Both Assistant
Attorney Pugh and Secret Agent Burns,
who investigated the cases in the west,
were in conference Saturday with Sec
retary Hitchcock Woodford Harlan,
the former chief of division, and at pres
ent a clerk in the general land Office,
who is accused of taking bribes from
Benson, was not at his desk Saturday, it
being explained that he was away on
leave of absence for two or three days.
Secretary Hitchcock declined to discuss
expected further arrests or to say what
action as to Harlan's case is in contem-
plation, and when asked why Harlan
had BEEN retained so long after the
discovery Of the alleged offenses re-
fused to answer the question. Benson
has gone to New York.