Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-02
GRAFI[RS At ROSEBUD
Discovery of a Deeply Laid Plot
to Bunco Successful Ones
at the Drawing
IT AMOUNTS TO BLAckMAlL
Scheme to Begin Contests on Many
Claims With a View to Making
Rishtfu Claimants Settle With
Money Observation-Disclosures Great
Indignation.
Special to Times Republican.


the discovery yesterday of the ripening
OF scheme to defraud prospective
hcmesteaders of hundreds of thousands
Of dollars in the opening of the Rose
bud reservation land.
Sc great is the Indignation, especially
&C Iankton that it was stated over the
long distance telephone today that the
first man discovered to be in this plot
will be roughly handled. Some go so
far as to say that hanging would be too
goou for him.
Tho scheme, which it has now been
definitely learned, the srafters are ex-
pecting to carry out at the ROSEBUD
opening, is identical with the one which
robbed thousands of homesteaders in
the opening of the Cherokee strip and
other lands in Oklahoma. The organi-
cation is manipulated largely by at
torneys who, thru dupes, cause con-
tests to be filed against homasteads,
and then demand a price for withdraw
ing the contest. AS the alternative is
a legal controversy, lasting months be-
fore the unworthiness of the contest
cal be established. the homesteader
Usually pays the required sum, which
in Oklahoma ranged from $50 20 $1,000
for each quarter section.
How It Leaked Out.
Two things lead to the discovery OF
the plot at Yankton. One was the adj
vertising all over the country Cor men
to file for claims cor old soldiers, which
is allowed, and the other is the presence
of men at Yankton who have been rec
ognized as members of the blackmail-
Ing gang that operated in Oklahoma.
The advertisements for men to file for
old soldiers is not warranted and far
more will be secured than could iossi-
bly, be used for that purpose. Brought
to the registration points by these a.
Ivestisements these men will prove easy
converts to the blackmailers and VIII
do their will in furthering their con-
te,nptible scheme.
Some of the sharks belong to the
crowd which robbed the hoEleJeekers
II Oklahoma with the same scheme.
The gang which operated in Oklahoma
was organized by unscrupulous alter
neys who used tramps, Migrants and
cutthroats from every section Of the
country. for their stool pigeons. SManN
of the grafters have taken up qua, ters
at Yankton and Bonesteel. Reputable
attorneys from Chicago and st. Louis,
who opened offices in the Cherokee
strip a few years ago for the purpose OF
giving advice and protection to the
homeseekers and filling out papers cor
rectly have recognized their old foes
IN, "a
to prevent IA repetition of the outrages
committed in Oklahoma.
Method is Simple.
The method is simple and effective.
When a valuable piece of land is draw
by legitimate homeseeker. and the
homestead papers are filed, a stool
pigeon files a contesting claim, assert
ing that the homesteader is not entitled
to hold the land under the laws of the
United States. The original filer must
then fight the contest in a hearing be-
forn the land agent and establish his
right to hold the land on which he hes
filed.
This is an expensive process. At
torneys must be employed and the or
iginal filler must be present in person.
The man who can't stay-and thou
sands of the homesteaders will be L,
that position--must sell the claim and
settle with the contestant or buy him
OFF in order to hold it. But the man
who files the contest does not remain
long in the vicinity. He fears detec-
ton and that the land agent will re-
quire him to produce witnesses to es-
tablish the truth of his statements and
Justify his consent. He is simply the
stool pigeon of disreputable gang of
lawyers who organized the wholesale
Matchmaking scheme in oklahoma and
who are on the ground in Dakota. AS
soon as he has filed the contest he
makes his getaway and leaves the
withdrawal in writing with the or
ganizers of the plot.
Pay Dupes Small Sums.
The organizers give the hoboes and
cutthroats 81 to file the contest, end
pay them insignificant sums when they
deliver the Withdrawals to them. The
prospective homeseeker and original
filler must then settle with the attorney
who claims to be the authorized agent
of the contestant, or agrees to become
the attorney of the homeseeker The
attorney at once suggests that the
claim be sold and the money divided;
or, perhaps. to see if the contestant
would be willing to withdraw his claim
for a small sum, say $500 or $500. He
agrees to write at once to his client
who began the contest and see if some
terms cannot be made whereby the
original fller may hold the land.
In a week or so he Will pretend to
receive letter, though in reality he
has lost all trace of the stool pigeon.
and holds the written withdrawal HIM
self. 1t only remains for him to state
the terms on which he will settle and
he can produce the withdrawal on n
few minutes notice. Claims on the
Rosebud will be worth an average of
1000. They may be sold if the home
steader desires to avoid bringing the
contest to Il hearing before the United
States land agent. If the homesteader
pays over the money the blackmailer
produces the written withdrawal and
the land office is notified that the con-
test has been withdrawn.
Had Close Call.
Spirit Lake. July Harry Greene,
the 16-year-old son of H H Greene