Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-01-16
THE COLONEL IS INDICATED.

THE COLONEL Is INDICATED.
Investigation Of Charges by the De-
partment at Washington Seems to
vIndicate Special Agent Lounsberry.
The Washington correspondent of the
Grand Forks Herald says: The
charges against Col c. A. Lounsberry,
special agent Of the general land Office,
are now being considered by Commits
sioner Richards and will be disposed of
in a few days. The Herald correspon-
dent is able to furnish an Official state
ment of this case from records sub
mitted to the department. :.
The charges against Colonel Louns-
berry as special agent Of the general
land Office were formulated by Alvin
Clark, a clerk in the Devils Lake land
Office, and were sent to the general
land Office without an investigation be-
ing made They resulted from bitter.
personal feeling on Clark's part to-
ward Lounsberry. He was assisted in
the preparation of the charges by
Charles c. Connolly, who had been en-
gagged in procuring final proofs on
abandoned tree claims and obtaining a
title for a nominal consideration. His
method was to file q contest against
the entry and then offer the party from
five to twenty-five dollars, usually. for
REIMBURSEMENT, and in some cases as
high as fifty dollars The contests
were often fictitious, and he would rep
resent to the claimants that in order to
defeat the contest and enable him to
dispose Of the REIMBURSEMENT it was
necessary to have a statement from
them as to what they had done on the
land. These statements were on regu-
lar final proof blanks and In ssvera.
cases where there had been absolutely
showed up in Connolly's hand writing
alleging breaking, cultivation with
Planting and care of trees exactly as
the law required. ..3 Fl M. ss:= 4 4!
By this means Connolly gained pos
session of one tract for fifteen dollars
that is today worth two thousand and
others of equal value for from twenty
five to fifty dollars. There were some
twenty tracts involved some of which
had gone to proof and patent and were
transferred to Connolly's wife. Con-
molly surrendered the patent in two of
the cases and suit is pending for the
cancellation Of patent in two other
cases in which Lounsberry was ma
terial witness for the government.
By the payment Of $3.50 for four
shares of the Record Publishing com
pany stock Connolly obtained 5000
stock in that company owned by r. w.
Drummond and the money SO paid was
applied on q note given by Drummond
and A. B. Mcdonald at the Red River
National bank at Fargo. He also OBJ
tanned possession of $500 owned by
Callie Drummond for which he was to
pay $500 in cash, but Lounsberry
claims he never. did Lounsberry has
abundant and satisfactory proof that
he has no interest in this stock and
never had. Connolly, however, swears
he paid Lounsberry for the stock; that
the money SO paid was bride for
which Lounsbery was to support his
fraudulent entries, admitting, however,
that Lounsberry pressed his cases all
the harder, and the records of the
court and general land office show that
Lounsberry was il anything over zeal
ous In pushing the cases. The period
Of limitation having expired when
Connolly can be prosecuted Tor at
tempting bribery II there was any, be
now make the charges for revenge.
James ]. McCanna was Id like man
ner engaged in procuring fraudulent
entries OF the same character and BY
| the game methods One quarter section
was obtained Tor ia and several al
low as s25 each. Other parties were
working the scheme for McCanna and
his connection was not at firt known.
Iounsberry, as chairman % the North
Dakota Omaha Exposition company,
solicited subscript 70 install and