The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1904-10-07
AS TO R. S. STEINER
Joseph Bartholomew Pays His Re~
sPeets 10 the SANITY Water
willie Lawyer

According TO the following story told
by Joseph Bartholomew, stage driver
between Watervile and Bridgeport, r.
S. Steiner, the democratic nominee for
Judge of the supetior court, is not the
sanity creature a small coterie of popu
listic republicans in this town picture
him: early this spring on learning
positively that about IS or 90 business
men of Waterville were Holding home
steads upon which they had not com
piled with the laws of the country,I de-
cided to contest one of the claims and
finally picked the quarter section held
by W. H. Fraser, a blacksmith in Wat
erville. Fraser filed on the homestead
April G, 1900, but be never lived on the
place until after April 8 of this year,
the date upon which 1 instituted my
contest. For four long years Fraser
held the claim, yet he did not pretend
! to comply with any of the regulations
provided by by the U. S. land laws. He
was holding the quarter section as
speculation and continued his residence
in Waterville without interruption.
wanted a homestead and was eager to
comply with every law in order to OBJ
tain one. My only alternative was to
contest one of the cleims held by the
Waterville spectators.
Il then went to r. S. Steiner and
asked him if he would take contest
case. He said he would. l told him
wanted to contest piece of land He
said he wanted to know who It was
against-that it might be one of his
clients. told him it was Henry Fraser.
He replied he did not consider Fraser
one OF his clients and would take ths
case. He also wanted to know what I
could prove. l told him what I could
substantiate: there were two witnesses
had not yet seen that | was satisfied
would substantiate the testimony of my
other witnesses.
81 then asked Steiner what he would
charge for his services and he said $50.
! told him the fee was all right and to
go ahead. Then he urged me to notify
the two witnesses 1 had not yet seen
and he would proceed to get the papers
out. I went out into the country about
26 miles to interrogate the two wit
nesses referred to and came back to
town the next day. Immediately called
upon Steiner and informed him that
everything was already and that we
could easily make our case good. To
my great surprise Mr.. Steiner stated
he had so much work to do that be
could not possibly take the time to
bother with my case. He said in con-
clusion; Il will tell you this much
Bartholomew, you have good case
"Being unable to secure the services
of any lawyer in Waterville to plead
nv cause l went TO Wenatehee and
employed an attorney and when my
contest case finally came up for hear
ing before the u. S. land office in Wat
erville in May of this year r. S. Stein
er appeared as attorney for the defend
ant. w. Fl. Fraser While was out
in the country looking up my witnesses
the Is or 20 Waterville people who
were illegally holding homesteads for
speculative purposes, on being informed
by some one unknown to me of my in
tention to contest Henry Fraser's home
stead, got together and organized what
is called the Waterville Homesteader's
Union One of the members of this or
ganiza ation-formed for no other pur-
pose than thwart the aim and intention
of the homestead laws of Ar1erica-has
since told me that Mr.. Steiner is the
legal adviser of the nefarious Union"
Bird dgeport Post.