The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-03
IS DETERMINED ID STOP LAND FRAUDS Hitchcock Tells How Hard He
 Has Worked NO ONE IS YET CONVICTED Investigation in California and Oregon Are Still Being Diligently Pros
 ecuted by the Department
 of the Interior.
NO ONE IS YET CONVICTED

Washington, October 2.-Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock today gave out the following statement in answer to certain charges regarding the method of con- ducting the investigation into land frauds on the Pacific coast, and regarding the steps taken by him to bring the guilty parties to justice:
 Charges are being made and freely circulated by the opponents of the ad- minlstration to the effect that the investi- gation of the land frauds by the Inter for department is not being seriously and diligently conducted that criminal prose- cutions corrected with the investigation are not being pressed with such vigor as to manifest a determination to bring the guilty parties to speedy justice; and that an air of secrecy pervades the de- partment making 1t difficult to obtain in formation as to the progress and the present status of the work done. "These charges are utterly without foundation in fact. The investigation has been in the hands of competent officers of the government from the beginning, and has been conducted under the direc-
 
 the utmost possible speed consistent with thoroughness; the prosecutions where in- dictments have been found, have been and are being vigorously pressed and at no time has there been any attempts to deprive the public of the fullest in- formation as to the progress or status or such prosecutions, or :ss to any mat ter in connection herewith
 Are Men of Influence. The leading spirits in the fraudulent transactions brought to light are mostly men who have occupied positions of in- l fluenee and high standing, both socially and politically, and many of them are | men of large wealth. They have thrown many obstacles in the way, which have | required time, patience, constant efforts determination and courage on the part | of those having charge of the investiga- | tion to overcome. They have diligently | sought in season ana out of season, to | thwart the purpose of the investigation | and to control it's results favorable to | themselves.
 These difficulties have been successful i ly met and overcome. The fraudulent | operations have been carried on chiefly in the states of California and Oregon. but have not been confined to these states. l In many instances the conspirators have ! reached out into other states. While only about eighteen months have elapsed since the investigation was commenced | the practical results thus far obtained are both gratifying and encouraging. | They may be summed up as follows
 Summary of Cases.
 l I The indictment in February. 1903, in l the District of Columbia of Frederick 1 A. Hyde. John A. Benson and Henry P. | Tnt.- IN.I l Joseph H. Sscneider of Tuscon, Ariozona, i under section $40 of the revised statutes ] for conspiracy to defraud the United | States of large quantities of its public | lands, and the indictment, in December | l9O2 in the District of Columbia, of John l A. Benson for bribery of public officials | in connection with such conspiracy The | leading spirits in this conspiracy are | Hyde and Benson. and their scheme to | defraud the government was of gigan- | tic proportions.
 1 Tt involved an attempt to secure titles | to hundreds of thousands of acres of the public lands of the United States in the various public land states, and fin the territories of Arizona and New Mexico
 under the provisions of the act of con- | gress, approved June 4, 1897, in exchange | for stare school lands lying within the | limits of the United States forest re- serves established in the states of Cali fornia and Oregon. The titles to the | school lands were acquired by and on
 behalf of Hyde and Benson, in violation
 of the laws of said states relating to the disposal of school lands, and in a grossly illegal and fraudulent manner, by means
 of false and forged applications, affida-
 wits and other documents, thereby rem dering such titles false, fraudulent and worthless, and by making and securing 7 to be made false and forged relinquish-
 ments to the United States of such false, fraudulent and worthless titles, and by selecting other lands belonging to the United States outside of forest reserves 1 in exchange for the titles thus fraudu- lently obtained, and relinqushed to the
 United States.
 Hundreds of Thousands of Acres. l While hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands were involved in the scheme, only small portion tnereof-less than forty thousand acres-had been pat 1 ented at the time of the discovery of the fraud by the secretary of the interior By the secretary's direction, the further issuing of patents upon the section and entries involved was immediately stop ped, and all such selections and entries were suspended, which suspension still
 remains in force. The government Is