The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-12-31
OTHERS INDICTED.
GRAND JURY FILES SEVERAL
NEW INDICTMENTS IN !
LAND-FRAUD CASES.
S. B. Ormsby, ". Il. Davis and
G. E. Loomis to Undergo Trial
AL said to Be Mixed
Upin Land Ring-Two
Others Included. (.

Upin Land Ring-Two
Others Included.
| Portland, Dec. 28.-The Federal
grand jury made its second public
appearance yesterday afternoon, at
which time it returned indictments
against Salmon B. Ormsby, of Sa-
lem; William II. Davis, of Albany;
Clark e. Loomis of Eugene; Hem
ry A. Young. George Sorenson. of
Portland; John Doe and Richard
Roe. The charge Is that the in
dicted men entered into a conspir-
acy on December 20, 1901, having
as their object the defrauding of the
government of the United States
out of q portion of its public lands
in township II south of range Z
east, and that by means of false and
forged applications, false and forg-
ed aHdavits and proofs of home-
lstead entry and settlement, some
in the names of real and some in
the names of fictitious persons, the
government was induced to issue
patents to the lands.
1t is charged that in furtherance
of the conspiracy, William II. Da-
Wis swore to IN affidavit before S.
B. Ormsby in which he said be had
resided upon the claim taken by
him as the law required, and it is
also alleged that the conspiracy was
a part of the one entered into by s.
A. D. Puter, Horace G. Mckinley,
ID. w. Tarpley and Emma L. Wat
dson.
i In the Indictment just returned
/ William n. Davis, mayor of Alba.
my and chairman Of the repub.
1lican county central committee Of
! Linn county. is the central figure.
Ormsby and Loomis, Sorenson and
Young have all been before the
public from tbs opening of the land
fraud trial several weeks ago, but
DR.. Davis had not been brought in.
to the case by the government un.
til the latter part of the week just
passed, when he appeared before
the grand jury by his own request
The government expects to prove
by the evidence against the Albany
man that he went into the conspir
acy to defraud the government
knowingly; and year after he had
: abandoned his claim as the result
of correspondence with the lane
Office at Washington.
The story shows that Davis wen
into the forest in 1892 in company
with William Horn, timber loca
: tor, of Albany. Horn located hin
! on a claim and built cabin fo
him in the same year. The cabil
was afterward destroyed by tre
;; falling upon it and the mex
, year Horn built another. Ii
1898 DR.. Davis went to his CLAIM
for a day or so, and again in 1S9;
he spent short time there on :
. fishing trip. He also went fishing
t In the vicinity in 1895.
DR.. Davis made his final proc
before R. B. Montague, of Albany
In 1000 and swore that he had cul
, tivated five acres of ground eacl
year since residing on the land
that he had raised crops and hat
made the place his residence excep
for short periods in the winter
when be was obliged to leave tt
make living for himself and fam
lily.
In 1901 G. E. Loomis came to AL
bany to make a report on tn
claim of DR.. Davis, in connection
with about 45 other claims held III
> by the department. It is said tn
doctor became uneasy about thi
time and wrote to Binger Hermann
then commissioner of the genera
| land Office, asking his advice in re
gard to his filing. He also asket
Mr.. Loomis to write to the depart
ment in regard to his claim.
Under date of March II, 1901
, Loomis wrote a personal letter t
MIR. Hermann asking his advice il
t relation to the claim. He state,
that DR.. Davis was in trouble owe
it; that he had dropped the LAM