The San Francisco call., 1904-04-29
AUTHORSHIP OF ANONYMOUS LETTERS
ABS0RBS INTEREST IN FRAUD CASE
Hyde Is Still Silent
as to Epistles
Sent Him.

Il
! Federal Commissioner Heacock were
/ full of sensations. F'iercely counsel for
Henry P. Dimond battled throughout
the day TO free him from the Govern
ment's charge, fatal if not disproved,
that he wrote the anonymous attacks
upon his co-defendant and former eli
I ent, Fred a Hyde. The three features
of the days work were a strenuous ef-
! fort to obtain a reconsideration of the
| Commissioner refusal to compel Hyde
TO testify on Dimonds behalf the fail
ure to connect Horace Stevens, a vet
eran newspaper man, with the author
] ship of the anonymous communica-
I tions, and Hyde's own con sent TO the
introduction of the Town Talk letter.
with all its vilifiCation of the rich land
speculator.
Wheeler and Wright have had several
theories as to who wrote the letters.
First they declared them part of a
Government plot TO trap the defend
ants, and charged Detective Burns
with full knowledge of their author
ship. Then they acquitted Burns and
hlnted that the mysterious documents
were the work of a wCman-a she devil
possessed with an almost uncanny
! hatred of Hyde and long abiding de-
sire to accomplish his ruin.
But the evidence to prove the
woman guilty has failed to ap-
pear. Yesterday it was again de-
manded from Hyde. but again Hyde
refused to produce the anonymous let
ters sent him during half dozen wears.
as Burns testified. by a woman whom
the land dealer had long known.
These letters, it is conceded are filed
with attacks on Hydes family and
contain no reference to his business
methods. such as are found in the
epistles already in evidence. But
Wheeler, after McEnerney had per-
mltted him to read them. announced
that they were undoubtedly written
by the same hand that wrote the
anonymous letters now before the Com
missioner. When Dimcnd's counsel
called Stevens and tried to show that
his connection both with Hyde and with
Burns made him a possible author. the
reporter soon cleared himself. What
To-Day may bring forth no one can pre-
dlct, but the shrewd lawyers seem to
have nearly exhausted their resources
THE TOWN TALK LETTER.
AS soon as Commissioner Heacock
opened court knight renewed his mo-
tion that Hyde be compelled to testify
as TO the receipt of letters from his
alleged woman foe. He argued the
question a length, but McEnerney set
tied the matter by announcing Hyde's
refusal to take the stand and reading
the Federal crimes act of 1878. which
provides that in a joint trial either
defendant may testify at his own re
quest and not otherwise To all
Knights pleading that he listen to fur
ther argument, the Commissioner an
swered with emphasis: Mr. knight.
the act of Congress is decisive. We
are now in the twenty-first day of
TINS nearing and / intend to wind it up
without further undue delay No more
argument will be permitted on this
point"
Unable to get the so-called Ellen Ellis
worth letters into the record. Knight
and Wheeler succeeded better with the
anonymous attack on Hyde that was
sent last summer to Town Talk. Theo
dore +. Bonnet, the proprietor of that
publication, was called and testified
that he had received the letter which
was postmarked August 4. 1903. and
which inclosed a $50 gold certificate to
pay for its publication. After reading
II he at once turned it over to Jere I.
Burke of the Southern Pacific Rail-
ways law department, who told him
afterward that he had given it to his
friend Hyde.
We now call on Mr.. Hyde to produce
that letter." said Wheeler
We do not admit that we have such
a letter in our possession McEnerney
responded
will your Honor issue a subpoena for
Mr.. Burke?" Wheeler requested. TT
will be necessary for us to prove that
he gave the letter to Hyde"
Then came a conference between
counsel for the two defendants, at the
end of which Wheeler's request for the
subpoena was withdrawn. But Govern
ment Counsel Heney was not willing
TO lose the chance to score point. He
demanded that the subpoena issue on
behalf of the Government This
brought out the letter. McEnerney
gracefully yielding and turning it over
to Wheeler. 1t was read in evidence,
as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO. July s. 1908.
In the city, trying to unearth Mr.. F. A Hydes
land business, and II seems mighty queer they
a0nt s track ,, MN; n II Is thought they are paid
plain as daylight 20 every one.
There is a man in Tucson. Ariz:. by the
name OF J II. Schneider who could in ten
minutes tell enough Of Hyde's fraudulent bust
ness to put Hyde in the penitentiary for life.
and the Government detectives right there
now working on this Schneider. but
Hydes men and LAWYERS are standing over
the man is afraid OF his life.
Hyde would kill him In minute before he
would have HIS land frauds exposed
Hyde has manufactured thousands of bogus
names 10 land titles. then worked them around
in his full control. and il is amazing how he
years. but he is such wonderfully cunning,
willy crafty. keen, discriminating, skillful, in
genious character he has far lodged the
laws. but such characters usually risk one
chance too many.
The facts are the Governors of the States,
bankers. leading lawyers and many other in
nuential business men of supposed honorable
standing all In with Hyde, and he gives
them large share of his enormous land prof
it's, and these men have kept the people blind
ed to their relations with Hyde by loudly
talking. TALKING against land frauds.
ROTTEN HYPOCRISY.
Even Hyde himself tells the people and de-
tectives that he does hope they will put a
stop 10 this fraudulent land grabbing he
seys IL confounds his name to strangers with
those of other disreDutab business parties
says ii hurts his HONORABLY conducted bust
ness. Now all this kind of talk from Hyde
is ROTTEN hypocrisy. for he is right the
chief instrument in obtaining these present
gigantic combination timber companies
Hyde stands behind the whole thing
This John Benson of San Francisco. land
lawyer. civil engineer and land surveyor, has
been Hyde's SECRET partner for great many
years. but before the people Hyde does not
claim 20 know who this John Benson is
Hyde has for years paid the firm of Britton
e. Gray of Washington, ID. C., $4,000 year
TO keep him posted every movement in the
Washington land department
OF late Hyde has grown little afraid Of
horf1 a. -f.