Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-18
CHARGES CONSPIRACY
Indictments Against Califor-
MIA and Arizona Citizens.
BON DIS $40, 900 EACH
ONE OF THE DEFENDANTS COM
MITTED TO JAIL.
John A. Benson Of San Francisco and
Others Accused Of Defraud-
ing the Government.

The indictment In the land fraud case,
which. as stated in The Star, was kept of
the records yesterday afternoon, charges
conspiracy to defraud the government
against John A. Benson, wealthy real es-
tate operator of San Francisco: Frederick
A. Hyde of the same city, said to be asso-
ciated with Benson in land operations;
Henry c. Dimond of California. an attorney
in the employ of Benson, and Joost H.
Schneider of Tucson. Ariz., who is said to
have been an agent of Benson & Hyde.
The district attorneys Office attempted to
keep secret the filing of the Indictment in
order to arrest Schneider, who was in the
city, before he should receive word of it.
Secret Service Agent w. ]. Burns succeed
ed in locating Schneider and brought him.
late yesterday afternoon, before Justice
Barnard. who fixed bail at $4,000.
The government asked that $4,000 bail
be required, but Attorneys c. C. Cole and
r. Golden Donaldson, who appeared for
Schneider, commended that 5000 would be
sufficient to insure the attendance Of the
accused for trial. Justice Barnard decided
that bond for $4,000 should be furnished,
and as Mr.. Schneider was not prepared to
give bail in that amount, he was commit
ted to JAIL
The indictment is the outcome of an in
vestigation made by agents of the Interior
Department of alleged wholesale public
land frauds in many western states IN
the eighty typewriter pages OF the 1ndlct-
ment is set forth a complete description Of
the frauds, which, it is claimed, have been
going on for six or seven years and have
enriched the conspirators many thousands
of dollars.
The Scheme Alleged.
The scheme of the frauds, as outlined in
ho ipdj of school
other lands under the lieu land law by
applications assignments and purchases in
names of fictitious persons. or of persons
not really desiring or qualified to purchase
them, paying small sums for the lands.
BY certain dummy applicants, it is alleged,
certain unsurveyed tracts in the Olympia
CWash.) land district were obtained and
other lands secured including large tracts
in the Visalia (vancouver) land districts
in Washington; in the Woodward land dis
trict of Okla hOma; the Cascade range for
est reserve country, in Oregon; the San
Francisco land district and the Carson City
New land district.
The Indictment charges that In this city.
December 80, 1901, the persons indicted
conspired with others to defraud the United
States out of possession Of and title to
these various tracts of land by false and
fraudulent practices"
Joost H. Schneider, who was arrested,
has been a witness before the grand jury
in the cases against the other defendants.
1t is sta ted that he offered to make a full
disclosure to the government of the land
frauds if he should be promised immunity
from punishment. This offer was declined
by the government, as it is claimed Schnei-
der was Intimately connected with the al
legged fraudulent schemes. He collected the
certificates of entry upon the lands and his
name appears as witness upon large num-
Der of them.
John A. Benson who is charged with be-
ing the active mover In the alleged frauds
is already under indictment for bribing
employees of the Interior Department, and
is on bail and supposed to be residing in
New York.
Alleged Originator Of Plan.
Frederick A. Hyde Is said to have orig
mated the scheme, planning the frauds
while Benson employed assistants and car
ried on the operations:
The other accused man, Henry c. Dr.
mond, Is employed in the office OF Benson
at San Francisco, and it is said that Ben
son sent to him Information for carrying
out the scheme which he obtained from the
general land office here, two employees Of
which bureau appeared before the grand
jury and acknowledged to have received
bribes from Benson, and describing what
services they had rendered him.
The indictment returned yesterday covers
all the land fraud cases that have been pre-
scented so far to the grand jury. The gov
eminent is continuing the investigation
Other allegatio may be brought to the at
tenthon of the grand jury and others may
be indicted later.