The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04

|. LAND FRAUDS
IN IDAHO
Prominent Persons
Involved in a
Syndicate.
Case Laid Before Federal
Officers and Action Will
Be Taken.
Puter ReSents Statements of Mitchell of
Oregon and Gives Damaging Evi-
dence Against the Senator.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

| CALL BUREAU, POST BUILDING,
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.-Extensive
| land frauds are now under investiga-
| ton in Idaho. and the statements made
by the officers here and the men from
that State disclose frauds more far
reaching even than those in Oregon.
The investigation was started last
week by order of President Roosevelt,
who received affidavits from Idaho,
| through Senator Dubois. These affi-
davits are four in number and were
sent to Senator Dubois by Fred D..
| Culver of Lewiston, Idaho, who was a
candidate for Attorney General of that
| State on the Democratic ticket two
| years ago.
Rumors have been in circulation to-
day involving important persons in
! Washington, but Senator Dubois made
| a positive statement tonight that no
important Washington names are in
| cluded in the affidavits, and that the
only persons. mentioned, so far as he
| knew, are in Idaho.
The affidavits now in the President s
hands charge that a syndicate is in
existence in Idaho, created for the pur-
pose of acquiring by illegal means tim
Der lands from the Government by
false entries. the same as in Oregon
The persons named in the afffdavits
are w. +. Kehenbach, president of a
trust company; George H. Kester,
cashier of a bank. and Clarence Rob-
nett, all of Lewiston, Idaho.
1t is said in the affidavits that more
than $1.000,000 worth of land has been
taken from the Government by means
of false entries.
Inasmuch as the accused men are
personal friends of Senator Dubois,
the latter finds the situation embar-
raising.
Secretary Hitchcock, to whom the
affidavits were referred by the Presi-
dent, instituted the investigation. In
formation sent to the Interior Depart
ment charges that frauds have been
perpetrated at the Land Office at Boise,
as we'll as Lewiston, and 1t is intimat-
ed that the inquiry when fairly start
ted will reach out in many directions
and many prominent citizens of Idaho
may become entangled.
Within the past three weeks over
1900 patents on timber and homestead
lands in the Roseburg (Or.) Land Of
flee, covering about 3S0,000 acres OF
land, have been held up at the Interior
Department, pending investigation.
Roseburg is the home of Representa-
tive Hermann. who was recently in
Q1cted Dy the GrdnQ jury IN connection
with alleged land frauds.
HENEY TO CONTINUE WORK.
Fresh indictments are being prepared
In Portland, Or, where the Grand Jury
will resume Its sessions during this
week. and persons prominent in public
life other than those whose names al
ready have been implicated, are in
volved. The mission of Oliver E. Pagin.
the assistant attorney In the Depart
ment of Justice, who left here some
days ago for Portland, is to assist in
the framing of new indictments,
work in which he figured conspicuously
during the postal investigation a couple
of years ago.
Pagin lis expected to return here in
time to take part in the presentation
of the Governments position before the
Supreme Court Of the United States in
the Hyde Benson case, which the Gov
ernment appealed to that body after
the discharge of the leading defendants
on habeas corpus proceedings brought
in New York. This case probably will
be heard next month.
No successor to United States Dis
trict Attorney Hall. who was recently
removed. has yet been selected, and it
is expected that Francis j. Heney will
remain in charge of the Governments
interests in the pending proceedings at
Portland.
PORTLAND, Jan. 3.-The chief of
the minor conspirators convicted of
carrying on fraud against the Govern
ment, S. A. d. Puter, issued state
ment to-day in which he reiterates
the charge that Senator Mitchell re-
ceived $4,000 from him to rush through
certain claims His statement is-given
in answer to the charge made by the
Senator that he had been indicted on
the word of self lf-confessed rascals and
perjurers. Puter also paid his respects
TO Senator Fulton, who came out in
an interview recently calling Puter
perjurer. Puter said:
When / said that I gave Mitchell
$1,000 to use his influence with Binger
Hermann to expedite those land claims
l told the truth, and Senator Mitchell
knows it. According to Mitchells
statements, am man who would
deliberately perjure a mans liberty
away. / will say that a man who
would willingly go on a witness stand
and perjure himself to rob another man
of his liberty is deserving of and ought
to receive the severest kind of punish
ment.
Il gave Senator Mitchell $4,000 to get
those patents through, and I will say
that / never regretted telling anything
so much in my life as the fact that
Mitchell took that money. / never
told living soul in my life before
gave the details to Mr. Heney. I
never told 1t to Mckinley or Tarpley.
my partners in these deals.
HERMANN'S PART IN DEAL.