The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-10
RUNNING DOWN LAND THIEVES.
Good Progress Making in Secretary
 Hitchcock's Great Work.

Good Progress Making in Secretary
 Hitchcock's Great Work.
 The United States Supreme Court has removed another barrier which the alleged ringleaders of the public land conspiracy erected in order to es- cape trial. Frederick A. Hyde and Henry P. Dimond, both of San Fran cisco, appealed from the decision of the Circuit Court in California direct ing their removal to the District of Columbia for trial denying them writs of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court has affirmed the decision of the Cir cult Court, and Hyde and Diniond must come to Washington, in com mon with John A. Benson, and face the evidence that has been accumulated by Secretary Hitchcock.
 It was a portion of this evidence which led the Federal grand jury of this District to fndict Hyde, Dimond and Benson. The accused used every device that money would procure in the effect to prove that the law does not justify removeal from a judicial district in State to the District of Columbia, and that no offence was committed in this District. The Su- preme Court in ordering the removal of the accused to Washington holds i that it is an exceptional case that the indictment in this District was justi- fled. As to the contention of Hyde and Benson that they were within the let ter of the law in their land opera tions, the Supreme Court declares that the whole scheme was frudulent. l Frederick A. Hyde, the leading spirit in these immense operations, is a man of wealth and remarkable ability. It ; is probably true that his acts were in most instances with In the letter of the law. He boasted that if the United States enacted laws which enabled shrewd men to gobble the public do- main by wholesale he had no scruples | in taking advantage of the situation. The greed of the land ring, however, led it to commit violations of the law outright, in addition to acquiring large bodies of land by fraud upon the States, if not upon the United States. The extent and boldnass of the rings operations finally led to it's un- doing.
 If the Secretary of the interior had been man less stern and uncompro- missing than Ethan Allen Hitchcock there is no telling where the frauds would have stopped. The ring was intrenched with the General Land Of flee, under the very nose of the Se- cretary of the Interior, yet so skilful was it's work that 1t was not detected for several years. After detection, re- lentless vigor was necessary in order to secure the evidence required } to make the proof of fraud conclusive and to entrap the ring-leaders. This work has engrossed the athtention of &c., cretary' Hitchcock for three years With a grimfrass and singleness of purpose that knew no turning he stuck to his task until he had laid bare petrated upon the United States in recent times, if, indeed, 1t has ever been equalled.
 The millionaire Hyde and his assist. ants are now face to face with the issue in the District of Columbia, where they are assured of fair tria and no favors, If they are guilty there is no escape from a punishment that will make public land stealing an ex- ceedingly unprofitable> business while Secretary Hitchcock is in office.- NTo 11, ,t,,r