The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-01-24

1uler, horace ". MCKINNEY, Ian. W..
Tarpley, Frank H. Wolgamot and
Emma l.. Watson, have also been con-
victed of conspiracy to defraud the
Government of it's public lands and
L. S. District Attorney John II. Hall
has been summarily removed from
Office and for the good of the service
But these are not the only ones
involved. In the back ground are
the big lumber kings of Wisconsin.
Michigan, Minnesota and other
States in the Middle West, who
have played the role Of fence" in
the systematic robberies of the Gov
eminent. They have supplied the
| money for proofs of pretended
homestead entries, for bribing no.
taries, County officials, U. s. Com
missioners, and for corrupting spe-
cial agents of the land department
who were sent out to investigate
the claims. Large sums Of hush
money have been advanced since the
Government investigations began, ind
all of this is supposed to have come
from the lumber men who were the
beneficaries of the frauds.
All of these lumber men dealt
through agents. A Portland man
was their principal agent and during
the last four or five years he is said
to have purchased for hi sprincipals
100000 acres of Government land in
Washington and oregon.
1t is generally expected that this
man will be indicted. His indict-
ment will be apt to lead to disclos-
ures involving the wealthy lumber
men for whom he acted.
1t is said that at least rs per cent
of the homestead entries made in
Oregon within the past ten years
have been fraudulent. Within the
last II years numerous forest re-
serves have been created by the
Government in the Western States.
Under the Scrip law any settler who
has taken up homestead claim upon
| lands which were subsequently in
cluded in forest reserve has the OPP
ton Of either perfecting his title
and retaining his homestead, or of
surrendering the homestead and TAX
| ing in lieu thereof, scrip which en-
titles him to an equal amount of
Government land anywhere else.
| Advance information as to the
boundaries of proposed forest re-
serves was constantly sold to specu-
| lators. Having gained this informa-
| ton they then prepared false and
| forged affidavitS of homestead entries
upon lands within the proposed re-
| serve. In most cases these entries
purported to have been made upon
| mountainous land which was worth
| less to actual settlement but which
was quite as valuable as any other
| to the land thieves as their only pur-
pose in securing it was to exchange
| it for scrip. Scrip was worth IS
an acre so that every homestead of
100 acres for which they could Sc
cure patent had a cash value of $500
The only expense was the money ex-
pended in bribing officials.
| Petty operators in the land frauds
| were those who made these pre-
tended homestead entries and Sc
cured patents, which they Afterwards
converted into scrip. The big Grim
| inals whose trails the Government
is now pursuing were the million
aire lumber men who bought the
scrip, using it to acquire valuable
timber lands throughout the North
west. 1t was Customary also for
the big lumber men to work the
Gc,.ip
selves by colonizing with their en-
ployes or others hired for the pur-
pose, wholesale quantities of land
Immense amounts of timber land
have been acquired also by owners
of paper mills, lumber mills, and
other large concerns who have caused
claims to be taken up in the names
of their employees and then convey
ed to themselves.
Senator Mitchell's indictment is
on the specific charge that he ac-
cepted a bride of $4,000 from S. A.
D. Puter to use his influence in ex-
pediating the issuance of patents up
on certain fraudulent homestead
claims. The government claims it
has documentary evidence as well
as the confession of Puter to prove
that his payment was actually made.
But Francis J. Heney, the Govern
ment prosecutor, declares that even
if proof of this payment were lack
ing, there would still be ample evil
dence to convict him of completely in
the land frauds.
1t is intimated that the investi-
cation of Congressman Hermanns
indictment returned December 81
He may be asked to explain the dis
appearance of 3j letter books from
his office when he was Land Com
missioner. He frequently asserted
! that these books contained only pri-
vate correspondence which had
nothing to do with the Land Depart
ment, but the Government is in
possession of evidence showing that
many of the letters contained in
these books related TO land entries
in Oregon, and many Of them were ad-
dressed to persons who are now I'M
der indictment for completely in the
| land frauds.
Finest buffet in Spokane at the
| Pfister.