Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-04-07

wheeler ana taxing up RWUDer uL
entries in the outskirts of the county.
In California II. A. Hyde, John A.
Henson and Henry p. Dimond extern
sive land Spectators have been in6ict-
ed on the charges of conspiracy and
the effort to take them to Washington
for trial.
The First Clew.
This, in brief, is the ouLhne of the
plot the results of the Investigations
and the progress of the legal battle.
1t was in the latter part of 1902 that
the first intimation of extensive land
frauds reached the ear of Secretary
Hitchcock, and the circumstances con-
nected Herewith are of rather singu-
lar character. 1t has been said that
it takes q thief to catch thiet, ana
strange enough the first information
of frauds in the land entries was given
by a man who had been in the employ
of land-grabbers, and who was threat
ening to expose the frauds in order 10
enforce the payment of hush money.
He sent letter after letter to the gen
eral land office at Washington, but IL
is said that Binger Hermann, at thal
time commissioner, ignored the letters,
and then sent evasive replies IN an
effort to suppress the matter. But
when the letters became too persistent
special agent was at last sent to in
vestigate to Tucson, Ariz., from which
point the letters had come. The report
of this agent did not reach the depart
ment until September, and the clerk
who read it was so impressed with its
Importance. as it stated that big steals
and frauds were being perpetrated on
the government, that he took it direct
to Commissioner Hermann. There it
rested.
Commissioner Hermann Exposed.
About this time Secretary Hitchcock
received confidential letter, intimat-
ing that such report had reached MS
department. He at once sent for Her
mann and asked for the report, and
upon it's being produced, tha commits
sioners resignation was demanded.
The latter requested three or four
weeks time which, it is charged, he
spent in destroying press books and
other tell-tale evidences of corruption,
| ana lOT lLlS ut has JuoI DSSh lhuiSbSN
at Washington
Impressed with the seriousness of
the situation, Secretary Hitchcock at
once assigned Arthur B. Pugh, an at
torney of the interior department, and
Harry e. Steece, a special agent OF the
general land Office, to make an inves-
| tigation. When they reached Arizona
they found that the man who had been
instrumental in starting the investiga-
ton had changed his mind and re-
fused to make any further statement.
They then proceeded to California and
after a brief investigation returned to
Washington and reported that the
frauds were evidently extensive and
that the services of a detective would
be necessary to work up the evidence
Chief John e. Wilkie, of the United
States secret service, was called in and
at his suggestion one of his operatives,
William ]. Burns, was placed in full
charge of the secret service end of
the case. AS preliminary TO his work
Mr.. Burns spent a month in the gen.
eral land office, familiarizing with the
general details of the work and gather
ing all the evidence at hand.
Fine Detective Work.
Fortunate circumstances favored him
and before he started for the west he
had secured a confession from j. j..
Barnes, who had been employed in the
general land Office for 80 years. This
gave him inside information which he
was not slow to use on reaching Cali
fornia. His Investigations led him
into Arizona and Oregon and other
western states, and when he had the
details we'll in hand, he boldly faced
B. F. Allen, who for years had been a
trusted agent of the interior depart
ment and who at the time was forest
superintendent at Los Angeles, Cal,
and charged him with completely in
the frauds with the result that Allen
broke down and confessed that he was
connected with F. A. Hyde, an eXten'
sive land speculator, and at present
under indictment for conspiracy and
awaiting removal to Washington fol
trail.
The trail now led to the Office of the
forest supervisor, Grant |. Taggart
whose reputation up to this time hat
been above suspicion. Burns rigit
examination forced the details from
Taggart of how he had established the
boundaries of the forest reservation:
in his territory, under the direction
he said, of John A. Benson, who wa
another land speculator, and who will
Hyde is now under indictment.
Traps Set.
With the inside information thus OBJ
tanned, the secret service man returne,
to Washington, and proceeded to en-
trap certain men in the general Ian
Office, for by this time he knew tn
men he wanted. There were two me
especially implicated in the chain c
a evidence which he had thus far forge
link by link. One was w. d. Harlan
y chief of the special service division
Ie and who up to this time had the entir