River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-04-13

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 a confidential letter, intimat-
ing that such report had reached his
department. He at once sent for Her
mann and asked for the report, and
upon it's being produced, the commits
sioner's 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,
and for this he has just been indicted
at Washington.
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 J. 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 ]. ].
Barnes, who had been employed in the
general land Office for 35 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 well 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 extern
sive land speculator, and at present
under indictment for conspiracy and
awaiting removal to Washington for
trail.
The trail now led to the Office of the
forest supervisor, Grant 1. Taggart,
whose reputation up to this time had
been above suspicion. Burns rigid
examination forced the details from
Taggart of how he had established the
boundaries of the forest reservations
in his territory, under the direction,
he said, of John A. Benson, who was
another land speculator, and who with
Hyde is now under indictment.
Traps Set.
With the inside information thus OBJ
tanned, the secret service man returned
to Washington, and proceeded to en-
trap certain men in the general land
Office, for by this time he knew the
men he wanted. There were two men
especially implicated in the chain of
evidence which he had thus far forged
link by link. One was w. d. Harlan,
chief of the special service division,
and who up to this time had the entire
confidence of the department. He had
charge of the special agents whose du-
ties are to investigate all depredations
of the land Office The other man was
William e. Walk, who had charge of
the line selections. Burns succeeded in
wrestling confessions from both men.
and Harlan admitted, it is said, that
he was in the habit of communicating
with Benson in California by letter,
using plain paper and attaching no
signature.
At the dictation of the detective, Har-
Ian wrote a decoy note to Benson,
stating that he had matter of great
Importance to communicate to him and
asking him to write nIm care general
delivery, as he feared his mail was be-
| ing watched. No reply was received to
this and it developed later that by
some means Benson had been warned
of the trap. Another letter was writ
ten and mailed to Benson and this time
Burns made certain that Harlan did
not send any warning. The result was
that Benson on the receipt of the letter
informing him that he was needed in
Washington came on at once, and from
the New Willard summoned Harlan
and Walk to visit him. All three men
were now under the closest surveil-
lance of detectives, and Burns told
Harlan and Walk to keep the appoint
ment and to take any money which
was offered them. The trap was sprung
and Burns, it is said, has 500 which
was given to Walk and 5000 given to
Harlan, marked and held for future
reference.
An Important Arrest.
Benson was Immediately arrested
and taken before the United States
commissioner He gave bonds for
e5 Onn hr,t dofaultnd ond cl-ipDod ~