Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-17
THE FAKE HIDE BUSINESS.
Cheap Skins Palmed Off as Those
OF High Bountied Animals,

Just how the fraudulent bounty war
rants were secured was subject wide
" discussed today In all business cir
Cles. Views varied over a great range
Of possible ways to fake In the matter
Of hides and pclts,
Chief Deputy Clerk David A. Smith,
OF the Salt Lake county clerks office,
expresses the opinion that a great deal
OF taking has been done in the matter
Of hides Often It has been impossible
10 distinguish the hides of different
kinds Of animals and disputes have oc-
CURED Of bitter nature with claim
ants who had coyote hides they
claimed to be from wolves. and young
cat hides they claimed as from animals
paying higher bountles.
The destruction of marks on hides
game in for considerable comment. II
was held by several senators that hides
have probably been punched. then the
heads mangled so as to destroy the
punch marks, or In some cases the hole
burned out larger 10 give the appear
ance Of its being a scar or bullet
mark. These people were anxious to
have an amendment passed to the law
compelling the county clerk to burn all
pelts submitted to him,
ROTKIN REMINISCENT.
Judge Theodosus Botkin reading
clerk of the senate, smiled many
times yesterday as the same names be-
gan recurring in the list Of big claim
ants submitted by Governor Cutler In
his special message. After adjourn
ment OF the law makers, the senate
chamber became collection OF little
knots of senators, each expressing an
opinion on the big fraud case, while
the committee on appropriations and
claims sat apart at a table, debating
earnestly on feasible plan to put an
immeditc stop TO the issuance OF boun-
~ warrants, and to plan for the final
repeal or amendment of the law. Judge
Botkln smiled some more,as one know
ing the ways Of bounty Jumpers, and
told a story OF cyclone justice In kan
sas.
1T was In the town of Ulysses in
Grant county, Kansas. in 1890" he eX-
planned. In a single afternoon the
four county commissioners, the county
clerk and his deputy, ana two ticket
scalpefs managed to get $4,000 out Of
the state on fake bounty claims And
next morning. the whole pack of them
Just missed being taken out on the
pIhllit We ull NAVE NNN litfh Nlk
enough to hang them on-and shot
WORKED TT CLEYERLY,
81 guess the reason they missed Il
was that II was IN my judicial district,
and didn't want TO have the history OF
that judicial district marred by any
mob rule. They worked the scheme
pretty ceyerly too. The law there
provided that the clerk should burn the
pets delivered to him, Well on this
afternoon one of the ticket brokers'
showed up with a package of pelts.
After he has secured his bounty war
rant, the clerk threw the bunch OF
pelts into a vault whore his clerk was
standing The clerk would catch them,
throw them out a back window, and I'm
a few moments the ticket broker would
be I'm again with fresh package OF
pets. In another room sat the county
commissioners passing favorably upon
the warrants and ordering their pay
ment, The thing leaked out IN the eve
ming. and the game stopped working
with $4,000 drawn out IN bounty
money
WHOLESALE ARRESTS,
Next morning when I got up saw
men coming from all direction driving
into town at an unusually early hour
] knew what II meant, and | did not
want mob rule while I sat on the
bench IN Grant county. So | sent for
the sheriff and asked him " he could
not keep law and order lie said he
(Contlnueh ON page 20