East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-01-09

Francis ). Heney, special counsel |
for the government in the land fraud |
cases am enporarily United States |
district attorney for Oregon, is in
San Francisco for couple of days to
visit his family, says the San Francis
co Examiner. He says that people
have no conception of the magnitude
of the frauds perpetrated in Oregon
and that they will be astonished when
the evidence comes to be published.
1T is the rottenest political ring
in the country" said Mr.. Heney yes
terday in speaking of the Oregon fed
eral officials, and he declares that
only the edge of a vast conspiracy
has yet been touched. Mr.. Heney is
confident that he can convict Senator
Mitchell. He says there will be many
other indictments and the list will in
clude some Eastern millionaires. Ask
ed about the extent of the frauds, he
said:
"The extent of the land fraud cases
in oregon is far greater than 1 i'm
agined, even after 1 learned the ex-
tent of the Hyde-Benson frauds
through my connection with the pros
6cution of that case.
"Oregon is under the domination of
corrupt political ring, which hes
itates at nothing to accomplish its
ends. Hundreds of thousands of acres
of the finest timber land in the world
have been secured from the United
States within the past five years by
half a dozen individuals through
fraud, perjury and subornation of
perjury
People Will BE Astounded.
''The good people of oregon will be
as much astounded when they hear
the evidence in the case against Sem
ator Mitchell and Congressman Her.
mann as they were when they. heard
the evidence in the case of Puter, Nc
| Kinley and others, which has already
been tried, and in which the defend
ants were convicted. The case against
Mitchell and Hermann does not de-
pend in the slightest degree upon the
testimony of Puter and Mckinley.
There will be additional indict-
ments?" was suggested.
"The indictments already procur-
ed" said Mr.. Heney, touch only the
edge of the vast frauds which have
been perpetrated in Oregon. The
grand jury and 1 have fully a months
work ahead of us, and 1 expect to
procure the indictment of at least a
dozen prominent and wealthy persons
who have profited most by these
| frauds.
Knox Not Bluffed.
when 1 was first appointed by At
/ torney General Knox" said Mr. He
ney, "to prosecute the oregon land
fraud cases, the political ring at
Portland set to work to discount my
efforts the moment they discovered
that / was probably the character of
man who could not be handled. In
pursuance of their plans a letter was
| addressed and sent to Attorney Cen
eral Knox on December 10, 1903,
abusing him for appointing me.
This letter was signed by both the
senators from Oregon-the name of
John H. Mitchell appearing first. From
recent developments, it is obvious
that the reasons given in this letter
for the attack upon Attorney General
Knox did not constitute the real mo-
| tive which was behind the letter.
at is quite evident that John II.
Mitchell then feared exactly what has
happened to-wit, a vigorous prosecu-
ton which could not be diverted or
thwarted by political or any other
kind of influence. and which would
| inevitably expose his own connection
with the frauds