The San Francisco call., 1905-01-01

Senator John H. Mitchell, Representa-
tive to Congress Binger Hermann and
George Sorenson, formerly a deputy
sheriff of Multnomah County, were
jointly indicted to-day by the Federal
Grand Jury.
The indictment alleges that John III.
Mitchell and Binger Hermann did. in
January, 1902, unlawfully and felonious-
ly conspire together and with each
other, and with S. A. d. Puter, Horace
G. Mckinley, N. w. Tarpley. Emma L.
Watson. Salmon B. Ormsby, Clark L.
Loomis and William II. Davis and 9TH
ers to defraud the Government of the
United States out of a portion of its
, public lands, situated in township IL
south, range east, by means of forged
and false affidavits and fictitious per-
sons, and that in furtherance of such
conspiracy S. A. D. Puter did, on March
9, 1902, pay to John III. Mitchell the sum
of $4,000 to secure his influence with
Binger Hermann, then Commissioner or
the General Land Office in Washington.
1t alleges that, acting upon the sug-
gestion and the wish of Senator Mitch
ell and influenced by him, knowing that
the transactions were unlawful and
felonious, Binger Hermann used his
power as Commissioner of the General
Land Office to expedite twelve claims
in township III and had them passed
TO patent Wnen ne hLcW luCHA " DC IL
legal and not according to the require
ments of the law.
The indictment also alleges that on
March %, 1904, George Sorenson offered
to John Hall, District Attorney for the
United States in Oregon, the sum OF
$4,000 with intent to influence the said
John H. Hall in his official capacity
when acting upon indictments returned
against s. A. d. Puter, Horace +. Nc
Kinley ct al. to defraud the Govern
ment of land in township IL south,
range east.
CONSPIRACY is CHARGED.
The alleged connection of Senator
Mitchell and Representative Hermann
with the alleged conspiracy dates back
it is said to the time when Mitchell re-
ceived the letter from "a prominent at
torney in Oregon" introducing s. A. ID.
Puter as "a responsible business MAJ
of Oregon
The Government will, it is said, al
tempt to prove that Puter and Mitch-
| ell and Hermann were well acquaint-
ed. that Puter was an ardent support
er of Mitchell in the Senatorial cam
! paign of 1898 and that all of them
have been personally acquainted for
years.
In 1902, the Government alleges.
Puter went to Washington on busi-
ness connected with the lands of Ill,
in which he was at that time inter-
ested. The lands were held up In the
General Land Office and Puter
thought that it would be of benefit to
himself and his fellows to go to WASH
ington and see what could be done to
expedite them to patent
The Government will attempt to
prove that before he left Portland ne
went to r. p. Mays and secured from
him a letter to Senator Mitchell,
though in fact, according to the Cow
ernment, he was already well known
to the Senator. Arriving at Washing
ton the land speculator went, so evi-
dence will be offered, to the offlce o.
Senator Mitchell and conversed with
him in regard to having his claims
taken from the suspended list and put
through to patent as soon as possible.
He told the Senator, 1t is alleged, that
he had already sunk large amount
of money in the claims and that EN-
ma L. Watson, a hard working and
honest girl, had also invested in them
a. his suggestion. 1t was necessary
for him to have some influence with
the Commissioner of the General
Land Office to secure favorable rec
ognitfon of his claims and he there
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