Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-04-12

Burns before the grand jury. 1t was
believed that he was carrying an i'm
portant letter from Mitchell to Tanner,
and this letter was demanded by the
jury. and reluctantly surrendered.
Here was the most sensational bit of
evidence yet produced. The letter was
widely published at the time of it's dis
covery, but this article would not he
complete without quoting portion of
the document to which Senator Mitchell
had appended the solemn admonition:
Burn this without fail:
You must not get ratified Or alarmed.
Senator Mitchell wrote. Harry will
doubtless identify the copartnership arti-
Giles Of 1901 as having been prepared by
him: See him at once on his arrival: Don't.
be interviewed until l see you. And this
is strictly confdential-don't tell Harry,
your son or anyone. Can't you Immediate
y on fGe rea of this a9p and
trunk. but don't let your family or anyone
Know, all the company's books, day ledger.
all of them, also your bank book, as am
extremely anxious to see for myself pre-
cisely what the books show, besides it is
important that We should talk over with
Fulton who is to help to defend me, in
II SO. don't let soul know you are COM
ing, not even Harry. and If you conclude
To- eax come Gtr wire IN me as follows: Johnson
ing-Tanner.' l do hope you can come and
Immediately, before YOU are called upon be-
fore the grand jaT SH S1pse1Sly yS9E friend
Don't show. Harry this letter nor tell
him anything in it. Don't let him see our
books. Tell him nothing.
safe and office carefully locked, as those
scoundrels will get in if possible.
Burn this without fail:''
The dramatic scene in the senate
chamber at Washington where, before
his colleagues, Senator Mitchell solemn
~, and tearfully, and vehemently, de-
clared his innocence of the charges
brought against him. is still fresh in the
public mind, but the courts at Portland
will have to decide that point
How the "System" Worked.
And now a word about 1.-The system"
by which it was possible to perpetrate
such gigantic frauds against the govern
ment and steal whole townships OF val
liable timber land, much of which was
made up of giant trees ranging in size
from 80 to over so feet in diameter, and
from 200 to nearly 500 feet in height
1t must be admitted at the start that
the laws of the United States made easy
the system and invited the INSCRIPTIONS
to defraud the government. The act
of June 4, 1897, allows the exchange OF
lands within the limits of United States
forest reserves, by the owner thereof,
for other public lands outside of the re-
serves. Under the pretense of acquiring
school lands as settlers innumerable
sections would be taken up by organ
lied raiders under applications signed
with fictitious and forged names. At
first Ave and ten dollars apiece were
paid for these signatures, which were
obtained from all classes of people. But
after awhile this was considered USE
less waste of money, and the conspira-
tors boldly forged the names as neces-
sity demanded. These applications for
land with the forged names signed to
them would be sent to notaries public
and Endorsed as though the persons
whose names were attached to the pa
pers had made the applications. At the
same time deeds would be sworn to or
assignments made out and names forged
to them, the assignments always being
made out to the firm that instigated the
proceedings, or to some one who would
accept the titles in their behalf, the
state law providing that after an appli-
cation for purchase had been legally
filed the applicant might assign the
land. In this manner patents to some
thing like 100000 acres of school lands
In California and Oregon were fraudu-
lently obtained. These selections were
OF the very best public lands, including
large tracts Of the finest timber lands