East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-01-02

Immediately transmitted the affidavits
to Hermann.
Puter and Emma Watson were
taken to Hermanns office by Mitchell
and Puter made several calls there
during the next two or three days.
on one of these occasions Mitchell in
troduced Puter to Assistant Land
Commissioner Richards, saying that
Puter was "one of the most RESPONSE
BILE citizens of Oregon" Up to this
time no money had been paid by Pu-
ter to secure the expediting of his
claims and they made rather discour-
aging progress.
Hermann met him one day on the
street and told him that at was all
off," and that the claims would have
to go back to Oregon for further in
vestigation, as there was suspicious
that they were not regular. Puter went
to Mitchell, calling upon him at his
rooms in the Dewey hotel.
He told the senator that the case
was urgent and that something must
be done to prevent the claims being
sent back to oregon. He told Mitch
ell, that he had $4,000 at stake and
that 1t was of vital Importance to Sc
cure patents at once. Finally he pull
ed two $1,000 bills out OF his pocket
and handed them to the senator. say
ing 1--WE must have your help. Take
that money and get the claims
through to patent"
Senator Mitchell, according to the
story, at first demurred, saying that
the price offered was too much" but
Puter insisted that he take the bills
and they were finally pocketed by the
senator. This transaction occurred
, March 0, 1909.
Hermann Changes Front.
A day or two later Puter met Her.
mann on the street. The land COM
missioner for the first time, held out
encouragement as to the claims. He
told Puter that perhaps something
might be done about them after all,
and that 1t might not be necessary to
send them back to Oregon.
Three or four days later the patents
upon the fraudulent claims we're is
sued.
There is strong corroborative evil
dence of this story.
When Frank II. walgamot, who
was indicted with Puter. Mckinley,
ct al, and who pleaded guilty Just
before the case went to the jury,
made his confession to Secret Service
Agent Burns, he said that at one time
he went to Puter and asked him to
advance money to him for the ex-
penses OF the trial Puter replied
that he had made much less out OF
the land operations In township III
than was supposed. and could not af-
ford to make the desired advance.
Puter's Account Book.
To support his statement he showed
walgamot an account book which he
kept while in Washington In 1909,
and among other items he called at
tention to entries OF the following pay
ments:
$500 to S. B. ormsby.
Two payments of $500 each to C.
Il. Loomis.
One payment of $4,000 to Gap"
The last item was dated March .,
1909.
L. F. Puter in his address to the
Jury which convicted his brother, s.
A. ID. Puter, referred to "honest old
Cap Ormsby'' and both Mr.. Heney
and Mr.. Burns thought at the same
time they had found clue to the en-
try in Puter's account book. But they
found that Ormsby was not In WASH
IN gton at the date of the entry ana
they we're again in the dark. AHer
the trial and conviction Puter MADE
fuII confession to Mr.. Burns. The lat
ter asked him how much he had paid
out TO secure the patent OF claims In
Ill, and also asked wheth-
ar he had kept account of such ex-
penditures.
Puter replied that he had. Burns
hen asked about the payment OF
20O0 To "Cap." Puter replied with a
aueh that that meant capitol"
After much questioning, he finally
,tated that the $4,000 was paid to
senator Mitchell. When asked what
,e had done with the account book
n which he noted these expenditures
,e replied that 1t was at Berkeley
,al. At Burns request he wired 10
lis wife for the account book and It
,rrived soon after. 1t was at once
.xamined by Mr.. Burns and was
ound TO correspond exactly with all