The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-08
STRIKES A SNAG.
Land Fraud Investigations
Come to a Halt.
Witnesses Wanted Can Not Be
Found.
MR.. GREEN is WORRIED
Federal Officers Admit That
They Are Stumped.
Leaves Several of Most fragrant
Cases in Air.
MR.. GREEN is WORRIED

The federal grand jury investigating
the land fraud cases in Kansas was
suddenly given a rude jolting halt this
morning.
Six witnesses in what is expected to
be the most important fraud now be-
fore the grand jury for probing, are
suspected of having found the climate
of Kansas unhealthy and having de-
parted to unknown realms.
They should have been in Topeka
yesterday and upon not appearing, it
was thought that they surely would
be on hand this morning. But not a
single one showed up
The case in which they were to tes-
tify and which is very important be-
cause of the fIagrancy of the fraud
with which it is besmeared, was to
have been commenced this morning.
A few minutes before 10 o clock at
which time the jury regularly goes
into session, Colonel A. r. Green, the
man who is behind the entire inveStt-
cation. began to get anxious he
called together a council of war con-
sisting of w. J. Mackey, Jr., United
States marshal; J. S. Dean, United
States attorney, and E. D. McKeever,
assistant United States attorney. None
of them could supply the witnesses
and the jury was adjourned until this
afternoon. The remainder of the
morning was spent in preparing an
other case on which the jury could go
to work when it assembled again.
These six witnesses were supposed
to have been subpoenaed about two
days ago. All of the deputy United
States marshals are out in the Held
right now, hard at work. They have
taken out more than seventy-f1ye sub
poenas this week.
Il cannot say whether my depuues
have reached them yet or not, said
Marshal Mackey at noon. ''The Wit
nesses may have gotten wind of the
I investigation and skipped. My depu-
ties may have not reached them yet,
! however These witnesses are scat
tered. We have been serving the sub
4 poenas as quickly as they have been
I issued and as fast as the train could
carry US
Mr. Mackey refused to disclose what
/ plan ne adopted, and he did fix up one
Immediately, to catch the supposed
4 fleeing witnesses. His office is hard AT
work on the matter and has been all
week. Deputies Biddle and Need have
1 been going night and day One deputy
/ is assisting from another district
| Colonel Green looked considera bly,
worried over the phase Of affairs. J. s.
/ Dean, United States attorney had just
stated that the jury would return a
number of indictments on Saturday
3 eAD11NA-f
Green came into his office.
Il don't know about that now he
said, "I just have obtained some in
formation which will cause Mr.. Dean to
probably change his mind
asked.
'T am not able to say" he replied.
1T is nothing I can give out But
there will probably be no indictments"
Mr.. McKeever was equally silent.
Our plans are considerably upset by
I the contingency which has arisen he
said. But can not talk about it
/ The case in which these witnesses so
far have failed to appear, is probably
the worst and most fragrant of the en-
! tire lot. The officials have a good
strong, well founded suspicion that it
contains some very fraudulent transac-
lions If they can prove the case. it
viii cause a distinct sensation If it
fails, the public will never hear any
thing concerning it. The absence of
these important witnesses may cause
/ it to fall fiat entirely. Should it be
finally successful, probably a half
dozen indictments would result from
that one case alone. It will not take
long to thresh it out, in fact the Off
cials thought they would have been
aDle 10 finish it today. It's results
would have been the bulk of the re-
turns scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
1t is improbable now that anv indfct-
ments viii be filed with the court he
lore next week.
May Come Up Later.
There is good reason to believe that
the criminal actions of department Off
cials both past and present, will not be
taken Up until the January grand i1Jrv
meets in Kansas City. So many IN
stances of Illegal land fencing are now
coming to light that the present grand
jdry has it's hands fri to settle these
alone. Then, too, the evidence being
brought out by the fencing cases is Civ
| ing the officials hints of some investiga-
tions into the actions of officials that
were at first unsuspected. A special
campaign may be waged in this direc-
ton alone. The work is in reality Just
getting headway. Results will come in
time
This does not mean that there will be
no officials indicted by this grand jury.
Returns against three re ready right
now and more are on the slate. How
much of this part of the investigation
will be given out when the present grand
jury adjourns is not known Perhaps
noen Of it will be made public, but will
be left to be reheard and again tried by
the Kansas City session.
1t will be long wff1le yet, possibly
months, before the whole story will
| come out. There is romance in it and
there is some deep tragedy, said Colonel
Green this morning.