Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-04

I1CuSOu anu I1CuIy r. DlmOuus cAt0u- sive land speculators, have been indict- ed on the charges of conspiracy and the effort to take them to Washington for trial.
 The First Clew.
 This, in brief, is the ouLllne of the plot, the results of the investigations and the progress of the legal battle. It was in the latter part of 1902 that the first intimation of extensive land frauds reached the ear of Secretary Hitchcock, and the circumstances con- nected herewith are of rather singu- lar character. It has been said that it takes a thief to catch thief, and strange enough the first information of frauds in the land entries was given by man who had been in the employ of land-grabbers, and who was threat ening to expose the frauds in order to enforce the payment of hush money. He sent letter after letter to the gen eral land office at Washington, but it is said that Binger Hermann, at that time commissioner, ignored the letters, and then sent evasive replies in an effort to suppress the matter. But when the letters became too persistent special agent was at last sent to in vestigate to Tucson, Ariz., from which point the letters had come. The report of this agent did not reach the depart ment until September, and the clerk who read it was so impressed with it's importance as it stated that big steals and frauds were being perpetrated on the government, that he took it direct to Commissioner Hermann. There it rested.
 Commissioner Hermann Exposed.
 About this time Secretary Hitchcock received confidential letter, intimat- ing that such report had reached his department. He at once sent for Her. mann and asked for the report, and upon it's being produced. the commits sioner's resignation was demanded. The latter requested three or four weeks time, which, it is charged, he spent in destroying press books and other tell-tale evidences of corruption. and for this he has just been indicted at Washington. .'
 Impressed with the seriousness of the situation, Secretary Hitchcock at once assigned Arthur B. Pugh, an at torney of the interior department, and Harry E. Steece, special agent of the general land office, to make an inves- tigation. When they reached Arizona they found that the man who had been instrumental in starting the investiga- tion had changed his mind and re- fused to make any further statement. They then proceeded to California and after a brief investigation returned to Washington and reported that the frauds were evidently extensive and that the services of detective would be necessary to work up the evidence. Chief John E. WillSie, of the United States secret service, was called in and at his suggestion one of his operatives, William J. Burns, was placed in full charge of the secret service end of the case. As a preliminary to his work Mir. Burns spent a month in the gen. eral land office, familiarizing with the general details of the work and gather ing all the evidence at hand.
 Fine Detective Work.
 Fortunate circumstances favored him and before he started for the west he. had secured a confession from J. J. Barnes, who had been employed in the general land office for B years. This gave him inside information which he was not slow to use on reaching Cali fornia. His investigations led him into Arizona and Oregon and other western states, and when he had the details we'll in hand, he boldly faced B. F. Allen, who fGI years had been a trusted agent of the interior depart ment and who at the time was forest superintendent at Los Angeles, Cal. and charged him with complicity in the frauds. with the result that Allen broke down and confessed that he was connected with F. A. Hyde. an exten- sive land speculator. and at present under indictment for conspiracy and awaiting removal to Washington for trail.
 The trail now led to the office of the forest supervisor, Grant I. Taggart, whose reputation up to this time had been above suspicion. Burns rigid examination forced the details from Taggart of how he had established the boundaries of the forest reservations in his territory. under the direction, he said, of John A. Benson. who was another land speculator. and who with Hyde is now under indictment.
 Traps Set.
 With the inside information thus ob- tained, the secret service man returned to Washington. and proceeded to en- trap certain men in the general land office. for by this time he knew the men he wanted. There were two men especially implicated in the chain of evidence which he had thus far forged link by link. One was w. D. Harlan. chief of the special service division. and who up to this time had the entire confidence of the department He had charge of the special agents whose du- ties are to investigate all depredations of the land office. The other man was William E. Walk. who had charge of the line selections. Burns succeeded in wrestling confessions from both men.
 At the dictation of the detective. Har- Ian wrote a decoy note to Benson. stating that he had a matter of great