Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-01-19

lover $4,000 in 12 homesteads after the
Ientrymen had received their certif-
cates. The woman had obtained the
greater part of this money by mortgag-
ing other lands, secured by notes com
ing due. She could not raise the money
to meet these notes until she had re-
ceived patents for the 12 homesteads
she had purchased.
Puter had acted as agent for this
woman, and she was blaming him, Pu-
ter said, as he had assured her when
she made the purchases that the pat
ents to the lands would be issued in
the regular course of business, certain
ly before the notes she had given for
the borrowed money became due. Pu-
ter said it would be several months be-
fore the cases would be reached in the
regular order in the land Office, and
that his purpose in calling on him (the
senator) was to know if he could aid
him in getting them advanced for ear
| ly consideration. The senator said he
told Puter certainly he would help him
in the event. he found the eases in q
condition to be taken up. Puter, the
senator said, replied that he thought
the cases had been thoroughly inves.
tigated by agents in the field and re-
ported on favorably. He continued:
Took Puter to Land ONCE.
81 had not, of course, the slightest
suspicion that there was anything
wrong about the homestead entries or
any of them, and told Puter would
. go up to the land office at once and
ascertain the status of the eases, and
asked him to go along with me. He
went with me, first giving me an alb
stract of paper containing a state
ment of the ~ different entries, the
names of the respective entrymen and
description of the land in each, and
the dates of the alleged sales by each
to Mrs. Watson, together with the
amount alleged to have been paid by
her for each claim
At the land office, the senator con-
tinued, they were told that the field
reports in the cases were all in, and
the cases were ready for examination
in the general land Office as soon as
reached in their regular order, but that
it would be some considerable time be-
fore they would be reached. Senator
Mitchell said he was further told at
that time that there had been three
reports, all favorable, made ON all the
IL entries, one by the register and the
receiver, C. B. Moores and William
Galloway, at Oregon City, Ore.--one a
Republican, the other a Demorcat, both
men of the very best character-and
two reports of special agents in the
field, and that these reports were all
favorable. This information was OBJ
tanned from some of the subordinate
officials.
Hermann Asked for Anidavit.
The situation was then presented to
Commissioner Hermann. The commits
sioner explained to (the senator) that
the cases could not be made special
unless some good reason was shown by
affidavit why they should be advanced.
Puter, who was present, the senator
continued, told the sympathetic story
about the woman, and Hermann sug
gested that he (Puter) put his reasons
for making the cases special in theI
form of an affidavit, and he would con-
slider if it was proper to advance them.
Puter and Mrs. Watson then went to
the senator's Office at the latter's mg-
gestion, where two affidavits were pre-
pared without cost to them.
Senator Mitchell then read to the
senate the two afidavits, both of them
detailing the facts in the case as they
already have beSn briefly stated. Pu-
ter, in his affidavit declared he had
acted as Mrs. Watson's agent in max
ing the purchases of the land, and said
before doing so he had made thor
ough investigation with a view of as
certaining the bona fdes of the vari-
Gus homesteaders and becoming fully
convinced they all had been made In
good faith. On the strength of this
he had advised Mrs. Wat
son TO invest her money, telling her
that the title to the homesteads was
perfect, except that patents had not
yet been issued, but he had no doubt
they would issue at an early date.
Relying ON these affidavits, the SEN
ator in a letter to Commissioner Her
mann, dated March 3, asked that the
cases referred TO be made special.
Three days later he received letter |
from Mr.. Hermann, which said in part; |