The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-02-15
CONFESSES PERJURY
CLIMAX IN Land FRAUD CASES
AT PORTLAND.
Judge Tanner, Senator r1iiChelrS
Law Partner, Admits Perjury In
His Former TesiimOny-TelIs OF
Alteration of Contract to Shield
Senator Mitchell.

= Portland, Or, Feb. 13.-The climax
was reached Saturday in the land fraud
cases when Judge Albert H. Tanner,
indicted last Wednesday for the crime
of perjury in regard to the date of
contract of partnership with United
States Senator Mitchell, went before
the federal grand jury and entered a
plea of guilty.
When, on January 81, Judge Tanner
went before the grand jury he told
story which. according to his confess
sion Saturday, had been agreed upon
in many of its details when Senator
Mitchell was in Portland in December
last. He told the jury that there had
been an agreement made between him
self and the senator by which the SEN,
ator was not to receive any return for
work done which would lead to either
of the departments of the government,
and that this agreement had been
made March 3, 1901. He introduced
this agreement in evidence before the
jury and swore that it had been writ
ten on the date specified. He said
that to the best of his knowledge the
senator had no bank account in the
city and that no moneys due him for
work done by the firm or by him had
ever been turned into his account He
brought up the subject of the work
done for Frederick A. kribs in expe-
diting claims in the general land Office
and said that the senator had never re-
ceived any sum for this work, all of
which had been put to his (Tanner 81
account.
The government was in possession
of evidence at the time which varied
from Judge Tanners testimony, and,
linking it together, District Attorney
Heney was able to make such show
ing before the grand jury that not only
Judge Tanner, bat Albert Tanner, Jr.,
his son, were indicted by the grand
jury. Neither of these indictments
were made public.
Judge Tanners Confession.
Judge Tanner for several days main
tanned his position, but finally when
he ascertained the nature of the testi-
mony which Mr.. Mitchell's secretary,
Harry G. Robertson, intended to give,
and in order to save his own son from
prosecution, Judge Tanner yielded and
went on the witIiess stand. In reply
to questions by Mr.. Heney he made the
following statement:
81 will tell you of the circumstances
and you can draw your own conclu-
sions. When Mr.. Mitchell was out
here he looked over the old contract
and there was a change in it he
thought ought to be changed and he
told me to fix it, and l drew up the
writing here, changing. the particular
clause that he (Senator MitchelD
thought would be dangerous to him,
and we signed it. At the time that
was done l said to him, Now, Mr..
Robertson is the only man on earth
except you and l, that knows to the
contrary anything about this agree
ment, and Mr.. Robertson will have to
corroborate this thing. OF course it
may get us into trouble He said he
would see what could be done with
MIR. Robertson, or something of that
kind, and the agreement was left with
me in that shape. l Lave never had
any correspondence or words with the
senator about it since he left it here.
The new agreement, signed in Decem-
Der Of last year, contained clause not
included in the original, which provid-
ed that all money received in payment
for services rendered before government
departments should 60 to Tanner. In
all other respects the last agreement
was identical with the original con-
tract,