Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1905-02-16
FossIl Men indicted.

stoch NoHlphhys w tue leleFhl kfaHu
jury At Portland was ended last Friday
evening when an indictment WAS ~.
turned against oiAcers and employees OF
che company ON the charge OF nnlAw.
fully fencing public lands aud oi lntini.
dating b0ua dde settlers who desired ~
tils on lands surrounded by holdings oi
the company. n. II. Hendricks. secre.
tary VI the company, was indicted n day
or two before On the charge Of suborna.
ton Of perjury Ia having induced two Of
the witnesses from Fossil To swear laluIy
before the grand jury Ia regard 10 claims
which II Ii alleged they acquired aud
turned over TO thu company lor small
consideration. The priacipal points Of
the indictmeut aud tue status Of tho case
To date ~ given by the orrgonSn,
follows;
The indictment against the Butte
Creek Company and sous ot its em.
pluyes charges y conspiracy To prevent
and Obstruut the Tree passage over aud
free uss oi certain Of the public lands
situated ~ Wheeler County. The doru.
ment also alleges that threats of violence
aud other meAns ol Intimidation were
used 10 drive those legitimate home
stra.!srs already settled ON the land
:s3.a ;as .:e.a::;. ~ defendants the
indictment names Winlock W. Stelwer,
aEafs ts.n.
drIGks, secretary oi the Butte Greek
Land Company; Clarence q. Zachary,
Adelbert q. Zachary, Charles A. Watson
aud Clyde \. Glass, empi Iyes u the
company; Binger Hermann. John Il
Hall, Edwin Mays, ex. Assistant United
States ATTORNEY; traukhu T.. Mays,
CLARK II, Loomis and Edward ID, slrat.
ford.
''It 10 alleged 10 general that the Butte
Creek Land, LuuIber X Livestock Com'
pany, through it's empl"yss, acquired
tile use aud beneit oi u large portion ol
the pubic lands IA " heeieT couuty. IL
IL charged that tho employees ol the cOni'
pany aud those secured Tor the pnrpose
BY The company would take np elalms
scattered along the line OF large cirele
through Wheeler county. These clRitns
would then be fenced Ia, thus inclostng
thousands of acres oi government land
IN u large pasture, which would then he
used by the company Ia pasturlnR its
hocks.
MANY oi thess claims were iraudu-
lently gAlEed, 50 II Is said, and are now
being held unIawtuIly by the company,
TIE men who died on them were hired
To do ~ by the company with the un-
derstanding that the claims should be
decided to the corporation as sOon as
secured by patent iruul the government,
THE claims were so taken that, With the
aid Of the rimrock and the streams,
forming natural barriers across which
no cattle could pass, fences could be
built from claim u Claim, leaving TO
point OF egress from the land enclosed,
After having fenced up the land, II Is
alleged that the officers and employees Of
the Butte Greek Company would In
. timidate those persons who had liled on
land inside the fences formed by the
claims OF the company's holdings, and
harass them until they we're glad to
take their tlocks and leave the land and
their claims to the use aud benefit OF
81, La. Af Ia hn
charge IN the indictment against the
officers OF the Butte Creek Company.
"The inclusion OF John Hall, Edwin
Mays aud Franklin Z. Mays in the In
dictment is matter OF surprise to
many. 1t Ia said that In 1899 the fist
fence was put up In Wheeler County by
the Butte Greek Land Company. In
the early part Of 1900 the settlers who
who were deprived OF their rights and
the use Of the land began to write to the
Office OF the United States District At
Iorney in Portland and ask relief. At
that time John Hall was the District
Attorney and Edwin Mays was his as
sistant. Franklin z. Mays was, and is,
the attorney for the Butte Greek Land,
Lumber & Livestock Company.
"For long time, 1t is said, it was i'm
possible for the settlers to secure any
redress from the oiiic9, but at last a
civil case was brought in the federal
court. Before this came to trial II was
compromised by the land company
making the offer to take down at least
part OF its fences, especially in those
parts where the settlers we're making
the most complaint. Upon this promise,
which was made by ex-senator W. w.
Stei wer, so 1t is said, Mr.. Hall agreed