Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-28
'omnlisuOner 0'Kae's Testi6as to Accept
ing Money from Cattle Kings
HERS TELL OF BLING PAID 70 FILE
At Least Two Persons Are Employed to
Secure Settlers.
TESTIMONY BEFORE FEDERAL COURT
Richards and Constock, AccOrdinE 20
witnesses, Procured large Tracts
Of LAND by Methods Not
sanctioned by. Law,

/ A United Statcs commissioner accepting
I fees from Bartlett Richards and w. q.
Comstock FOR executing land fungs on
homestead entries IN western Nebraska;
men accepting employment by these same
q persons to locate claimants on land for
thom, men and wumen accepting regular
amounts in cash from Messrs Richards aud
Comstock for filing on the hand declaring
/ they did it solely for the money thera was
in Il and without any idea or intention OF
settling on the land or of improving it
/ these were some Of tho startling bits OF in
I formation brought to the surface yesterday
in the big land trial before Judge Munger
OF the federal court
y bartlett Richards and w. O. Comstock.
so-calcd cattle kings OF Nebraska. stepped
on I've wire in federal court Tuesday
morning IN the person OF thcir friend, r.
J. O'Keefc. United States commissioner AZ
Alliance, who took tho government ana the
public into his confidence long enough 70
ten how Messrs. Richards and ComstoclS
had gone to him and paid him to execute
homestead filings on a number of entries
in their favor.
The shock was felt all over Judge Nun
gers room. being the hrst severe one Of
the big land trial.
on discrimination C'Kaefe said it was
the custom for commissioners to go 20 other
places than where their Offices were located
=! TO witness filings II necessary. He didn't
say. however. II was the custom for land
commissioners to accept pay from private
individuals for performing their oHioa
business.
Mr.. O'Keefe was called TO the stand TO
identity his signature and jurat to certain
filing papers made at Ellsworth in the
office OF the Nebraska land and Feeding
company. OF which Bartlett Richards and
w. G. ConstoclS are the leading officials
and stockholders. Mr. o'Keefe said he had
been approached by Bartlett Richards at
bis office in Alliance June 81 1904. and
asked 10 go TO Ellsworth to execute the
nlings for a number OF homestead entries
the foowing day, June IS. Commissioner
. ioKeefe agreed to do so ana the oousid-
eratlon wss 20 be Sg1 Tor hts services and
81 tor each nling Zee. Under this agree
tnent Commissioner O'Keefe went 20 Ellis
. werth the following day. arriving there be-
tween and o'clock the following morn
. ing and went at once to the ONCE Of the
Nebraska Land and Feeding company.
where he executed the necessary Jurat to
forty-siX or forty-eight entries
Eighth Day Of Trial.
The eighth day of the trial Of the case
/ OF the United States against Bsrtlett Rich
: ards. VIII G. Comstock, Charles c. Jane
son, Il. NJ. walcott and Aquilln Trlplett.
! the first group to be tried in the land con
apiracy cases, began at Q 80 Tuesday morn
ing with Bruce Wilcox, register Of the
land Office at Alliance, stin on tho stand
for the purpose OF completing his formal
! Identification Of the homestead ilings ana
: their location on the records Of that office
p This examination OF Mr.. Wilcox continued
until 1850. when T. ]. o'Keefc United
Ief sfga
publisher OF the Alliance Herald. was called
, TO the stand.
Il have been United states commissioner
at Alliance since 1874" said the witness.
: Their followed his Identification OF his
signature and jurat to mum ~ Of home
stead entries that We're executed by him
Ut Ellsworth.
} MIR. Richards Calls.
About two weeks prior TO June Is. l9JA
Mr. Bartlett Richards came to my Office
at Alliance and asked me II ( held The
office Of United States commissioner" CON
tinued Mr.. O'Keefe. Assuring him l. did
he asked me 10 go 10 Ellsworth, about
Z thirty miles east OF Alliance on The Bur-
10 Hngton road, as there would be a number
OF parties down there then who wanted 70
O make homestead entries. I told him 4
a thought 1 could go. He then asked me
@ what my charges would be aud / told him
n about S25 which, he said, would be salts
4 factory. II again reminded me on the
e 9Th Of June Of the agreement aud went
4 TO Ellsworth tho following morning, arriv-
4 ing there between and S o'clock I went
d directly TO the hotel at Ellsworth end after
breakfast I went over to the once OF tho
IF Nebraska Land aud Beeding company. just
o across the street. Mr.. Charles c. jameson
d was in the office at the time OF my arrival
l. I asked Jameson what time he would BE-
l. ready 70 begin work. I cannot rec4n just
. what he said. but he said some Of the par
i ties would be there about O'Clock About
4 that hour Bartlett Richards came into
4 the office Nothing was said betwesn
q AIr. Richards and myself about land mat
q ters at that time. However, ] proceeded %
take applications for entries. This was IN
the odlce Of the Nebraska Land and Feed
A ing company. Some other parties were
there besides Richards and Jameson whom
. did not know. AS the parties came sn 10
file on homesteads he or she would sign the
application or afhdavit and paid the fee OF
81 AS these were executed placed them
beside me on the desk. This is all bad to
ID do with It. The papers were later removed
li by some other person, Mr.. Jsmeson. think
ID it was.
" Applications Fined ont.
p i do not know where the applications
. came from. They we're handed TO me.
i. already hllsd out By Mr.. Jameson I do
y not remember what Conversation Nj.
Jameson and l had at that moment
je stayed there in tho ONCE OF the Nebia ska
I'd Land and Cattle company until about noon
., Aside from jameson, Richards and one or
b. two others with whom I was not acquainted
er there was a number OF homesteaders A.
~ the once. / afixed my iurat 20 forty-siN
IA or forty-eight papers, six OF which thlnL
81 were Tor women. Jameson introduced eli
. ~ cf the entrymen and women 20 me I We.
acquainted with but ive or six OF the
entrymen. I talked with Richards 4 llttlt
about money matters and he said Il
o was all right for mo 20 receive the fee
~ - ~ To- .elvfuo t,,v- furaf NVhar - -,