Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-21
DECLARE OTHERS
ARE G0IITY
LOS ANGELES MEN ANSWER
OREGON CHARGES
Messrs. stearns, Gould, Glllelen, Ken
ney and HedderIy Explain Their
Connection With Cases and Ex-
pect to Clear Themselves

Los Angeles men, whose names are
included among those who are charged
as being conspirators in an endeavor
to secure government land fraudulently
in Oregon in an indictment returned by
the grand jury at Portland, declare they
will be acquitted and are inclined to
unload the responsibility for any such
deals upon william II. Smith, whose
name is also included in the Indictment
The local men declare that they are
innocent and knew nothing of the land
deals in the north until they read about
them in the newspapers yesterday
morning.
They acknowledge being connected
with Smith, Hynes and Jones as stock
holders in the Pacific Lumber and Fur
niture company, which suspended busi-
ness about two years ago,
stearns Talks Back
Regarding the Indictment, G. L.
Stearns, formerly president Of the Pa
cific Lumber and Furniture company,
said yesterday:
"Smith should be punished. 1 tried
to get the grand jury here to indict him,
charging him with swindling, but the
members of 1t did not seem to think they
had case against him.
II had only 500 worth of stock in the
Pacific Lumber and Furniture COM
rany, but was made its president.
lost that. think local people lost about
5000, 900. A good many of the losers
were widows and workingmen. DR.. D.
NJ. Goodwin whose name in included in
the indictment, lost about $4,000.
II never invested in any land in The
north and never knew that the COM
pany did. l always advised against
that very thing. 1 have been out of the
company for two years.
"Since leaving the company l have
believed that it was a put-up job by
some of the organizers that the COM
pany should never pay and that they
should get the benefit of it, l never
liked the idea of paying twenty per
cent commission to some of the men on
goods that they sold, but the majority
overruled me.
IF there is anyone guilty of trying
to defraud would desire that he should
be punished to the. full extent of the
law"
Gould Pleads lnnocence
II never knew anything about these
land deals in Oregon until l saw the
reports in the morning papers," said
| w. d. Gould, an attorney whose name
is mentioned in the Indictment. II
know nothing about Smith. He was a
| stranger when he came into my office
to get me to serve as an attorney to
draw up the papers for the Pacific Land
and Lumber company. For this 1 re-
ceived one per cent of the stock. l never
paid much attention to the company. I
am innocent of the charges brought
against me-
Wraren Gillelen, president of the
Broadway Bank and Trust company; r.
| w. Kenney, cashier of the same bank,
and DR.. A. II. Hedderly, when seen yes
terday, all declared their innocence of
| the charges against them. They gave
out the following statement:
Three Others Denial
I'VE never had any interest in the
Pacific Lumber and Furniture company
and are innovent of any charges against
us for trying to secure land fraudulent
ly. Our only connection with this COM
pany was to lend it money in 1903
and this was paid back We loaned
| the money on a pledge of lumber and
furniture in Los Angeles, after the
| bank appraisers had seen it and as
sured us that it was of sufficient value
to secure the safety of the loan.
1--WE know nothing of land fraud or
the ownership of land up there. We
have had no connection with procuring
land. We never loaned money for the
purpose of procuring land. 1t is a mys-
terry to us as to why and how they
are connecting us with land frauds.
1 We were never in the combine.
I'VE were never interested in this land
in any shape or manner"