Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-01-10

Il was the fact that a parish priest,
Father Joseph Schell. now stationed
Il Wlnnebago reservation. Nebraska.
espoused the cause u fifteen pool
families In Tillamo0k county. Oregon.
that resulted In the indictment re-
Gently Al United States Senator Mi.
chell u Oregon and Congressman
Ringcr Hermann 81 Oregon. former
commissioner Of the geaeral land u.
flee. and the TerDvsl from office a
J. II. Hall. United States district Al.
torney of Oregon.
II Father ScAell and he alone vho
should be Given the credit for expos
Ing and thereby breaking up what
In now recognized ~ n Of the most
gigantic schemes to rob the public
ever devised IN the country. Ccrpor.
ate interests In Oregon, chiefly rail-.
roads. planned to secure the states
timber by . manipulation OF The tim
her entry laws Of the United States
government.
Finding the swindlers who we're II.
tempting 10 rob the families In Tilla.
mok county were projected by high
political influence. and that the swim
die contemplated the theft Of many
thousands Of acres Of timber. Father
Schell began = public wat upon these
very men, which. after three years.
resulted In the indictment Of scores
Of dupes. and after four years brought
about the confirmation Of charges
against Mitchell. Hermann and Hall.
Though friends became enemies,
though he was first ridiculed In Wash
tngton departments, though he was
threatened with prosecution that
would send him to the penitentiary.
though ne wa tempted BY bribes.
Father scheii waged his fight against
the swindlers TIL he had an army Of
inspectors In Oregon, bringing re-
sponsihiilty for the swindle 10 the
door Of the real culprits. Then It was
that no consented to como to the
WnnebegO reservation here and has
already set IN motion . reform which
has rev0luti0nlxed disgrAceful condi.
lions that have existed on the reser.
walton for twenty years and has re-.
ceivcd the commentator Of President
Roosevelt and Commissioner Ieupp.
Esther Schell. you are Z fool" de.
clared Governor Chamberlain OF Ore.
gcn. a good friend Of the priest, when
he began his fight on the high poll.
tical powers. who. he claimed, were
In league with or protecting tho Ore.
gOn ~swindlers.
But, after Roosevelt and Hitchcock
had set in motion the machinery Of
the government, and the swindlers
were about to be driven to cover, Gov
ernor Chamberlain went to Father
6chell and said: Il want to retract
what I said about your heing a fool
want to take my hat on TO You"
II was early IN 1901, that Father
6chell realizing that the Tillamooh
families could be helped In no other
way, went 10 Washington ana visited
the land department. OF which Binger
Hermann was then the head. At that
time not . word had been said about
the existence OF Z conspiracy In Ore
gon between the high political pow.
ers and the railroad snd commercial
interests to rob the state ofitstimber
When Father Schell reached Washing
ton. Senator Mitchell and other Ore.
gon representatives ridicuIed Schell,
telling the newspapers not to pay any
attention to him and that he would
soon leave the city. At the land OF
flee Father Schell was referred to
the officers OF the Oregon land depart
ment. the very men whom Father
Schell had attacked as in league with
the %swindlers.
Then Father Schell went back 10
his parish In Oregon and began an ef.
fort to secure prosecution of the swim.
dlers by United States District Attor-
ney Hall, OH evidence ne had secured.
The upshot OF It was a letter from the
district attorneys office informing
him that II he would find some man
who VIII acknowledge that he has
taken up land under the circnme'sn-
ces related, thereby peri iring himself.
the office would begin prosecution.
In February. 1902, Father Schell So
cured nm affidavit from Charles u.