Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-01-10
PIucky Fight Of Oregon Priest
Against Timber Thieves
How Father SehslI Finally Brought The Os'poa'sn Of The Public
Oomain 10 Justice.

Hays that he had taken evidence Of
fraud IA Halls office and had visited
the office for days, always being told
that Hall hsl just gone out or had
not come In. Father Schell also con.
tiuued collecting evidence until he
rad proof VI frauds In 40 cases Of
timber entries. He showed II was the
scheme VT the railroads and other
swindlers To hire men to make entries
| for q nominal compensation, first
signing a contract to turn the land
| over to them.
In March. 1902. Father Schell pre-.
pared TO 10 to Washington. The day
before he left, the recognized Mitchell
republican leader In Oregon Judge
Carey called Schell int, his office
and told him he was prosecuting bust.
ness men and must let them alone.
II will offer you $4,000 II you will
just drop the timber questions"
Father Schell was told.
Judge. you can go to hell" was the
~forceful. II unpriestlike. reply to the
offer. The other said:
III I were a Catholic priest. I would
never make use Of that word"
Judge" replied the priest, 1T Is q
good thing, to begin with, that you
IRE not a Catholic priest, and think.
like yourself. I ought not to have used
II. because you will 20 to hell any.
how" d
At Warrington Father Schell visit
ed the department OF the interior. but
Secretary Hitchcock was absent. The
acting secretary listened TO : part Of
the evidence. then interrupted the
priest with . cstechiSm - to how
good . prieat he was. and finally de-
manded where he got his evidence,
and ended by turning him v to an
assistant in the United States atror-
ney's office. The latter first wanted
Schell to turn over the original copies
Of his evidence, then laughed in his
face and invited him to leave.
Father Schell reported his reception
10 Secretary Hitchcock and President
Roosevelt ana secured 4 promise Of in.
vestigation. The inspector sent To
Oregon, however. found himself cir.
cum6cribed by hostile and powerful
interests. Father Schell happened on
. train I'M which several carloads OF
men were being hauled to the timber
districts. He talked with them, and
they told him they had signed con.
tracts with a railroad To take out tim.
Der entries and then turn them over to
the railroad. They were promised
jobs In . logging camp as compenaa'
ton. This fact was reported to
President Roosevelt.
Finally Hall brought q case before
his grand jury, but the defendant was
discharged. Father Echell quickly de.
clared two witnesses had been spirit.
ed out Of the state by Hall-an of.
Tense made the ground for Halls re-.
moval later. Hall replied In a letter
to ScheIl suggesting three sections oi
the federal statutes upon which he
could be prosecuted. This letter, also,
was published by Schell.
In December, 1909, In an official
statement Secretary Hitchcock de.
scribed the Oregon timber frauds In
precisely the manner OF Father Schell
two years before, that men were being
shipped In under contract masquer-
aiding as settlers. who took out entries
and turned them over to the capitalist.
About this time, too. Binger Her.
mann was succeeded as commissioner
Of the general land office by Com.
missioner Richards, who commended
Father Schell highly for his work and
repeatedly asked his assistance.
With Secretary Hitchcock thorough
~ aroused and Roosevelt onversan
with the facts. and a new land com.
missioner, II was now evident that
Father Schell was about to succeed.
And, though he has in no way called
attention to the important part he
played In the reform, he feels a great
amount OF vindication In the removal
Of Hall and the Indictment Of Senator
Mitchell and Congressman Hermann.