Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-05-31
THE GIGANTIC FRAUDS
CONSPIRACY IS UPON THE aoR-
DER OF DEVELOPMENT.

Two Senators Implicated Richest Man in
America to Be Unmasked-Grand Juries
Will Indict by Wholesale Exist
in California. Colorado. Orefon. Idaho,
Montana. Minnesota and the Dakotas-
Much Land Will Be Returned to National
Domain.
A dispatch to the Chicago Tribune.
dated at Washington, D. c., the 9th
inst, states that amazing revelations
OF a conspiracy to defraud the United
States of millions of dollars worth of
mineral and timber lands will be laid
before the grand juries of half dozen
States within few days. The frauds,
it is alleged, will involve in criminal
charges the names of men high in
business and political circles. They
include one United States Senator,
one ex-United States Senator, man
reputed to be one of the wealthiest
men in the world; railroad man
known from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific; two of the wealthiest lumber
barons in the United States; numer-
GUS smaller fry, including railroad
officials, coal operators and men at
the head of fuel companies.
These men, whose names cannot be
made public before the grand Jury
acts, it is declared, will surely be
indicted by the evidence which is
now in the hands of the United
States District Attorneys in half a
dozen Western States.
These frauds, it is declared in an
official quarter, extend into a num-
ber of States, including California,
Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Mon
tana, Idaho, Minnesota and the Da-
kOtas.
Much of the evidence in these
frauds was obtained by Detective
Burns, who is engaged in the NUM-
cipal graft prosecution in San Fran
cisco. and by Francis ]. Heney, who
is prosecuting the same San Fran
cisco grafters. Upon the conclusion
of their work in San Francisco, Mr..
Heney and Mr.. Burns are expected
to return to the Government service
for the prosecution of the timber and
mineral land thieves. Some of the
grafters in San Francisco are also
said to be implicated in the frauds.
The frauds have been under invest
igation by the secret agents of the
Interior Department for more than
two years. These secret agents have
unearthed startling evidence, show
ing that the public domain has liter
ally been looted by corporations who
have been protected and aided in
their operations by United States
Senator'S and Federal officers. Most
of the land acquired by the so-called
conspirators were timber tracts in
the West, Of which hundreds of
thousands OF acres have been taken
from the public domain. In some
instances dummy entrymen were
used for the purpose. In others the
title was obtained through the use OF
lieu-land scrip.
In obtaining the conviction of the
men said to be involved, the govern
ment expects to regain possession of
large areas of forest land, some of
which have been in the hands of lum-
ber operators for many years. Much
of the land, it is understood, has not
yet been cut over.
1t is admitted by certain officials
that in o number of instances the Of
tenders will be immune from criminal
prosecution, owing to the fact that
the statute of limitations will apply,
but in oil such cases the title to the
land will revert to the Government.