Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-13
OLD STORY OF LAND DEALS
Witnesses Recount Their Experiences in
Visiting Gordon to Locate.
TWIN wlsO1ILLs FIGURE IN ALL ACCOUNTS
soldiers Given Chance to speculate
In Lands In western Nebraska
by Accused and Their
Agents.


Very little Of general interest was de-
Ve.oped IN the land trial, which was re-
sumed before Judge I. G.. Munger in the
United States district court Friday fore
noon. The testimony Of Lyman r. Pratt,
Adams Emge, Frank l.. Davis w. II.
Campbell, W. H. futile and Z. J. Logan,
all eX-sOldiers from Iowa, was given and
was Of a general uniform character with
the preceding witnesses and which was
given during the ComstOck and Richards
trials. All Of the witnesses had been
solicited to file on lands within the Spade
ranch enclosure by Irving d. Hull, and
made the usual trip TO Gordon, their eN-
penses all being paid by either Hull Hunt
ington or H0yt. The same story was told OF
visit to the vicinity OF the twin wind mills,
where they spent an hour or two and then
returned 20 Gordon, executed the grazing
leases, which they supposed we're equivalent
to cultivation and residence, and each ad-
mitted that they did not enter the lands
with a view to settlement, but rather as
speculation. The only variation in the
testimony was relative to a second visit
to Gordon and to the lands south OF that
place where the parties were shown other
tracts OF land or had them pointed out TO
them as their specific claims.
About dozen more Of these Iowa wit
nesses are TO be examined, all OF whom
testified similarly in the former trial.
John p. Creager, a real estate dealer,
loan agent and Justice Of the peace Of
Logan, Ia, testified that Thomas NJ.
Huntington had been named In the sew
eral deciaratory statements executed by
him for other soldiers as locating agent by
power of attorney Mr.. Creaser in add
ton to afixing his jurat to a number Of
al. 4
soldiers, also made for himself a declara-
tory statement at the solicitation of Irving
d. Hull and was a member OF the party
Of old soldiers who went from Logan and
woodbine, Ia, in October 1904 to file on
lands at Gordon, with the understanding
that the lands were to be located within
the Spade ranch enclosure. These pre-
ilmnary filings were all prepared in the
office Of Hoyt and Huntington at Gordon
and all the expenses were paid at this
office. He told further the same old story
Of himself and party being taken by livery
team from Gordon to the twin wind
mills" twenty miles south OF Gordon, and
were told that their claims were in that
vicinity, though none Of them had ever
been shown any particular piece OF land
as their special property. The witness
was free to admit that at the time he
made his Ming he did net intend TO live on
| the land but merely made the entry for
| what he could get out Of It,. which he
/ understood would be about $500 when he
made the final proof, and that the ranch
| people stood ready 20 pay that sum for the
/ land when final proof was made and would
! in the meanwhile pay all the expenses Of
| filing and visits from Logan, Ia, to the
! land necessary to make final proof. and
! put the necessary improvements on the
! land in the meanwhile.
| The witness told Of his second visit to
Gordon in April. 1905. Of his conference with
! Hoyt and Huntington, the execution OF the
| grazing leases, and a second visit to his
| alleged claim at the twin windmils" As
| at the first visit, all the expenses of the
trip were paid by HUI, Huntington and
| Hoyt. and the witness and his comrads
! associates were given their lease money
after the expenses were deducted. The
witness never visited the land again, nor
did he ever see It at any time.
Substantially the same evidence was given
by Alfred L. Tobin of Woodbine, Ia.
Samuel NJ. ChiIds Of Dunlap and f. NJ
Mnlman Of Logan, la, all Of whom were
old soldiers.
George w. Guilford. an old soldier from
Dunlap was summoned to testify, but
owing to his having recently suffered a
stroke Of apoplexy he was excused from
giving his evidence orally, the record Of
his evidence given at the Richards and
Comstock trial being accepted and read by
District Attorney GOss.