Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-25
SHOWS PLOT
TOGRAB LAND
BoRAH AND HIS ASSOCIATES
ACCUSED
TRIAL OF IDAHO SENATOR IS
BEGUN
Special Prosecutor Charges That Late
Governor steunenberg Was In
voIved In Frauds Of Time
Der Claims
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
BOISE, Idaho, Sept 24.-The govern
ment today repeated its charges in the
case of Senator Borah In connection
with the lumber land frauds.
The jury was completed at the morn
ing session and during the afternoon
Judge M. c. Burch of Detroit, Mich,
special assistant to the attorney gem
eral, made the opening statement for
the prosecution. He arraigned the late
Governor Frank Steunenberg as the
central figure in the alleged conspiracy
by which 1t Is claimed that more than
II, 900 acres Of virgin forest lands, thick
with towering pines, came fraudulently
into the possession Of the Barber Lum-
Der company wisconsin corporation
operating plant in this city.
Mr.. Burch connected Senator Borah
with the land transaction only as attor-
ney, first for Steunenberg and then for
| the lumber concern. He declared that
Senator Borah interested himself in all
matters having an outward bearing on
| the lands claimed by dummy" entry
men, turned over to dummy trustees
and by them decided over to the Bar
Der company.
All of the deeds went through
| Borans office and stand in the county
| clerks office as recorded at his re-
quest. 1t is claimed Senator Borah
| approached the registrar of the land
office with regard to several claims
which were held up and was warned by
| that official that the claims were
| fraudulent and should be let alone.
The Jurors are: Jules G. Miller, farm
err j. H. Yates, president of the Boise
Bank of Commerce; j. s. d. Manville,
wool grower; Thomas B. Goss, real es-
tate; A. @. Root, printer and publisher;
Ora u. Cox, carpenter; T. w. Randall,
a. ID NJ
the First National bank of Emmett,
Idaho; Peter Meth, rancher; Albert
Beck, rancher, and H. w. Cushman, re-
tired rancher.
swore for Money
Dummy entrymen, who claim they
swore falsely for money in the interests
of the members of the timber conspiracy
and George s. Long. one of the alleged
dummy trustees will take the stand and
lay bare their part in the transactions
which form the basis of the indictment
against Senator Borah and twelve CO.
defendants.
Governor Steunenberg and William
Sweet, mining man, Mr. Burch de-
clared, put up the first money of $500 to
carry on the alleged fraud. Governor
Steunenberg minated that he was in
terested in the timber claims as specu-
ldllOHy anu iuQuCtQ OtHcl6 u 81 III Will
him. One man approached was the pres
emit governor, Frank A. Gooding, who,
however, when he heard the details of
the scheme. refused to have a part in 1t.
Senator Borah, 1t is claimed, sought in
formation of former Governor Morrison
as to what lands the state Of Idaho was
taking out for school purposes. The in
formation desired reached the Barber
Lumber company, which had been formed
and was jotted down on the books. On
the day for filing, forty-five men, stand
ing In line, claimed lands which are now
held by the lumber company, which. how
ever. strangely, did not overlap the states
claims. according to Mr.. Burch.
The attorneys claim Senator Borah's
case comes under the head of a misde-
meanor and not felony, the maximum
penalty upon conviction being a fine up
to $4,000 or imprisonment up to two
years.