The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-21
Figure CoaspicuousIy in
Mr.. Puter's Story.
AS BRIBE MONEY,
History Of Land Frauds and Herr
mann and MitcheII's Connection
Herewith Is RecOunted.


Puter, who gave his residence as tn,
Multnomah county jail, Oregon, where
he has served six months OF tive
years sentence for land frauds, was 4
witness for the government in the
Hermann trial here Wednesday. Mr.
Puter gave with startling directpes,
the details of the dIfficulties and cost
which had attended his efforts to OBJ
tain patents to IL homesteads In the
Cascade forest reserve, now known
as the "eleven-seven" frauds in Ore
gon.
He said he first rounded up" ten
people and agreed to pay them $15l
each to make entries to the claims
then saw DR.. Loomis, the special
agent of the land office in that state.
gave him $500 to make a favorable re
port on the claims and promised him
a like amount when the patents
should issue. He also endeavored tc
FIX things" with Ormsby, the state
forester by giving Ormsby's son $500
After the LoOmis report reached
Washington, Puter learned that some
thing was wrong. and as he had been
here several times before and knew
Mr. Hermann very well, he decided
to come at once. Before leaving Ore.
Senator Mitchell from Attorney
Mayes, of Portland. Puter said he
knew Mitchell, but asked Mayes tc
write a strong" letter and indicate
to the senator that Puter would pay
him well to fix things up for him. He
presented the letter to the senator on
his arrival and also called on Mr.
Hermann. Mr.. Herman told him
that his matters were being looked
into.
Senator Mitchell visited Mr.. Herr
mann in the case and it was decided
that additional afbdavits were neces
sary. 1t was decided to send for Mrs
Watson, who had made one of the en-.
tries. and who was then in Los Ange
les. On her arrival Puter said he took
her to Mitchell and afiidavits were
drawn. Puter said that the next
morning Mitchell took Mrs. Watson
and Puter to call on Mr.. Hermann
and that at this meeting the senator
told the commissioner about the afii.
davits and said as soon as they were
sworn to they would We furnished.
1t was about four days after the
afiidavits had been furnished that he
called on Hermann, and said he was
completely knocked out by being told
that his claims all needed more proof
Hermann advised him to go back tc
Oregon and get his proof.
Puter said he at once called or
Mitchell, who also advised the same
way. Puter said he told both Mitchell
and Hermann that il was useless tc
do this, that the people who had made
the entries were scattered and II
would be useless to try to get proof
from them, besides, he said that IL he
did get them together they would hole
him up for more than he had first pait
them.
He talked the matter over with
Mitchell for two hours. as the result
of which Mitchell went to see Herr
mann that day. That night he called
on Mitchell. 1t was at this confer
ence, he said, that he took ont two
$1,000 bills and laid them in front o.
Mitchell. saying that this amount rep
resented all that he (Puter) coult
spend ON the claims and get out whole
IL he got the patents. He said he told
Mitchell to take the money and ge
the patents. He said Mitchell tool
one of the bills and tossed 1t over II
Puter, saying that Puter could not af
ford to spend so much. Puter said h'
tossed the bill back and It passed sew
eral times in this way. Finally, Putel
testified, Mitchell took both bills ant
kept them and said he would see wha
could be done.
Mitchell called on Hermann ant
then advised Puter to call on him
This Puter says he did and Herman
told him that he thought things coult
be arranged so that the patents woult
issue. He said he had taken the mat
ter up personally The witness testi
fed that Mitchell saw Herman again
the next day and later that day Pute
met Hermann on the street. Herr
man stated he had seen Mitchell ant
that his patents would be issued. !
day or so after this Puter called a
Hefrmann's office and was taken L
the basement of the general land OF
fee, where an old lady was at worl
making out his patents. He said h
took the train for the west at ono
and upon reaching Portland, afte
stopping for short time at his hom
In Berkeley, Cal. found the patent
waiting for him. His total expense
Puter said, had been $1,000 or $4,000.