Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-20
LOOMS ADMITS
SEVERAL THINGS
OREGON MAN TESTIFIES IN
HERMANN CASE
Tells the Court He Was Offered Inn
munity by Governments Attor-
neys for Telling Land
Fraud Secrets
By Associated Press.

WASHINGTON, March 19. - DR..
Clarke E. LoomiS, who is under indict-
ment in Oregon in what is known as
the Hermann -Puter conspiracy case
and also in fencing case, was the
principal witness in the Hermann trial
here today
DIR. Loomis was produced by the gov
ernment and his testimony was re-
garded as important to show, as United
States Attorney Baker stated, that Mr.
Hermann had reason to destroy his
letter books, for which he is being tried.
DR.. Loomis said he had been special
agent for the land office in Oregon dur
ing the administration of President
Harrison and was reinstated soon after
President Mckinley was inaugurated,
having been out during the Cleveland
administration.
He was dismissed shortly before Mr.
Hermann retired from the land Office
He identified about twenty-five letters
which constituted a correspondence
between himself and Mr.. Hermann as
commissioner. Nearly all the letters to
Mr. Hermann, the witness said, he
had marked and regarded as personal
and confidential, and learned for the
first time today that they had been
placed in the files of the land office.
Original Files Secured
secured by the government from the
papers of DR.. Loomis. A series of let
ters related to allegel Justification of
account by DR.. Loomis, and in one let
ter he begged to be allowed to resign
Dr. Loomis admitted that he had
"held up" S. A. d. Puter for $500 with
which to defend himself from certain
reports he had made on twelve of Pu-
ter's homestead claims, and that he
a
from Puter as expense money for ex-
amining and reporting on these claims.
Puter has been convicted in the case
which is known as the "seVen-eleVen"
case. He is now here to testify for the
government in the present case.
On cross examination DR.. Loomis
said he had not informed Hermann
that he had received this money.
1T would not have dared to-" he eX-
claimed. IT would have been glad
enough not to let any one know about
it,"
In a series of questions by Attorney
Worthington to ascertain If the wit
ness had been promised immunity by
the governments attorneys for testify
ing, 1t was ascertained that negotia-
tions to this end had been carried on,
but had come to nothing so far as the
witness knew.
He said an attorney named Harding
had approached him in Oregon during
the tendency Of the "seVen- eleven
case and said he could "fix it,"
Hardy saw the governments attor-
neys and witnesses several times
Finally Hardy told Loomis that the
governments attorneys did not care a
On about the 'seven-eleven' case, but
If you can tell them anything about
Mitchell or Hermann"
Objection by United States Attorney
Baker interrupted the conclusion OF
the remark. IT was moved to strike
out the answer from the record, but
Justice Stafford allowed IL to stand.
However, when the witness began to
detail conversations regarding immun-
ity he had with Puter after the latter's
conviction other objections were inter-
posed, and the adjournment of the day
came before a decision as to admitting
them was reached. The witness had
stated he had received no promises IN
the present case.