The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-09-05
PENALTIES SURE TO
FOLLOW LAND FRAUDS
Government Proposes No Let.
Up to Work Of Running Down
the Grabbers.
HIRED TO BUY PROPERTY
Uncle Sam Learns That Paid Mo
Made Purchases-f,ooo,ooo
Acres Of Coal Lands
involved.

Washington, Sept. 4.-Big develop
ments in the western land fraud prose-
cutions are yet to come. within the
next few months. IL everything goes
well, the government win be ready to
take steps for which 1t has been pre-
pairing for two years. Colorado, Wy
oming and Utah will be the scene Of
the new developments. Following the
successful land fraud prosecutions In
Oregon and California. the interior de-
partment arranged for a thorough In
vestigation in a half dozen states. and
It is now known hat the results of
these investigations. when they are
made public, will be startling. The In
vestigations have proceeded far enough
to show that an ormou acreage Of
land, which formerly belonged to the
federal government, has unlawfully
passed to individuals and corporations,
and that practically the entire coal
supply Of Colorado, Utah and Wyom-
A4AA WIN " lAlCAA 0CA0AA6R4 vs.
government is now in the possession
Of three or four big corporations.
II is the intention of the govern
ment not only to prosecute criminally
the individuals who, 1t is alleged, un-
lawfully got possession of this govern
ment property, but to attempt, through
civil proceedings, to recover for the
government title to this valuable land.
The Union Pacific and Denver and Rio
Grande railroads and the Colorado Fuel
and Iron company are the chief of the
corporation offenders from whom re-
covery win be attempted.
Five Score Sleuths.
Denver is the seal Of the present
.perations of the government forces at
work on the alleged frauds. 1t is
learned here that for nearly two years
100 secret agents have been at work
IN the states in which the interior de-
partment had reason to believe that
fraud had been practiced. The work
Of these men has been rewarded with
results far beyond their expectations,
or the expectation OF the officials OF
the Interior department. The evidence
against alleged offenders Is now in
shape for the department OF Justice
to take hold. The judicial machinery is
in motion in Colorado, Wyoming and
Utah. Earl Cransford, United States
district attorney at Denver, q son of
Bishop Cransford, of the Methodist
church, is entrusted with the prosecu-
fion OF the offenders. He is to be as
sisted by able special counsel provided
by the department OF justice. At the
recent sitting Of the federal grand jury
against fifty-six persons for land
frauds. Many of the indicted men have
been prominent In the business and
political affairs of the state. Among
those caught in the net were several
Missouri and Michigan men, who, hay-
Ing been led to believe that the gov
was easy" undertook % get
possession OF the land without going
through the usual lawful formalities,
The work of this last Denver federal
grand jury was only a beginning.
When the jury meets again in the fall,
the secret service force which has
operated In the state under the direc-
ton of Special Agent Wheeler will be
ready to submit evidence on which Il
is expected to return a large number of
indictments. Unless the plans OF the
government mlscarry, some OF the
heads of the Union Pacific, the Denver
and Rio Grande and of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company will be indie
ted. With the criminal net thrown
around the alleged land grabbers, the
government will institute ciciI proceed
ings to recover title to the Valuable
coal lands of which it has been illegally
deprived.
Hired to Take Land.
The Investigations have disclosed the
same methods used by the land grab
bers in Oregon. Men were hired to take
up land and on getting possession to
turn II over to the corporation or In
dividual employing them. 1t is alleged
at least nj million acres of coal and
- 49, - 49, EAIA -
oming passed illegally from the govern
ment to corporations. The criminal
prosecutions and civil proceedings
which the government Is about to un-
dertake are the most important OF re-
cent years. The evidence in hand
shows hat the corporations have. In
some instances. mined most OF the coal
and cut most OF the timber from the
unlawfully acquired lands. Whether
cover the value of his coal taken out
OF the ground and the timber sold Is
now under consideration.
1t may be that +. j.. Heney Of San
Francisco, who so successfully prose
cuteG the land grabbers in Oregon, may
be sent to Denver to assist District At
torney Cranston. He will be retained
III the government decides his services
are needed. Mr.. cranston has made an
excellent record. The recent grand
jury indicted every man against whom
he Submitted evidence charging land
frauds and the department of Justice
is confident OF convictions. The secret
service men are confident they have
woven an u~nbreakable web OF evidence
about the large number OF Offenders
high in the business, social and political
life OF the three states. Utah. wyoming
and Colorado. Ethan Allen Hitchcock
inaugurated the Investigations when he
was head of the interior department.
PAY dirt had been struck before Mr..
Garfield become head OF the depart
ment and II there has been any change
in the departments policy since the
change in secretaries 1t has been to re-
double the efforts to put l~awbreakers
in Jail and recover lands for the gov
eminent.