The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-03

department today it was stated that
there was no truth in the report that
charges had been preferred by Secretary
Hitchcock against Harry ]. Bone, Uni
TED states district attorney of Kansas,
relating to the manner in which Mr..
Bone handled the land fraud cases Of
western KaLsas.
The above forms denial to the story
Which is published this morning in the
Kansas City Journal as a special.
The denial is sent out by the Associ-
ated Press correspondent Great sur
prise was expressed at the federal
building this morning at the alleged in
tention of Secretary Hitchcock of the
interior to bring about an Investigation
OF United States District ATTORNEY II.
J. Bone as given by the Kansas CITY
paper.
No one was more surprised that a
story of that nature should be printed
than Mr.. Bone himself He was at a
loss TO account for the origin of the
story and diselaimed any forehanded
knoWledge that any criticism existed AT
Washington as to the manner in which
the Iand fraud cases had been handled
by himself and his office.
4 saw the story printed in the Kan
sas City paper this morning." said Mr..
Bone But / can't understand whv
any charges should be filed nor why
there should be any reason for pubIish
correct the Associated Press gets it and
1 am therefore inclined to think that the
story IN the Kansas City Journal is in
Il attempted to see Mr. Greene. the
special agent of the interior this morn
ing but he was out of town. Mr. Greene
was In the city yesterday"
There should be no question of critic
ISM MADE or the way in which Mr. Bone
handled those cases." said Judge Tsn1-
lock, of the United States district court.
he
such stories as these make me tired .
went carefully over all of these
cases with the attorney general before
trylng thep, continued Mr.. Bone
Last March the cases came up for
trial at Wichita 1 was in favor of
acting upon them as soon as possible
ana when continuance was secured
managed to see to 1t that they sFoI,Id
come UP again during the next month
and that they should not be continued
longer than that time. Mr. Lambert
and Mr. Dean. attorneys for the cat
tlemen, then went to Washington and
had a conference with the attorney
general. AS a result of that it was
agreed to give the defendants until
September to remove their fences.
When September came II was found
that all but three had practically com
piled with this order and had removed
their fences. OF these three the
Boyce Cattle company was finally
found guilty on four of the counts
and assessed with a fine of $3.50. The
case against the other two was dis
missed upon the showing made to the
court at the September term in Wich-
ita. The cases against the officers of
the Boyce Cattle company is still
pending This is the way the charges
of illegal fencing of government land
stand now.
Judge Pollock holds under advise
ment several cases under the other
charges under demurrers entered to
the indictments. 1t wouldn't be for
me to say what should be done with
these cases. The department has been
kept apprised all along with what has
been going on here from the regular
reports which are sent by routine
from this office.
'I had no intimation in any way
that Mr.. Hitchcock would investigate
or was thinking of such a thing.
Il shall not do anything whatever.
L shall simply await the developments
if there are any at ALL"
That an investigation is intended Is
generally discredited by those close to
Mr.. Bone and others who are acduaint-
ed with the manner in which the cases
were conducted. MIR. Bone asked in
the first instance that the attorney
general send an attorney from his office
TO assist the district attorney in the
CT the cases but the attor-
ney general did not think that it was
necessary. The manner in which the
cases were conducted thereafter by the
district attorney was largely dictated
from washington and for this reason
criticism does not appear to be reason
able.