Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-23
Member Of Upper House Of Com
gress Faces Charges Of Partic,
ipation in Land Frauds
OTHER NorAsLEs INVOLVES
Conspiracy to Defraud Government is
tn. Specific Charge sorah Says
Charge. Are Inspired by Eneniea
and the Western Federation Of
Miners.

Boise, Idaho, Sept. ga special sess
sion of the federal court convened here
today to try United States Senator
William e. Borah, who is charged with
conspiring to defraud the federal gov@
ernment by securing Illegal entry on
timber lands. The Indictment was res
turned last April and included besidd
Senator Borah Frank Martin, attorS
ney general of Idaho under GovernoN
Steunenberg's administrations; Sumner
G. Moon and j. T. Barber, millionaire
stockholders of the Barber Lumbep
Company, residing in Wisconsin; r. H4
Downs, ]. I. Wells, L. M. PritchardS
John Kincaid, William Sweet, Albert
M. Palmer and H. S. Rand. Senator
Borah asked for and has been accorded
the privilege of separate trial.
The investigation Of the grand jury
last spring into the timber lana
frauds produced a profound sensations
One hundred and fifty witnesses were
called and the evidence showed that
an organized raid had been made by
the Barber Lumber Company on the
timber land Of Lewiston district. 1t dc-
veloped that in Boise county about fif~
ty thousand acres of land We're pat-
ented by dummies and turned over to
the lumber company.
The plan was very simple and ono
that has been often used to rob the
government The law permits a per-
son to file claim for land, but the
person must take oath that he is buy
Ut, xlesvx
that the transaction is bona fide. H4
is limited to 100 acres, and upon tha
payment Of $3.50 an acre certificates
for the quarter section is turned oven
to him. The lumber company II
charged with having furnished huns
dreds Of men with money to buy land
with. It was necessary to have tl1a
protection OF government officials, 20
political leader Of both the democratic
and republican parties were put on the
pay roll Of the lumber company.
It is charged that Senator Borah
co-operated with Governor Steunens
berg in pushing the patents thru for
the dummies and that as a result the
lumber company obtained possessions
Of timber worth more than $1,000 ,000s
The indictments returned charge that
the men accused induced the dummies
to file claims on lands
Government officials knew Of the
land frauds two years ago and spes
cial agents conducted an Investigations
Much evidence was gathered and prepl
arations were made to bring the guilty
parties to justice, but the arrest Of
the officials Of the Western FederaA
tion Of Miners for the murder of Cow
ernor Steunenberg and the connecticut
OF Senator Borah with the prosecutions
Of the alleged murder cases caused a
postponement for year
Senator Borah, whose trial is now to-
commence, is the republican leader Of
Idaho and his close personal and po4
litical friends are involved by the inS
dictments They declare that these ard
the result Of political conspiracN
Matched by Ruick, democrat. who
has opposed Borah in all his political
fights, and by the Western Federatiou
Of Miners.
St1unenberg Also Indicted.
In beginning the work here today Of
impanelling a jury to try United
States Senator Borah. District AttorA
ney Ruick announced that formers
Governor Frank Steunenberg was one
Of the men indicted with Berah for
conspiracy. Steunenberg was repre1
| sented in the indictment as John Doe4
The case was called today before
Judge Edward Whitson in the United
States district court
The prominence of Borah in politics.
I in this, his home town. the leading
part he took In the prosecution OF WilS
liam Haywood, charged with the murA
der Of Governor Steunenberg, and the
fact that more than 100 well known
residents Of South Idaho are alleged
to be involved with him In the 500
called conspiracy, combined in attract
ing an interest In the proceedings
against him nearly equal to that Whtcn
marked the first Western Federation
of Miners trial here.
The circuit court was crowded tQ
overflowing when Judge Wilson tooN
the bench. The array OF counsel on
either side was imposing. The govA.
ernment, whose representatives here
freely predict hearing of sensational
interest, has practically taken the case
out Of the hands OF District Attorney
Ruick, against who charges OF imS
proper conduct before the grand jury
had been fled, and assigned the mat1
ter to special attorneys trained IN
| timber land law, and fresh from sued
cessful prosecutions in other wester1
states. These are NJ. G. Burch, OF De@
troit and r. Rush, of Omaha, both
special assistants to the attorney gems
eral of the United States. Borah's at%
| torneys include James Fl. HawleyA
senior counsel for the state In thA
Haywood case; Alfred A. Fraser, s. II
Lipton and Carl Paine, all local at4
torneys, and C. F. Bundy, OF Eau
{ sClaire, Wis The latter also representS
the interests OF the Barber Lumber
| Company. a corporation that is said ia
have prof1ted by the alleged fraudsl
and some Of whose officers have bseAs
] interested