Williams news., 1907-10-12

nave Oet'l piOOuCeu WHICH were not made through Benson's office ]
 These applications. according to the prosecution, were false. feigned. fra udulent and fictitious, and although the contract plainly says that Perrin, not Benson, was to furnish these "nominees," the prosecution insisted that these applica nis. whom MT. Perrin never knew, saw or heard of, were Perrin's nominees"
 It also happened that several of these applications were approved hv the state surveyor general in 1905 for lieu selections. In order to make these selections there must he non- mineral affidavit accom- nanving the same At this time (19O5) Mr. Shell, on account of his hlackmailing propensities, had been discharged from Mir. Perrin's employ, and Mr. George w. Pear son, reputable surveyor in the employment of the government. was engaged by MT. Perrin at certain sum per day to finish Shells work. While in Tehams county, locating Perrin's forest reserve scrip, Pearson, of course. qualified himself to make non. mineral affidavits and George H. Perrin knowing this, and as he was still in Benson's employ, and was attending to the perfecting of Ben, sons clients applications. requested Pearson. as a personal favor to him. and Pearson so testified. tc make the non- mineral affidavits to accompany the applications. Mir Perrin knew nothing about them. never saw. heard or was told of them until I discovered the same in the general land office at Wash ing last May.
 This is the case. and the whole case. In summing it up 1 want to ask any fair minded person three questions:
 1st Granting. for arguments sake, that the Perrin-Benson con tract was capable of being fulfilled. what fins ncial benefits would have redounded to Edward B. Perrin7
 According to the provisions of the contract, as soon as the appli- cations were approved hx the state surveyor general, there would immediately have been another &3O,OOO due from him to Benson, which would have made the land cost him $60.CCO, or $5 co per acre and he would have heen as far from title to the lands as before for the title comes not from the state. but the United States What benefit, therefore, was it to him to make this contract. None. He simply accommodated man who had shown him where to place his forest reserve scrip when he
 hought it was the Lolicy of the government to prevent ary large
 mount of scrip heinz placed or timhered lands. and which. accord ing to his agreement with Secretary Hitchcock, he had the legal right to do.
 2nd. If E. B Perrin had the forest reserve scrip with which tc 'ake these lands. whi' h scrip va.
 valued at the same price it would have cost him under the Bensor contract to obtain these lands, why 1 ,L ba spiracv" 10 get them. thus assum ing the two-fold risk of not only n the end not getting them, ane thereby losing his money. but alst rendering himself subject to crimi
 nal prosecution7
 3rd. John A. Benson knew O . at least a dozen men out of the city nf San Francisco whcm he coulc l have obtained to make the non
 mineral affidavits for his clients If. therefore. there had existed z p conspiracy" between these men would he have permitted hi
 employee. George H. Perrin, to et
 to Pearson. whom he knew haf ? been in Perrin's employ. to mak' ] these affidavits. thereby connect r ing not only E. B. Perrin, but him self as well, with an overt ac
 under the contract. of which th' f prosecution could avail themselves I wish to say. in conclusion. tha
 any man of wealth, especially in { [ large stock raising community sucl l as this, and with large stool t interests such az has Mir. Perrin, il almost sure to have made enemles P It would almost be a miracle hac he not done so, and it is to thu 2 eternal credit of the good people 0 E Coconino county that when i'm f portuned by the agents of tn , proeocutiop in fhie ooco to oopoa f,