The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1907-10-03

management OF the company's affairs
The government prosecutors allee,
that the old. familiar dummy
system was used in obtaining title Il
ehls iand. 1t Is claimed that one Sc,
OF dummies" were used in procur
ing the land; that they in turr
transferred 1T to other dummies. !,
VINO acted the role OF innocent pur.
chasers," and In turn transferred 4,
10 the Barber Lumber company,
which, 1t is alleged, was financing
the whole proposition. Over one
hundred fraudulent entries, It is
claimed. were made.
This land was located and taken
possession of, it is alleged, in three
groups. One group was conveyed Ia
a. Il. Palmer, who is now In Toronto,
Can, resisting extradition upon the
indictment returned against him by
the Boise grand jury. The second
group was transferred to Horace S.
Rand, OF Burlington, Ia, an old bus
mess associate and friend of Barber,
and the third group was transferred
to George Long, of Tacoma, Wash.
who seems to have been the only man
mixed up in the affair who was not
indicted by the grand jury.
Palmer, Rand and Long. it is al
legged In their turn conveyed the land
i9 question to the Rarber Lumber
company. William Sweet one of the
men indicted, was financing fraudu-
lent locations, it is alleged, before
the BARRIER company got into the
game. Subsequently be sold his
holdings ard locations to the Barber
company. He gave strong incrimin-
ating testimony before the grand
jury, but by some, it is.claimed, he
has since repudiated his confession.
The Borah trial will develop whether
he has or not.
Now for the details of the charges
against each man. This story natur-
ally begins with the connection OF
Frank Steunenberg with the case.
IL is fair to say that Judge M. G.
Burch, assistant attorney general
who is in charge of the prosecution,
declined to disclose to the Tribune
representative the details OF the evil
dence discriminating Steunenberg or
Borah, although in general way he
| i'm Ia to6 hn fI1r ~
tions against them. Consequently
the trial now In progress will develop
much more minutely the connection
of these two men-one of them a
democratic leader of the state, and
the other unquestioned leader of the
republican party-than this narrative
can possibly develop.
Frank Steunenberg was elected
governor on the Bryan wave in 1895,
and was reelected in 1898. He served
four years. Thirty days before bis
| first nomination he was peddling
"anti. Dustine. a patent, floor clean.
| ing preparation, in the little towns
along the Oregon Short Line railroad.
For the two years covering his first
term he mortgaged his salary ahead
nearly every quarter to obtain money
| upon which to live.
When he died his estate inventoried
approximately $4,000. Moreover,
rumors are afloat--some OF them ap-
parently well misunderstanding he
left sS5, ,000 in cash on deposit in bis
brothers bank at Caldwell. as well as
other large cash deposits in banks In
Oregon, Washington and Idaho,
which were not inyentoried along
with his estate.
While these rumors have never
been verified, it it true, amen famil-
II lar with Steunenherg' operations,
give them the utmost credence.
Steunenberg sas heavily interested
/ in chain of banks and in the sheep
/ business.
/ AS governor, Steunenberg was for
/ four years ex-ofticio chairman OF the
state land commission. This connec-
tion gave him the most minute in
+ formation possible concerning the To-
cation ana availability OF every foot
OF every sort Of public domain in
! Idaho. His official career, moreover,
gave him a personal acquaintance
throughout the state second TO that
of no ether man. His familiarity
with Idaho timber lands and bis wide
acquaintance made bim invaluable
+, TO the Barber Lumber company, as
ne would have been, in fact, To any
other corporation engaged in similar
exploitations-
So far..ss the public nov knows
though the Borab trial may develop
lotherwise-S Steunenberg' connection
with the Barber company, or with
ANYBODY else engaged in such opera
tions did not aDtedate the expiration
Of his last term as governor.
In this connection IL Is interesting
ito note that Steuneniserg made des-
perate effort, as his term was expir-