The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-03-22
MOTIVE IN HERMANN CASE
PUTtR TELLS HOW FOREST RE.
SERVE LAND WAS OBTAINED.
GIVES DETAILS OF THE DEAL

Government Witness Tells Of Nego.
tlatrons Win Former Land Com.
missioner Says He Gave $4,000 TO
Senator Mitchell to Square Things.
Washington March Els. A. ID.
Putcr. VINO gave his residence as the
MUltnomah county jail Oregon,
where be has served six months of a
two years sentence for land frauds,
was witness for the government in
the Hermann trial here Mr.. Puter
gave with startling dircCtnCss the fun
details Of the difficulties and cost
which had followed his effort to oh.
tain patents to twelve hOmesteads IN
the Cascade forest reserve, now
known as the "clcvCn-sCven" frauds
in oregon. He said he first rounded
up ten people and made an agreement
to pay them $3.50 each for their en-.
tries to claims and to turn over the
deeds to him. He then saw Dr. Loo.
mis-, special agent Of the land Office,
gave him $500 to make a favorable
report on lle claims.
After LOomis reached Washington
Putcr learned that something was
wrong and decided to come at once.
Before leaving Oregon he got a letter
of introduction to Senator Mitchell
from Attorney Mayes OF Portland.
Puter said he knew Mitchell, but
asked Mayes to write a strong" let.
l., ~ Nl.N
Puter would pay him well to fix things
up for him. He presented the letter
to the senator on his arrival and also
called on Mr. Hermann. The latter
told him that his matters were being
looked into and indicated that things
might be going along all right
Senator Mitchell visited Hermann
and after several consultations it was
| decided additional ahidavits were nee.
essary. 1t was regarded as necessary
to send for Mrs Watson, who had
| made one of the entries. On her ar.
| rival Mitchell took Mrs. Watson and
Puter to call on Hermann, and at this
! meeting the senator told the commits.
sioner about the affidavits, and said
as soon as they were sworn to they
| would be furnished. This foTmality,
he said, was attended to at the senate
that day and Mitchell advised Mrs.
Watson to call frequently on Her.
mann. Mrs. Watson called on Hermann
several times in the next three days,
Puter stating that during these visits
| he waited outside. 1t was about four
days after the afiidavits had been fur.
nished that he called on Hermann and
| said he was surprised at being told
that his claims all needed more proof.
Hermann advised him to go back to
| Oregon and get his proof.
Puter said he told both Mitchell and
| Hermann that 1t was useless to do
| this, that the people who had made
! the entries were scattered. Besides,
he said further if he did get them to-
gether they would hold him up for
more than he had first paid He talked
| the matter over with Mitchell. for two
| hours as the result Of which Mitchell
| went 10 see Hermann that day. That
| night he called OH Mitchell and had
| another conference. It was at this
conference, he said, that he took out
| two $1,000 bills and laid them on the
| table in front OF Mitchell, saying that
| this amount represented all that he
| CIter) could spend on the claims.
| He testified that he told Mitchell to
take the money and get the patents.
He said Mitchell took the bills and
kept them. and said he would see
| what could be done Mitchell called
on Hermann that day and then ad.
vised Peter to call on him, This
| Puter say5 he did and Hermann told
him that re thought things could be
arranged So that the patents would is
sue. He So 4 he bad taken the mat
| ter up perso@ally. The witness testi-
| fed that Mite. ell saw Hermann again
| the next day and later that day Puter
met Hermann on the street. Hermann
| shook hands with I'm, he said, stated
lie had seen Mitchell and that his
patents woul ,e issued. A day or so
| after this Puter says ne called at
Hermann's office and was taken to the
| basement of the general land office,
where an old lady was at work max.
ing out his patents He said he took
the train for the west at once and
upon reaching Portland found the
patents waiting for him. His total eX.
pense, Puter said, had been $1,000 or
$1,000,