Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-04-10
BITTER ENMITY
COMES TO LIGHT
INTERESTING TESTIMONY IN
LAND FRAUD CASE
Fear of BIackmalI is Expressed in
Communication to Attorney In
Washington - Schneider
Regarded Dangerous
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON April 9.-Interesting
testimony was given today in the Hyde,
Benson Dimond- land fraud
case by Walter K. Stack. who was In
the employ of Hyde and Benson for
several years.
Stack testified in regard to the rela-
tions existing between Hyde and Ben
son in the conduct of their business
and also told of the work done by Di-
mond and Schneider, the other de-
PENDANTS.
According to the witness joint ac-
count was kept of the money and lands
handled by Hyde and Benson. He said
their offices, which were within half a
square of each other. were connected
by private telephone. He said Dimond
was employed by Hyde as his conf
Dental man. Stack testified that
Schneider had been sent by Hyde to
Oregon TO secure school lands.
The government drew from the wit
ness the statement that he was sent to
Tucson, Ariz., by Hyde to endeavor to
get Schneider to withhold further in
formation from the government after
he had already made partial confess
sion to an agent of the land office.
Perhaps the government played one
of it's strongest cards when several let
ters passing between Dimond and Hyde
shortly after the scandal was un-
earthed, were submitted to the jury.
These letters disclose the fact that Bit
ter enmity existed between Hyde and
Schneider.
Wasfrom San Francisco
Schneider formerly was employed by
Hyde in San Francisco, but they quar-
relied and later Schneider told all he
knew of the alleged fraudulent schemes
which resulted in the investigation and
the indictment of the four men.
Hyde wrote to Dimond, his attorney
in Washington, under date of January
10, 1903:
''Will be better off after Richards
comes in than we are now. 1t may be
well to let the matter rest until Her
mann gets out of office"
Hyde shows his i'll feeling for
Schneider in letter written to Di-
mond the following day:
'If they will suspend anything on the
mere unsupported statement of black
mailer why would not my statement in
return be equally effective to release
them? 1t is utterly impossible for me
to trace all of these people and 1t would
be inconvenient 20 trace others, for it
would subject me to almost unlimited
blackmail. Try and find some way and
keep 1t quiet anyway"
Hyde also refers to Schneider in this
tenor: with Schneiders vivid imagi-
nation and his malignant spirit this
was sufficient basis for him to make
wild statements he did which he never
would dare swear to-"
Accused of Lying
The letter states also that Schneider
took advantage of ignorant persons and
made representations to buyers of land.
1.-The false things Schneider Is try
ing to fasten on me-" Hyde said in an
other letter, 81 do not fear, but I do
fear the despicable underhanded meth
ods of these special agents. They will
lie, browbeat and intimidate people
with the same recklessness that is
manifested in giving proof in criminal
courts"
Dimond, who realized that the situa-
tion in Washington while the scandal
was brewing had become exceedingly
warm for Hyde, wrote the latter as
follows:
"The publicity amounts to this: That
the order is day by day becoming gen.
orally known. 1t involves a large num-
ber of people and is bound to become
public property. If the press should
hear that a secret order existed you
can rest assured that they would
leave no stones unturned to give 1t to
the people and make 1t as sensational
as possible
"Fl ankly," Dimond says in conclu-
sion, you were making money too
fast and got careless. thereby laying
yourself liable to such calamity as
has happened and 1t is not question
of what you want to do but what you
will have to do