Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-25
EDMISTEN NOT HERE
Former Populist Leader Fails to
Answer in Court.
F0RFETTS BONDS OF $4,000
Left His Home in North Platte Satur-
day for Lincoln.
OFFICIALS CANNOT FIND HIM
Attorneys Also Fail to Appear Before
Judge w. H. Munger.
PROMPT ACTION WAS TAKEN
Report Says Reformer Left the state
Under Indictment for BiE
Land Frauds-BrOther on
His Bond.

NOHTH PLATTE Feb. A-(Iong Dis
tance Telephone )-James II. Edmisten left
this town for lincoln Saturday, or at least
THAI Is what he gave his friends to under
stand. He has an office here.
LINCOLN. Feb. 24-E. c. STROBE. at
torney for ]. II. BdmistenS this afternoon
declared that he expected his client would
appear for trial March l. He was unable
to state the whereabouts OF Edmisten.
Mrs. 7dmisten said over the telephone this
afternoon that she did not know where
Mr.. Edmisten could be located. Mr.. Ed
misten' she said, was not in Lincoln, and
she did not know where he was.
James II. Edmisten of Lincoln, former
chairman Of the populist state committee
and state oil inspector under the last popu-
list regime in Nebraska, failed 70 appear in
United States district court Monday morn
Ing in answer TO indictments charging him
with frauds in several land transactions
and Judge w. H. Munger declared his
bonds of $4,000 forfeited. These were two
bonds Of 5000 each on which John A. Ed
misten, brother, signed his name as surety.
The whereabouts Of Bdmisten is a matter
OF conjecture. That Is the reason for the
forfeiture Of his bond. Last week rumor
was circulated that he had left for Mexico
after having cleverly disposed OF all his
property amounting to some $4,000.
Friends of Edmisten denied this rumor
and said he was in North Platte, near
which place he was arranging to engage
extensively in the ranch business But the
secret service officials could not verify this
report nor could they oven learn that he
was anywhere near North Platte and
BiRnell.
When the secret service became satisfied
he was not in the state the government de-
cided to take drastic measures. The fact
that w. s. Summers of Omaha and ]. B.
Strobe Of Lincoln, Edmisten's attorneys.
also failed to appear In court, quckened
the determination for action.
Three Indictments PendsnE.
Three indictments are pending against
Mr.. Edmisten. One is for conspiracy to
defraud the government out of use title and
possession to large tracts of land In the
North Plattee land district By means of
false, fraudulent and fictitious entries An
other is for perjury and subornation OF
perjury I'm securing witnesses to final proof
entries in the case of Olin w. Hendee, a
former Omaha newspaper man and one
Brown. The third indictment is for forgery
in an application to enter public lands and
for the transmissions OF such forged papers
to the land office.
In the conspiracy to defraud indictment,
olin w. Hendee and William r. Keefer are
Jointly indicted with Mr.. EdnIsteh. The
total amount OF land involved in the
alleged fraudulent transactions will closely
approximate 10000 acres
Mark Howe Chief witness.
Captain Mark Howe of Lincoln one of
the principal witnesses in the James H.
Edmisten case before the United States
district court, is in Omaha. Captain Howe
was assistant secretary of the populist
state committee during Edmistens ad-
as chairman. He is a witness
in the forgery charge against Edmlsten.