Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-15
THIRD WEEK OPENS TODAY
George Davis, Notary Public of Sa.
lem, Ore, Recalled.
SUBSTANCE OF HIS TESTIMONY
Review Of the Transactions in School
Lands in 16o8-Witness
Cross xamined.

The trial of Frederick A. Hyde. John A.
Benson. Henry p. Dimond and Joost H.
Schneider before Justice Stafford. in
Criminal Court No l. on the charge of
conspiring to secure large tracts of public
lands in California and Oregon today en-
| tered into its third week, and apparently
the case is still in its primary stages.
Almost all of the evidence so far offered
| has related to the securing. execution be-
| fore notaries public and completion of ap-
plications for land in the year 1893.
which. 1T is declared, is at least four
years beyond the period when any alleged
| offenses against the law would be barred
| by the statute Of limitations and United
| States Attorney Baker and Assistant At
| torney General A. B. Pugh are yet facing
| the task Of laying chain Of circumstan-
tial and documentary evidence which will
connect these individual incidents with
| events occurring not less than three years
! before February II, 1904. the date of the
| finding of the indictment by the grand
jury.
Comparatively little public interest is
being manifested in the trial, and the
number Of spectators In the courtroom
rarely exceeds twenty-five or thirty. To-
day the number of listeners to the tech
nical testimony dwindled to a dozen and,
at that, not a bakers dozen.
First Witness Today.
At the opening of the court Sc sion this
| morning George Davis. who was a notary
public in Salem. Ore, in 1898 was recalled
| to the stand and he continued in the line
| of testimony which he began yesterday
afternoon. He pointed out as his hand
writing the entries in a number of school
| land applications and assignments which
were offered in evidence and placed before
| the jury by United States Attorney Baker.
What did these people receive for
| "signing away their rights?" queried Mr..
Baker.
Just as 1 stated yesterday. about 81
or 50 EACH" answered the witness.
Were any Of them nctitious persons:
= mo: most of the people who signed ap-
plications were at that time In my en-
ploy.
AS Mr. Baker offered the various papers
| in evidence Assistant Attorney General
| Pugh specified the corresponding counts
of the indictment or paragraphs OF the
bill of particulars in which they were In
cluded.
Matter Of Compensation.
What. If any. compensation did you
| receive for getting these applications"
| continued Mr.. Baker.
| to $3.50" said Davis
How about your notarial fees?"
Il was not doing that for money. or
course, any expenses were refunded 10
me-
Witness said he was in business as
ouarryman. and while travelling around in
| that business he would get applications
| from his friends. relatives and sometimes
from his employees in the quarry. He did
this. he said, at the request of Mr.. E. p.
to- \, Of 70.
cured the applications as a matter OF
accommodation.
Characterization Of Mr.. Davis consist
ed principally of a series Of questions re-
lating to the details of different appli-
cations and assignments which he
executed. and he was still on the stand
when the recess was taken at 1890
! o'clock.
Forestry Supervisor on Stand.
In the temporary absence Of United
States Attorney Baker. who was called to
the Police Court on a special matter. 1t
was necessary to change the order Of the
government witnesses. and after Mr..
| Davis left the stand Benjamin F. Allen,
formerly forestry supervisor in Cali
| fOrnia. was called as witness. He
stated that he knew the defendant Hyde.
but he was not acquainted with either
Messrs Benson. DimOnd or Schneider.
Under examination by Assistant Attor-
| ney General Pugh. Mr.. Allen identified a
| letter which he said he received from Mr..
Hyde. and which. when admitted as evil
dence and read to the jury. was offered as
| proof that Mr. Hyde prepared the drafts
| of Mr. Aliens reports to the commissioner
| OF the general land Office. A report dated
March g. 1899. and recommending the Gre
alton OF a forest reserve covering several
townships eastward from Redding, Cal,
| to be called the Lassan Peak Forest Re
serve, was read to the jury, the witness
Allen declaring that 1t had been written
| by Mr.. Hyde Mr.. Allen was on the stand
when The Stars report closed.
The District Court of Appeals today
| ovveruled the motion Of John A. Benson
| to advance the hearing on his appeal from
decision of Justice Stafford in refusing
to release him on writ of habeas corpus.
Afternoon Session.
Miss Belle 4. Curtis was recalled at
the opening Of the afternoon session yes
terday.
Did you know B. F. -Alen?" queried
United States Attorney Baker.
| Yes. He was an Official in the for
estry service. and he was often in Mr..
Hyde's ONCE" the witness answered.
BY. Miss Curtis Mr.. Baker established
| tho fact that Mr.. Schneider in 1897 and
Schneider was connected with the Mr..
| Schneider who induced Notary Don Alex
ander to sign and seal papers in the. Ore
gon land transactions. Mr.. Alexander
! had described Schneider as a heavily
built man. but he could not identify the
latter evidently because of the missing
mustache
Replying to another question. Miss Cur
tbs said she had taken dictation from Mr.
Benson several times when the latter
wrote to Capt. Thomas in Washington
Miss Curtis identified as her handwriting
the body of a deed dated November -
1899. conveying land from Elizabeth
Dimond to the United States of America"
Miss Curtis identified her initials below
the signatures of many letters abe wrote
for Mr.. Hyde during 1899.
| DISCRIMINATION.
did you hear anything in Mr.. Hyde's
office about competition between Mr. Hyde
and Mr. Benson" asked Attorney Worth
ington in opening his cross-examination.
| well, knew there had been trouble
between Them" replied Miss Curtis. ''They
were In the same business. and there was
competition between them just as there
would be competition between any two
men who were rivals for the same kind of