Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-17
TRIAL WILL END IN TWO DAYS
RAPIDLY DRAWING TO A CLOSE
IN LAND FRAUDS CASE.
Attorneys for the Defendants Pro-
coed With Summing-Up Argu-
ments to the Jury.

The trial of the lano frauds conspiracy
case before Justice Stafford in Criminal
Court No. / entered today upon its
twelfth week. with only two more days
remaining before the four defendants.
Hyde Benson. Dimond and Schneider.
have their fate submitted to the jury
Arguments on behalf of Messrs. Dimond.
Schneider and Benson were made today
by Attorneys Vanderbeer, Donaldson
ind Campbell. respectively. Mr. Wander
beer began yesterday and concluded this
morning Mr.. Donaldson consuming the
time remaining before the noon recess.
In his closing remarks Mr.. Vanderbeer
declared there was nothing in the evil
dence to indicate Mr. Dimond knew any
thing whatever about methods followed
by Mr.. Hyde in procuring lands in Cali
fornia, Oregon or elsewhere; that Mr..
Dimond did not write the anonymous let
ters and that his character always has
been of the best.
Attorney r. Golden Donaldson, for Joost
II. Schneider. in opening. declared the
jury must find first that Schneider had a
part in The one alleged general conspiracy
before it could even consider the question
of his guilt.
1T does not matter what were his in
dividual acts in going to Oregon and Sc
curing applications to school lands" the
attorney continued He is not on trial
for that Unless YOU find that some act
done in the District of Columbia by
authority of Schneider within the three
years prior to the finding of the indct-
ment the court will instruct you that you
cannot find him guilty.
Not in General Conspiracy.
Schneider was the ranchman en-
ployed by HYDE said Mr.. Donaldson.
land from 1855 until 1901 it has been
shown to you that he received 1925 per
month, and there is not one scintilla of
evidence to show that he entered into any
general conspiracy to secure state lands
generally and palm them off generally on
the United States. The government has
shown that Mrs. Belle Curtis. also en-
ployed by Hyde. signed an application
for state lands: it has shown that appli-
cations We're secured by Hyde's boot black.
by his barber, and all of them, just as
Schneider did, turned over the applica-
tiOns 10 Hyde. and none of them, nor
Schneider, had any interest in the future
acquisition of lands from the United
States.
In conclusion Mr.. Donaldson again laid
great stress upon the ruling by Justice
Stafford that the jury must find that
Schneider was party to the general
conspiracy before II can find him guilty
as indicted.
At the end of Mr.. Donaldson's argument
a recess was taken from 1920 o'clock un-
Ill 100 o'clock.
Attorney Birney's Contention.
After The Stars report closed yesterday
Attorney Birney, in his argument on be-
half OF Mr.. Benson. declared positively
that there are only four counts in the
thirty-fve counts in the Indictment alleg-
ing illegal acts against Mr.. Benson, and he
designated the land cases included in the
four counts. The attorney referred to the
instruction which Justice Stafford agreed
shall be given 10 the jury. that evidence
OF speculation in California school lands
was no evidence of conspiracy. and that
such speculation was not contrary to the
law. NO one could see wrong in the
transactions carried through by Br. Ben
SON said Mr. Birney, except some one
Who IS constantly seeing red and that is
exactly the position in which the govern
ment investigators stand. They have been
following the investigators in this case
for six years, seeing always suspicious
circumstances and utterly unable to draw
any but distorted conclusions from letters
which were entirely innocent in their
meaning when written"