The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-05-29
GOV. HASKELL
is INDICTED
Again Held on Town Lot
Fraud Charges
DECLARES HIS INNOCENCE
-
Says That the Indictments Were Forced
by the Government Attorneys
and an Army Of Secret
Service Men.
DECLARES HIS INNOCENCE

Tulsa, Okla, May 2o.--Great excite
ment exists here and throughout the
state over the Indictment Thursday OF
Governor Charles N Haskell and others
on the charge Of conspiracy to defraud
the government in the scheduling Of
town lots in Aluskogee eight years ago
II had been the general opinion all along
that the investigation would come 70
naught, and therefore it was big sur
prise when the special federal grand
jury Thursday night returned the indict-
ments against Gov. Haskell and +, b.
Sewers, w r. Eaton, A. Z. English,
w. T Hutchings and G, B. Turner,
prominent business men of Muskogee.
Gov. Haskell gave bonds before United
States Commissioner Hyams yesterday.
1t ii understood that q motion TO
quash the indictments win be made in
the federal court.
Jesse Hill, the only other man under
investigation and who was indicted at
Muskogee IN January, was not indicted.
Bond was hxed at 5000 each. Gov
Haskell is the only one Of those under
investigation in the city. but he was
not in the court room when the grand
jury reported His attorneys were pres
emit
Gov. Haskell Thursday night gave out
the following statement:
As a result of four government at
torneys and an army Of secret service
men surrounding the grand jury and
limiting the testimony to just what
suited them, indictments have been Sc
cured again, / am thoroughly satisfied
that when the whole facts are made
known in the open the government at
Washington will not approve Of these
cases, which practically all the people
Of this locality know have no merit
and that there had been no violation
Of the law IN any particular.
sThe later disclosures IN this case viii
speak for themselves and show plainly
the origin and intent connected with
them The only embarrassment to me
in the trial of this case Is that many
witnesses must be brought from great
distances and much other expense whlcs
unfortunately / have not the means to
bear, but my numerous friends ia Okla.
homa, including many Republicans, have
generously shared the expense up to
date, a kindness that ! have since really
appreciated and only regret the ex-
pense Of future proceedings on that ac-
count.
Gov. Haskell was indicted for similar
frauds, growing out of the Muskogee
lot transactions, in February. The
charges made then were that he had
oonspined to secure The title to a large
number Of valuable lots at one. half
their appraised value through the means
of dummies" These indictments were
dismissed on q technieality.
Only a week ago when these new in
dietments were imminent, Gov. Haskell
took occasion to make some sensational
charges against United States Attorneys
William ]. Greggs and the other attor-
news engaged in the Aluskogee land
fraud prosecution. He filed a petition
at Washington alleging that his persa-
cutors were conspiring to indiet him by
unlawful and improper means.
Gov Haskell has been a storm center
in the lively political atmosphere Of the
West for some time His career has
been a varied one. After getting a Legal
education in Ohio and dabbling in rail !
road building. he struck out sor Wall |
street, whore he promoted various I'm.
successful enterprises. He then struck |
out for the great Southwest, where he
roved about for some time, finally land. |
ing in Muskogee ia what was then the
territory Of Oklahoma In all the gay
doings Of that section he took an active /
part, growing up with the town and
territory and riding into tho governors
Office upon the strength Of the wonder.
ful state constitution which be drafted i
There was very little that the consti.
tuition did not provide for in the way
Of regulating octopi and things gener.
ally.
In the late presidential campaign Gov
Haskell went up like a rocket, shining