Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-04-16
LIFT HASKELL CLOUD.
LAND FRAUD INDICTMENTS IN
TOWN LOT CASES ARE
QUASHED.
DROP OTHER ACCUSATIONS
Oklahoma Men of Great Wealth Are
Scratched by Grand Jury from List
Of MaIefactors-May Open Case

Tulsa, Okla, Apr. 12.-Gov. Charles
N. Haskell, Oklahomas first chief ex-
ecutive, and the six other prominent
Oklahomans indicted by the federal
grand jury charged with fraud in Mus
kogee town lots, will not have to
stand trial. The motion of the defend
ants to Quash the indictments were up
held here Saturday by Judge John
A. Marshall of Utah in the United
States circuit court.
The court in it's decision, which was
very lengthy, quashed the indictments
on the ground that they were returned
by grand jury composed Of % men
under the federal law, instead of by a
jury of 16, as provided by the Arkan-
sas law, which was held to be in force
in the old Indian territory by federal
enactment at the time when the al
legged frauds were committed.
Again to Consult Jury.
Sylvester Rush, special assistant at
| torney general, who worked up the
cases for the government, stated after
the opinion was handed down Satur-
day that he would again present the
matter to the grand jury, submitting
it without delay to the body now in
| session. The defendants affected by
Saturdays decision besides Gov. Has
| kell, are:
Clarence w. Turner, Muskogee,
age 55, proprietor Of hardware com
pany, former member of the city coun-
Gil. He was born in Cleveland. o.
Walter R. Eaton, Muskogee, aged
40. He Is native of Kansas, but re-
sided in Lima, o., and Hastings, Neb.,
before coming to Oklahoma in 1899.
| He was secretary of the Indianola
Construction Company, Of which Gov.
Haskell is president.
Indicted with Haskell.
The company scheduled a large
number of town lots. He was in
dicted with Gov. Haskell and G. w.
Turner, on one indictment carrying
48 counts.
William T. Hutchinsons, aged 46,
lawyer, real estate dealer, born in Vir-
ginia. He had been offered seat
on the bench of the supreme court OF
Oklahoma, but declined it.
F. B. Sewers of Muskogee and Ok
mulgee, Okla, aged "a. He was born
in Arkansas, came to Indian territory
when young man, and taught in the
Indian schools. He married half
breed Indian, became aCreek citizen by
adoption by the Creek council, en-
gagged in mercantile business, was an
extensive dealer in cattle and former
} ly was member of the Muskogee city
council
A. q. English, aged Al, son-in-law o.
. F. B. Sewers, lawyer, capitalist, man
ager Muskogee Title and Trust Com
pany, held large interests in local tel
ephone companies, and formerly wal
member of Muskogee city council. HI
is now i'll in Los Angeles, Cal.
, Are Worth Two Millions.
Jesse Hill of Muskogee, aged 38, ant
= native of Texas. He was indicted
3 jointly with English and Sewers. HI
came to Muskogee in 1900 and becam
Z interested in the Canadian Vale.
> Trust Company, now defunct. He is
lawyer by profession, and became iden
> titled with Sewers and English in tn
scheduling of lots.
Mr.. English recently wrote friends il
Muskogee that he expected to return
to his home about April Is. He un
derwent an operation in California
| and for time his life was despaire
: of.
u The aggregate wealth of the sevel
> men is said to be over $2,0O0,OO(
The indictments against them nun
= :, Der 10, and they were returned at Mu:
kogee after lengthy grand jury inves
tigation conducted by Sylvester Rus
II of Omaha, witnesses being brought t
!. the state from Ohio, Michigan an
8 other eastern states. The indictment
e charged alleged conspiracy to defrau
J, the federal government and the Cree
y Indian Nation in connection with tn
: scheduling of Muskogee town lots l
=, ~ 1902.