The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-02-05
oKLAHoMA's CHIEF EXECUTIVE
CHARGED WITH TRYING TO
OBTAIN LANDS.
SEVEN OTHERS ARE ACCUSED
Great Scurrying for Bail Among Those
For Whom Deputy Marshals Hold
Warrants.-GoVernme Springs a
Surprise That Causes CONSERVATION.

connection with the scheduling of town
lots in this city, seven indictments
were returned tonight The charge
against the defendants is conspiracy
to defraud the Government The
names of those indicted are Gov.
Charles n. Haskell, F. B. Sewers, A.
T. English, C. w. Turner, w. T..
Hutchins, James w. Hill and Walter
R. Eaton.
| Attorney Thomas H. owen, of Mus
kogee, representing Gov. Haskell,
made arrangements for the Governor
Friday morning to enter his appear
ance and give bond in $4,000 for APP
| pearance for trial.
The writs issued are returnable
forthwith. Gov. Haskell is at Guthrie,
the State Capital There is but one
indictment against him charging him
with consipring with Walter R. Eaton
and Clearance W. Turner to defraud
the Government.
There are two indictments against
Turner and one each against the 9TH
ers.
Turner was first to give bond in
$4,000, Hutchings and Eaton called
and gave bond in $4,000 each. All
will probably be arraigned before
Judge Campbell Friday morning. Eng
lish is in Los Angeles, Cal.
Bond for the others are now being
prepared and Deputy United States
Marshals have been dispatched to ar
rest the persons indicted. The indict-
ments were returned under Section
$40, of the Federal Statutes, which
provides:
IF two or more persons conspire,
either to commit any ofrense against
the United States or to defraud the
United States in any manner, or for
any purpose, and one or more of such
parties do any act to effect the OBJ
ject of the conspiracy, all the parties
to such conspiracy shall be liable to a
penalty of not more than $4,000 1ne
or to Imprisonment not to exceed two
years, or to both fine and imprison-
ment, at the discretion of the Court" "
The Government sprang surprise
today when it was announced that the
probing of the grand jury would be
/ extended to include alleged frauds in
scheduling individual blocks" Many
persons built temporary fences around
whole blocks OF land and claimed own
ership on the ground that these Inn
provements secured deeds to the prop
erty. 1t had been supposed the inves-
tigation would not take so wide
scope, but would be confined to the
tobtaining Illegally of town lots.
Walter R. Eaton, one of the men
indicted, is brother-in-law Of Walter
R. Richie, of Lima, o. He is the
Secretary of the Indianola Contracting
Company, of which Gov. Haskell is
President, and which, it Is alleged,
scheduled the names of many dunn
mics" to secure town lots.
James w. Hill, another of the In
dicted, came here from Texas and be-
! came identified, with the Muskogee
Development Company. 1t is claimed
that he disposed of large number OF
lots fraudulently scheduled.
The report of the jury in the town
lot matter came at time wholly I'M
expected by the public, as the Govern
ment had announced only two hours
before that other witnesses were COM
ing from Missouri and Ohio. There
we're not more than twenty persons In
the court room when the report was
made.
Fifteen of the wealthiest men in
Muskogee called at the Office of the
United States Marshal here tonight
and signed Gov. HaskelPs bond for
5000. Many more asked to be al
lowed to sign 1t. but there was no
more space on the document.
An insight is afforded into the char
acter of the charges In the Federal
grand jury investigation of alleged
Muskogee town lot frauds by the al
legations in the so-called Mott civil
suits filed in the Federal Court for the
raetor' 0istritc of Oklahoma. the
biz III equity in suit No. 51S, styled
the United States of America for the
us of the Greek Nation against G. w.
Turned md John @, Adams, admins
ter NJ 'hn estate of Pleasant Porter,
tte deorte@' Ctief of the Creek Ma
ton r~d'ans, md many others who
r. ,ri rasars OF lots involved In
~, tc.~r etc .ontroversv Is 4 Fair
n~prc. 10 others.
tr,or ,tler 'hings charged In the
hin Is no allegation that he said
"rp,err I'D Porter and Charles "
\ NoNA