The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1909-01-28
GREAT GRAFT
IN TOWN LOTS
EOFFlCIALS SAY FRAUD AT MUS.
'koeEE HAS NO EQUAL.
They Did Not Know Their Names Had
Been Employed.

Muskogee, Okla, Jan. 26.--Govern-
lnent officials now in Oklahoma assert
that no fraud lin town lots ever inves
tigated will equal the stupendous pro.
/ portions Of that now being made in
the government case here. Witnesses
from a dozen states began to arrive
yesterday to testify before the federal
grand jury that meets today.
The government officials say that
there is nothing in records to show
who these persons are, but 1t Is an
nounced that large corps Of secret
service men have worked for months
[ to locate them. These secret service
men have, it Is stated, secured from
the witnesses as to just the effect
they were used as dummies" in
scheduling the lots; that they knew
nothing Of the use of their names UNI
til asked within the past three years
to sign quit claim deeds to the lots.
About half of this number are report
ed to have signed the deeds, while the
other half, suspecting something ir.
regular, declined to affix their sigma
lures.
The discovery was made yesterday
that one of the men summoned to
serve upon the grand jury is the SON.
in-law Of one of the men accused and
brother-in-law of another. These men
will be rejected as jurors and other
prospective jurors will be examined
particularly with a view of eliminat-
ing any relatives of the men involved.
Yesterday government officials
learned that two of the men accused
of fraud have died recently and that
a third is dying of tuberculosis.
With a view of obtaining a grand
jury free from local environments in
order to relieve possible embarra g.
ments, the federal authorities have
called men, with two exceptions, out
si,ie Of Muskogee. There is a prob
ability that several names will be
eliminated from the list and others
substituted before the sitting begins
today.
What Haskell Says.
Governor Charles N. Haskell, in
conversation here with some of his
friends, still declares his belief that
w. r. Hearst is responsible for the
assembling of the grand jury with a
view of securing an indictment to In
fluence the verdict in his libel suit
against Mr. Hearst. The governor
expressed disbelief in regard to the
generally accepted report that num-
Der of prominent citizens of Musko-
gee would be indicted for completely
in the alleged land frauds. He said:
"The people of Muskogee have moth
ing to fear from these charges If they
are given an absolutely impartial and
just trial"
1t was discovered yesterday that
the various names Of the lists of
dummies claiming alleged posses
sorry rights to town lots are missing
from the records of the townsite COM
mission which had charge of the ap-
praisement, apportionment and SEIZED
uling of the lots. This commission
completed its work six years ago. 1t
was composed of Dwight w. futile of
Connecticut, and John @. Adams and
G. F. Marshall, both of Nuskogee. The
governments attorneys say the disap-
pearance of these lists will have little
or no effect on the investigation. The
session of the grand jury will be held
in the federal Jail, with secret service
men on guard as precautionary
measure.