The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-10
FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND
COMMISSIONER OF LAND OF.
FIcE TO BE TRIED.
INDICTED FOR BIG FRAUD
Case Begins Today in United States
District Court Of Oregon and Will
Bring Out, It Is Thought. One Of the
Most Gigantic conspiracies in Land
Grabs Ever Conceived.

mann. who for l6 years represented
Oregon in congress and for several
! years was commissioner of the gem
eral land office at Washington. will
face tomorrow in the United States
district court charge of conspiracy
to defraud the United States govern
ment of a part of the public domain.
The Indictment under which he is to
be tried was returned February 10.
1905. and the conspiracy. it alleges.
was the most stupendous in concep-
tion of all the oregon land fraud
| cases Hermann was Jointly indicted
with the late United State Senator
John II. Mitchell. former state senator
and eX-Deputy United States District
Attorney Franklin Pierce Mays. former
State Representative Willard n. Jones.
George Sorensen. a professional
politician, and II. A. Smith, deceased.
Three Convicted.
OF these, Mays. Jones and Sorensen,
on September l.. 1906, were convicted
as charged In this indictment. Sem
ator Mitchell and Smith died without
coming to trial under 1t: Congress
man Williamson was convicted under
another indictment and following the
procedure of the government prose
cutors In the Oregon land fraud cases.
was not tried on this Indictment Her.
mann's trial has been postponed year
after year. sometimes at his own re-
quest and sometimes by the inability.
for various reason. of Francis j.
Heney to conduct the trial. At the
trial of Mays. Jones and Sorensen.
who were convicted under this indict-
ment. witness testified that they con-
spired to have set apart as forest
reserve 100000 acres of land In oregon
and other states.
The testimony showed that Mays.
Jones and Sorensen sought to benefit
by securing the $4,000 acres, of state
school lands embraced within the re-
serve. which they proposed To use as
base" for exchange for valuable
timber land located In other parts of
the state. privilege granted by the
act of congress approved June 1,
1897. Evidence was introduced, ap-
parently intendedfto show that this
trio secured, though flatly in violation
of the law. both advance Information
as to the identity of the government
agent who was to pass on the merits
of the proposed reserve and advance
information as to the date the tenn
porary withdrawal was to be made and
that the information on this latter
point was given out by Hermann. who
was then commissioner of the general
land office.
ormsby's Testimony.
Captain Salmon Ormsby. government
agent. was designated to view the
proposed reserve. Ormsby confessed
at the trial of Mays. Jones and S,rea-
sen that he reported in favor OF the
withdrawal and that in consideration
he was given two sections of the
school land.
The temporary withdrawal of the
reserve was made. according to the
testimony. by the then acting secre-
tary of the interior. Ryan. on the
recommendation of Hermann. July %.
1902. II was also testified that Her
mann gave out on July e2. the day
before the withdrawal. the fact that
the withdrawal was to be made.
Francis J. Heney. special prosecutor.
and Senior Counsel John McCourt
United States district attorney for
Oregon. and Tracey c. Becker. as
sistant attorney general of the United
States, will represent the government.
Hermann will be represented by A. S.
wofthington of Washington. d. c.. and
former United States Senator John NJ
Gearin of Portland.