The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-14
BOND TO Be READY FOR
ECCLES ON HIS ARRIVAL
Indicted Ogden Railroad and Lum-
Der Man Expected to Reach
Portland Today.
Especial to The Herald-RepubIieanD

Especial to The Herald-Republiean)
Portland. Ore, March 13.-ThOugh David
Eccles, president of Sumpter Valley
railroad and Oregon Lumber company,
well known as one of the leading capital
lists of the west, and under indictment for
land frauds in eastern Oregon, has not
reached Portland. he is expected here
early Monday morning. and will appear
before United States court and give bond
for $4,000 to insure his appearance for
trial when the case is called.
All of the men who were indicted by
the federal grand jury for completely in
alleged land frauds in Baker county,
through which it is said that Eccles and
associates secured 100000 acres of govern
ment land, contrary to the land laws. have
now been served with papers by United
Sta ties marshals, and most of them have
given the $4,000 bond required by Judge
WolvertOn.
According TO Attorney Wallace Nc
Camant. Mr.. Eccles' bond is all prepared
tor him as soon as he arrives.
The sessions of the grand jury will be
resumed Monday.
Robert Service. OF Baker City, who has
materially assisted the government in
speetor in investigating filings made al
the La Grande office of the interior de-
partment, is still in the city and in Sc
clusiOn. He declines to discuss the case
Service is reported to have labOred ten
years in an effort to expose the opera
tions of the Oregon Lumber company be-
cause of having been forced to discon-
tinue saw mill business along the route
of the Sumpter Valley railroad through
discrimina ton of rates. Service is said
to have acquired a fortune through other
business ventures, and returning to Baker
City devoted years TO hunting up evil
denee.
The persons indicted are David Eccles
Of Ogden, president of the Oregon Lum-
Der company, and the Sumpter Valley
Railroad company; Frank NJ. Shurtliff
Fred II. Atkinson and William Green OF
Baker City; Grant Geddes, manager OF
the two companies, Joseph Barton. as
sistant chief engineer of the railroad
company, and James Smurthwaite, for
mer bOOkkeeper of the lumber company
The indictment charges the accused with
having entered into conspiracy to de-
fraud the United States government OF
part or Its public land in eastern Oregon
in October, 1899, and that the alleged con-
splratOrs procured persons to file upon
lumber land, and that the entrants were
paid sums ranging from $50 to 500.
This investiga ton was started in Feb
/ ruary last. at which time it was believed
that the last alleged overt act within the
statute of limitations was the alleged pur-
chase of a claim, filed on by John Raj
ferty of Sumpter. Ore.
The statute of limitations. federal
authorities say, would have expired OF
the day that the indictment was returned
Alleged purchases OF other claims, sub
sequent 20 that of the Rafferty, claim. are
asserted to have been discovered by the
grand jury, and these alleged purchases
also, it is stated, are made part of the
indictment.
Geddes, Barton and Smurthwaite were
arrested Friday, aid gave bonds of S5O,OOt
each.
Shurtliff, Atkinson and Green are saio
to be in the custody of United States Of