Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-11-03
NINE RANCHMEN
ARE INDICTED
Accused of Driving Nebraska
Homesteaders From
Their Claims
MEN IMPLICATED PROMINENT
One of Their Alleged Victims
Illegally Incarcerated in
Insane Asylum.

Omaha, Neb., Nov. indictments
returned by the federal grand jury
| Wednesday against nine ranchmen of
western Nebraska were made public
today The indictments charge con-
sriracy by the defendants to drive
from their claims at the points of
guns homesteaders who took quarter
sections of semi-arid land under the
| Kinkaid homestead law
Those indicted are Perry S. Yeast
OF Hyannis, Neb., his son, Frank W
Yeast. Leslie f. Ballinger, NJ. c. Hub
bel, Emil Anderson, Willmot Z. Emer-
son, Harry Sutton, Boone B. Haw-
thorne and Dr. Harry II. Huff
Huff and Sutter are members OF the
state insanity board, Yeast, one of
the largest ranch owners in the state
was convicted two years ago of fraud
ulently securing title to homestead
land and paid a fine and served a Jail
sentence
There are four counts in the indict-
ments and the specific overt acts men
toned indicate an unusual frontier
condition
According to the charges Yeast and
his associates carried their efforts so
far as to secure the Incarceration in
the insane asylum at Hastings, Neb.,
of one of their alleged victims.
When the Kinkaid homestead law
was passed many persons went to
Grant, Banner, Garden, Cherry and
other western Nebraska counties and
took up quarter sections. The land is
in tine sand hills country but contains
many fertile valleys.
Several big ranchers among them
Yeast and his associates have hereto
fore depended on this valley land for
their hay and winter feeding and the
settling of the homesteaders was re-
sented.
The indictments charges that a band
of about thirty persons headed by
Yeast went to the homes of many of
these homesteaders and by intimida-
ton and threats forced them to leave
their claims
The specific case Of c. J. Davasher
lis mentioned in detail. 1t is charged
that Yeast and the other defendants
accompanied by a band of cowboys
visited Davasher's home destroyed his
buildings, broke up his machinery, cut
his harness to pieces and in other
ways maltreated him. Later, accord
ing to the Indictment. Yeast conspir-
ed with members of the county insani-
ty board and secured Davasher's in
carceration in the asylum.
The insanity commissioners, it is
alleged, went through a mock exami-
nation, declared Davasher insane and
issued a warrant for his arrest. This
was served and within an hour he was
rushed off to the asylum without be-
ing permitted the advice of counsel.
Davasher's case was brought to
the attention of the superintendent Of
the institution. He at once decided
Davasher was not insane and the lat
ter was released through habeas cor
pus proceedings.
According to an official of the inte-
rior department the present indict-
ment covers one of the most remark
able attempts at land grabbing which
has recently been brought to the at
tention of the department A letter
written to President Taft by one of the
victims is said to have caused the in
vestigation which resulted in the in
dictments. A special grand jury was
summoned to consider the evidence.
Many thousand acres of grazing
land is contained in the tracts in ques-
ton