Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-04
Nebraska Stock RaiSerS Accused
of Forcing Owners to
Abandon Claims
RUSH ONE VICTIM TO ASYLUM
Nine Prominent Stockmen Must
Face Trial for Threatening
the Lives of Settlers
ASSOCIATED Press)

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 3.-Indictments
returned by the federal grand jury
Wednesday night against nine ranch
men of western Nebraska were made
public today.
The indictments charge conspiracy
to drive from their claims at the point
of guns, homesteaders who took sec
tions of semi-arid land under the Kin
kaid homestead law by the detend-
ants.
Those indicted are Perry S. Yeast OF
Hyannis, Neb.; his son, Frank w.
Yeast, Leslie E. Ballinger, M. c. Hub
bel, Emil Anderson, Will M. Emerson.
Harry Sutter, Boone B. Hawthorne and
DR.. Harry H. Huff.
Dr. Huff, a physician, and Sutter,
county attorney of Garden county, are
members of the insanity board. Yeast
one of the largest rarsch owners in the
state, was convicted two years ago of
fraudulently securing title to home
stead land, and paid fine and served
a Jail sentence.
There are four counts in the indlct-
ments, and the specific overt acts men
toned indicate an unusual frontier
condition.
RAILROAD SETTLER TO ASYLUM
According to the charges made in
the indictment, Yeast and his asso-
ciates carried their efforts so far as
to secure the incarceration in the in
sane aylum 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 the sand hills country, but contains
many fertile valleys. Several big
ranchers, among them Yeast and his
associates, have heretofore depended
on this valley land for their hay and
winter feeding and the settling of the
homesteaders was resented.
The indictment charges that a band
of about thirty persons headed by
Yeast, went to the homes of these
homesteaders, among them Cashier j.
Davaher, George Carpenter, Coda
Graves, George BabcocK, Henry S.
Coulson and others, and by intimida-
ton and threats of taking their lives
and those of their families, forced
them to leave their claims.
The specific case of Davasher is
mentioned in detail. II is charged that
Yeast and the other defendants, ac-
companied by band of cowboys, Wis
tied DaVaSher's home and after threat
ening himself and family with death
If they did not leave the country, de-
stroyed his home, broke up his ma
chinery, cut his harness to pieces and
in other ways mistreated him.
INSANITY BOARD ACCUSED
Later, according to the indictment,
Yeast conspired with members of the
county insanity board and secured
Davasher's Incarceration in the asy-
lum.
The latter act, according to the in
dictment, was conducted in a high
handed manner. The insanity commits
sioners, it is alleged, went through
mock examination, declared Davasher
insane and issued a warrant for his
arrest. This was served on the spot
and within an hour he was rushed
off to the asylum without being per-
mitted to have the advice of coun-
sci.
Davashers case was brought to the
attention of the superintendent of the
institution, who conducted an investi-
cation. He at once decided Davasher
was not insane, and Davasher was re-
leased by habeas corpus 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
investigation which resulted in the in
dictments. A special grand jury was
summoned to consider the evidence.
Many thousands of acres of grazing
land is contained in the tracts in ques-
ton.