Gilpin observer., 1910-01-27
R0UTT COUNTY
LANDCASE TRIAL
ALLEGED OFFER TO SECURE FIVE
THOUSAND ACRES BY AID OF
DUMMY ENTRYMEN.
SAVEDBY GOVERNMENT 7
ENTRYMEN WHO WERE PAID FOR
FILING AND WHO SIGNED
PAPERS IN SALOONS.

Denver.-The government attorneys
introduced several witnesses Saturday
In the Routt county land case, now be-
ing tried in the Federal Court, and in
spite of the strenuous opposition of
the attorney for the defendants, sue
ceeded in getting important testimo-
ny before the jury. Although there are
several defendants, practically all Of
the testimony introduced by the pros
ecution has been directed against F.
w. Keitel and Franklin P. Fay, who,
according to the government attor-
neys, were the principals in the acts
complained of.
The principal witness put on the
stand Saturday was John H.
Blessing, a broker of St
Louis. He testified that he had
been approached by Keitel, who Of
fered to deliver over to syndicate, of
which he was to be the head, 5000
acres of the Routt county land which
he was to secure through the use Of
dummy entrymen." The transfer of
this land was stopped by the activity
of the government agents, who began
ers.
The entire afternoon session was
taken up in hearing the testimony of
J. FSquires of the government land Of
flee. Hesidentified scores of coal land
filings which the prosecution had pre-
viously shown to have been signed in
st. Louis and other places at the in
stigation of one or more of the alleged
conspirators.
Most of these filings were sent into
the land office by Arrie Keitel, a
brother of the principal defendant, and
it was testified he paid the entry fee
of SO each on most of them. The en-.
trymen were brought from st. Louis
by the score and testified to signing
the coal land filings, several of them
swearing that they signed in saloons
where they had been invited to go for
a drink. These men, according to
their testimony, were assured that
the filings would cost them nothing
and that there would be something in
it for them some day. Most of them
made out power of attorney to one
of the alleged conspirators, giving him
the power to dispose of the land.
The attorneys for the defense OBJ.
jected to the testimony of all of these
witnesses, claiming that it had no
bearing on the charge made in the in.
dictment. Judge Trieber ruled in ev'
cry case that the evidence should
stand until the prosecutions attorneys
had connected their case and offered
as evidence the numerous documents
which they have been identifying by
the testimony of notaries and signers
for the past few days.
Having identified all Of the filings
as coming from persons connected
with the alleged conspiracy, by refer
ence to the books Of the land office, q
process which took up most of the at,
ternoon session, they were offered as
evidence. The defense objected vigor.
ously to the admission OF the numer
GUS coal filings, and a spirited debate
followed.
The defense argued that the filings
were in themselves lawful acts, and
that the prosecution should not be al
lowed to prove conspiracy by legal
acts. Legal acts" cried United
States Attorney Ward, waving the pa
pers which he had been working with
all week in the air, "every one of these
filings is false and criminal on its
face"
Judge Trieber ruled that the evi
dence was admissible and his decision
is considered victory for the gov
ernment, as ruling out of these doc
uments would have practically de
stroyed its case.