Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-26
BOISE WATCHING
LAND FRAUD CASE
Government Suit Against Kester
And Kettenbach the Center
Of Interest.
RECKNER GOES TO PRISON..
Convicted of Illegal Traffic and Is in
3 State Pcnitcntiary Under Inde-
terminate Sentence.

tn O1SE- FEB. 24.-The trial of the
u case, which was transferred rai,a by
granting request of change of
venue from the Lewiston district to
Boise. is now In progress with Judge
f s DIETRICH on the bench. The
charge against the defendants is that
of conspiracy in an attempt to defraud
the United States government out of
valuable timber lands in northern Ida
iho William Dwyer is made party
with George H. Kestcr and William +.
Kettenbach in the case. The princi-
pal witness for the prosecution is Clar-
cnce w. Robnett. former employe OF
the defendants, who served as book
keeper in the Lewiston National Bank
and who. himself is under indictment
for emhezzlement and is a self-con-
fessed perjurer. His testimony 30 far
has formed the greatest sensation of
the trial He repeated without appar-
eut hesitation what he had heard and
observed while at his post of duty,
giving the progress of the alleged con-
spiracy from its inception UP to its
consummation.
The backbone of the governments
case VIII hinge upon the testimony of
Robnet- In the course of his exam
ination yesterday he testified that
there had been a good deal of dis
cussion relative to timber. and Mr..
Eettenbach had stated: I believe that
we can make a great deal of money
out of the timber II we can get started
into,it right and get lined up with Mr..
Dwyer who thoroughly understands
the timber. There is money to be
made in it, There are a great many
people who are ready to dispose of
rights for small consideration, and /
think by working along we can get
quite a number to take UP claims"
- o,tWANTED TO GET IN.
cThc witness admitted. when closely
Questioned. that after hearing the
conversation above referred to, he ap-
preached Kettenbach and asked that
he be permitted TO go in on the deal;
but Kettenbach referred him TO KcS-
ter whos he claimed had the matter
in charge. The latter claimed he had
made arrangements With Dwyor to
look after the work of locating the
timber. and that they could therefore,
find no place for him, as much as they
would like to assist him. the witness
stated. 1t was further brought out
that at the time of these developments
ton National bank and that Kester
was assistant cashier.
LAMDIN REFUSES TO TESTIFY.
Rowyand A. Lamdin. a second wit
ness who testified so freely at two
former trials. refused to testify In the
present trial for the reason that he is
now under indictment for perjury and
TO testify on the important points at
issue would tend to incriminate nim-
self -
sTEhere are two Issues here" said
.5udge Dietrich. (which the govern
mcnt must establish: one Is that prior
TO the initial application these defend
aUtSlentered into an unlawful conspir-
acy; that they had made the agree
ment which the statute denounces,
that there was an understanding be-
tween them that they were going to
defraud the United States out of it's
'spds. After that one of them must
ave done an overt act to effectuate