Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-02-15
LANDFRAUDCAS-
ES BEGIN TODAY
PROSECUTION OF KETTENBACH,
KEsTER AND OTHERS ON
TRIAL All BOISE.
One Charge Covered by Three I'm
dictments Against Accused.

BOISE, Idaho. Feb. Is The
celebrated trials of the north Idaho
land freud cases. which have been
pending in the United States courts
for years. have narrowed down to
one charge covered by three indict-
ments, under which the defendants
are William F. Kettenbach, George
H. Kester, William Dryer and Har-
vey ]. Steffley. who go to trial be-
fore Judge F. s. Dietrich this morn
ing.
Special Assistant Attorney Gener-
al Peyton Gordon In an argument
before the court in support of his
motion to consolidate three of the
Ave outstanding indictments, COM
mitted the prosecution to abandon
the two remaining indictments which
would be affected by the order OF
the court.
Judge Dietrich sustained the mo-
tion and at the same time denied
the application of Kettenbach for
separate trial. All technicalities
have been swept aside and the case
Is now ready to go to trial on its
merits.
Were Once Convicted.
The Observation-Disclosures cases, as
they are called, have been among
the most celebrated brought TO trial
in the northwest. At the first hear
ing under the general charge Of con-
spiracy to defraud the government
the defendants were convicted. An
appeal Of the cases was carried to
the United States circuit court Of
appeals at San Francisco, where the
judgment of the lower court was re-
versed. The matter was for the sec
ond time presented to the federal
grand jury at Moscow last fall,
and a second set of indictments re-
turned upon which the present pro-
ceeding is based.
The defendants are charged with
having acquired large tracts of land
through dummy" entrymen, who, it
is alleged, swore falsely in the land
office, stating under oath that they
were taking the timber for their
own use and benefit, while in reality
the entries were made with money
which Kettembach and his associates
advanced to the entrymen in the
furtherance of a conspiracy to ac-
quire large tracts of such land frau
dulently from the government. The
timber in question is situated along
the Clearwater river In Nez Perez
county, and is valued at many thou
sands of dollars.
Transferred from Moscow.
A change of venue was granted
from the court for the northern
division OF Idaho, which conyenes
at Moscow, to Boise to the seat of
the court for the central division, on
the ground that the defendants could
not obtain a fair trial in the north
against them by publications in the
Spokane and Lewiston papers and
the broadcast circulation of cam
palgn literature in Nez Perez coun-
ty, charging them with being crooks
and grafters. BY reason of the fact
that witnesses must come from the
north and the large number of them
the case Is expected to be very ex-
pensive. The trial, 1t is estimated
will continue for several weeks. G
w. Tannahill of Lewiston and ]. H
Forney of Moscow are entered as
attorneys for the defendants.
Were Lewiston Bankers.
Kettenbach and Hester were until
recently officers of the Lewiston Ma
tional bank. They are also undel
indictment for the embezzlement o.
funds of the bank.
Dryer was timber cruiser alleg
ed to have been employed by Ketten
bach and Kester, and o'Keefe wa
indicted as an accomplice.