La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1916-11-04
DRY LAND BOOMER CONVICTED
}. 4. Tracy Found Guilty In the Dis
trict Court Last Weck-Now
In jail

j. a. Tracy, an attorney and real
estate man of Fort Morgan, who has
been engaged in the business of To-
eating settlers upon dry land in this
state. was tried and found guilty
In the district court last week on
the charge of obtaining money un-
der false pretenses In connection
with locating homesteaders.
Tillie A. and Minnie A. Thiede. of
North Platte. Neb., were the prose-
cutting witnesses. Their story was
that Tracy showed them a piece of
land that looked very promising,
but ii was found out later at the
land office that the land really
filed on was worth little less than
nothing, and would be more of IL
ability than an asset. After "view-
ing the land Tracy and Miss Thiede
came to La Junta and filed on the
claim in the office of the district
clerk. Miss Thiede paying Mr.. Tracy
s75 in cash and giving him a check
for the balance OF the $500 which
she and her sister had agreed to pay
for 320 acres.
This was in April, and on May
9Th, accompanied by her brother,
Miss Thiede arrived in Bloom for the
purpose of taking up their residence
on the claim There was no way OF
locating the land as Tracy failed to
have the land surveyed and to drive
stakes on which was inscribed her
name as he had promised to do.
When Miss Thiede visited Bloom and
made some inquiries she very soon
found out that she had been the
victim Of swindler. and proceeded
at once to file complaint. charging
Tracy with securing money under
false pretenses.
The trial lasted two days and the
jury very promptly brought in
verdict OF guilty as charged. A mo-
/ tion for new trial, with the usual
ten days notice. has been filed. but
on what ground has not as yet de-
veloped. Mr.. Tracy is in jail and
from the confines OF that institution
has written letter 10 "the dear
. people of La Junta." which Is as
follows:
Tn THE DEAR PEOPLE OF LA
JUNTA:
The mandate Is: Thou shalt not
bear false witness against thy
neighbor;" the oath Is: II do sol,
EMMY swear before the ever living
God that the testimony | am about
to give shall be the truth. the whole
truth and nothing but the truth"
was as much bound by the oath
as any witness in the ease II
though standing by the door of the
penitentiary. five OF us testifying-
Tillie. Minnie. Aver. Cochran and
myself-to save myself should
wilfully testify falsely. II would be
perjury and years should be added
to my sentence.
But II seeing that up till that
! time the testimony was not suffi-
Client to establish my guilt. alone
In the presence of that Jury and my
God spoke the truth and that the
testimony OF the other four was
Itself wilfully false. every honest
man and woman In La Junta will
ask, For Gods sake. what does II
mean7''
Now the question was. "Did you
on that 9th dag Of April turn the
corner at the northwest corner Of
section six and placing one wheel
Of your car IN the track OF a furrOw
aud drive one mile south: then out
on the grass and on south three
miles; then one mile west. reading
your speodomo,or7" said that
was what | did. and II did, I
showed them the exact right land
In June. while their memory was
fresh, and before they or the district
attorney realized how that might be
material they testified In n sworn
deposition now on file with Mr..
Marshall-Tillie on pages 70 and
80. and Minnie on pnges 100 and
iI0--they remembered the furrow
Just as tell II now but having come
In person the deposition could not
be used.
At the very end OF the trail, as
rebuitai evidence. when I could do
nothing morc-timed and staged 10
secure n conviction by whatever
means-the girls were recalled to
change their testimony. and Coch-
ran came forward TO bear them out.