Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-17
Famous Trials
SENATOR MITCHELL

The trial of 4 United States senator
vel lWithin the memory ef most readers
was that of Senator John H Mitchell OF
Oregon, who was convicted on July SO,
1895 in the circuit court of his state OF
violation of the law of the revised
statutes to he effect that:
No senator, after his election, and
during his continuance In office, shall
receive or agree to receive any ceaspen-
sation, directly or indirectly, for any SER
vices rendered or to be rendered to any
parties. in relation to any pursuit in
which the United States is a party, di-
rectiy or indirectly interested
The indictment of Senator Mitchell
was in connection with land frauds per-
petrated in the state of Oregon on Dec
Z, 1904. s. A. D. Puter and a number of
other defendants were convicted of con-
spiracy to defraud the overnment out
of certain lands in the State If Oregon,
and these defendants thereupen made CON
fessions duplicating certain men in high
offices. Puter, in his confession alleged
that he had paid Senator Mitchell $4,000
for securing Mitchell's influence in push
ing through certain fraudulent things in
the Land Office
Upon hearing this charge Senator
Mitchell left Washington and reached
Portland en- Dec. "a, 1904, for the pur-
T-se of testifying before the Grand Jury
He appeared before that body on Dec
81, and was Indicted for completely In the
Puter conspiracy. The same Grand Jury
found second Indictment against him
on Jan. 81, 1905, in Connection with the
additional alleged conspiracy Of fraudI
lently securing Government lands The
Indictment on which the senator was con-
s7icted was found on Feb l. It charged
in seven different counts an unlawful
agre ement on the part of the senator in
connection with his law partner. A. H
Turner of receiving an unlawful re-
ceipt of certain land entries chiefly tim
Der claims, which We're pending in the
deRartnent, and in which the United
States was interested
There was fourth Indictment found
| by the same Grand Jury against Sena-
| ter Mitchell, in which he was charged
with cesrgaieity IN the conspiracy to ere
ate a new forest reserve in the Blus
Mountains in Eastern Oregon, with a view
to the profit for private individuals who
| were interested In utilizing lands already
| taken UP.
The Indictment found on Feb. l is thf
one which came on first TO be tried ant
was the one which attracted the larges
share of attention. 1t was followed or
Feb. 8 by the Indictment OF Senator
Mitchel1's law partner, A. H Turner, fol-
the crime of perjury The trial was helt
before Judge De Haven, his demurrel
was based principally on the contention
| that the indictment did not charge hin
with knowledge of the receipt of any o
the moneys which Kribs had paid am
als9 on the ground that it did not stat
That Senator Mitchell was a Unitet
States senator at the time named.
The estimeny for the government at
tempted to show that the moneys Pail b,
KrFbs were paid in the form of check
drawn In favor of the firm of Mitchell
& Turner; that in every case these check
deposited to the firms credit, and that
few days after the expiration of the mont
in which the money was paid, the bal
apee of the firms credit in the bank wa
deF-ided. Senator Mitchell receiving h
share.
One Of the strongest points in the Cox
ernueHt's case against Senator Mitcae
was the testimony Of Judge Tanner t
the eject that when Mitchell came TO Grs
gon in December, 1904, to appear befer
the Grand jury, he and Tanner had er
tered into an agreement to prepare a ne
firm contract, under the terms of wh;c
Judge Tanner hould be permitted to holt
for his OVID use, all moneys resolved b