Show t ALLEGED LAND LANDi i THIEVES IN INCase DOCK I Case C se of Hyde Benson Dimond I and Schneider on Trial Triai i in Washington I CONSPIRACY IS CHARGED BENSONS PLEA IN BAn BArl TAKEN UNDER CONSIDERATION Washington April 1 IThe The trial of o oth th ti land fraud cases against Frederick FrederickA A Hyde John A Benson Henry P l DEmond and Joost II H Schneider In Involving Involving an alleged conspiracy to de defraud demud defraud fraud mud the United States out of valuable ble b lands In several western states h begun here today before Justice Stafford in criminal court No 1 I up w of witnesses from fourteen states In the west where the alleged fraudulent acquirement of lands was effected e are here for tor the trial This case ban h been on the dockets of the court here and In California for forth th tIte past fOur f ur years the trial having been postponed from time to time One of ot the delays was caused because of of ot funds to pay witness fees and other expenses An appropriation of was made by b congress at Us Its present session to cover the cost of or the tl trial Trial Will Last Long nt it t is believed that the trial will con eon continue continue for at least three months rhe Indictments against the four men mn charged a conspiracy hatched in th a city In Ia 1901 to defraud the United Spates S tes out of many thousands of acres of T lands In the west It is al alleged that these men operating through t ough the names of fictitious per persons persons sons acquired school lands in Oregon and a d California by b false entries and andt forced t f ried signatures by entries later transferred tr with the help of information tion from subsidized clerks in the gen general general eral land office Benson who is a San Francisco mil millionaire miLlionaire resisted extradition from Cal California CalIfornia I as did his codefendants who whoa I Iara are ara a alleged to have done the actual work In the field and later carried the i case to the United States Stat s supreme co rt where a decision unfavorable to them was handed down Hermann In the Deal Binger Hermann commissioner of th land office at the time and later latera a representative in congress from Oregon fr gon sent special agents agent Helsinger HeIsinger and a Mogee out west to investigate The report was submitted to Her Hermann Hermann mann who It ft Is alleged held It up Finally It was brought to the atten aUen attention attention tion Hem of Former Secretary of the In Interior Interior tenor Hitchcock by Magee The for former mer nr m r detailed secret service officers and ani attorneys of the department of justice 0 on the case Their findings led to the tho The governments side of the case is represented by b District Attorney Ba Baker Bah Bakr ker kr h r special assistants in the depart department department ment of justice Arthur B Pugh Push and Francis J Heney Hene The four defend defendants fits ants are represented by A s ington B R Golden Donaldson and A AAl AA Al A Birney of the Washington bar and Joseph Joeph C Campbell of San Francisco and W V J Vandevere of New York Pleaded Not Guilty Promptly at the opening of oC the three of the defendants Hyde H de imond and Schneider pleaded not guilty guilt and a plea In bar was entered ag a to Benson The attorneys for the th defendants first offered o t e red a plea in abatement and District Attorney Ba BaJ J er representing the government filed fileda a demurrer to the plea which was sustained g stained by fy Justice Stafford Hyde H de DImond and Schneider were then ar nr arraigned arraigned and counsel for Benson en entered ent thred t ed the plea in bar bal The jurors were dismissed until 1 30 while argument was nas heard In bar It Is said that a anew an new nv n w panel will have hae to be called from which to select the Jury jur jurAt At the conclusion of the arguments orr OJ 01 the plea In bar offered by b Benson Justice Stafford reserved decision and anti c rt adjourned for fol the day |