Show ALLEGED FRAUDS IN INI f IDAHO I LAND LAN D OFFICES er Seven Million Dollars ite Pine S lands Gobbled S Many Prominent Citizens May Become Erit Entangled in n the theS Meshes of the es ce cern cernS n S o S Oregon Cases r 1 f U i it t t I I t t 11 rl J It to The Herald J ii T TT T p Washington D CJan C Jan Dubols Dubo made g state ette t moat ment this evening concerning alleged land Jand frauds In 4 Charges against several northern Idaho men by of reliable citizens were sen sonto to me about ten days dayn o a o bId id I trans tram 4 th m to President Ro Roosevelt sevel t wIthout oc 0 coin meat ment The charges Implicated some very ery promInent people hi timber t 4 laud land frauds against the government amounting to over seven million St dollars There also was wa a genn l charge not under that 4 frauds had been practiced by federal and ki parts of the state President Ree e lt sent the charges charge and affidavits t 5 Secretary Hitchcock WM who has bas sent special agents to Idaho ta Iny While Investigation Is pending It ft would not be er for me meto m to gIve details of the cba charges es or names of the parties ace Information tion of that nature If made public must come from the secretary of th the interior I expect to take no further part In the mattec although urged to do so by friends In 1 Who SR say it Is a public cl duty to m ose o these wholesale frauds and bring those tho e engaged in them to Ju justice t t take any steps In the matter as some of the Be axe per personal friends Senator Heyburn declined to discuss the land Jand S when 4 asked It If he had any to make upon the ex r rt 4 t t t f t t 9 t t f t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t tt r 11 t t t t I 1 4 1 A I ASHINGTON Jan sense HDa W V V developments in with the or of the public I land frauds In the tar far weSt are expected shortly Fresh indictments are being prepared In Portland Ore where the theand and jury will resume Its sessions on J Jan n 10 1 and persons prominent In public imbUe life other than those whose names al already r ready d have been n implicated are involved The mission of Oliver E the as aa assistant attorney In the deo department of justice who left here some days ago for Portland is to assist In the framing of ne non Indictments a work in which he be floured figured conspicuously during the tal postal Investigation a couple ot of y years rs ago aso Mr Ir Is expected to return here herc hereIn in time to take Dart In the presentation of the governments position before the I court of the tho United States In Inthe inthe the case whIch the govern meat appealed to that bo y after the of the lead on Oil habeas corpus proceedings brought in ind inY ine Y York T This case will l be heard d next e t month t ie successor to United States District Attorney Hall who Was r recently rem removed has baAS yet beeR been so ae and It Js is expected that Francis J Heney will iU remain In of the gov ts interests in the pending pro proceedings proceedings at Portland Frauds in Idaho IdahoAn An Investigation of alleged frauds In Idaho has been brought broucht about by davits addressed to President Roo Roosevelt evelt by Fred C Culver lver of rda Ida candi candidate candidate date for attorney general ot of his hla tate state on the Democratic ticket two years abO a aThe The affidavits charged frauds against W WF F preSident of a corn peny George Gestner cashIer or a Beak bask a and d Clarenee nfl aU of at I The charges ar are made in tb the entry or of over a million dollars worth or of white pine through J B West Vest I reg g gIster later Ister of theland office at Lewiston Mr Culver sent the to Senator Du Do Dubois Dobois bois who without comment transmit transmitted ted them to the president Secretary Hitchcock to whom the affi devIls davits were referred by the pre president instituted the Investigation Information to the interior department charge that frauds have been perpetrated on 00 the land office at Bol Boise as well as and It is 18 Intimated that the Inquiry when fairly started will reach out In many dl di no and many citizen or of Idaho ma may become entangled Timber Land Syndi Syndicate te teIn In connection with the Idaho affidavIts Its It Is alleged 1 that a syndicate exists formed to acquire timber Limber lands from rom th the gOvernment ther Ither affidavIts than those mentioned are expected tort short ly by In the Idaho ca cases CS Within the past st three Weeks over 1500 patents OR on timber and h homestead me tead lands In the burg Ore land laoo office cover iDS about ar acres 8 of have hae been n up at the Interior peed pend In ing investigation Ro eburg is th the home of enta tive Hermann who was wa recently In Indicted indIcted by th erand jury In connection with alk alleged ged frauds STATEMENT BY PUTER Says He Paid Mitchell to Handle Hermann Portland Ore Jan Js S A D Peter Puter recently t convicted In this city with Hor Horace ace aee G McKinley y Daniel l T Tarpley and Emma Watson Vatson of conspiracy COns to de deI defraud fraud frand the States of I public lands made a statement to the Te Telegram ram today toda in 10 contra contradiction to state mentIS meats issued b by United States Senator tor John H Mitchell indicted on OD Saturday last by a federal grand ry on oe similar to that presented d At the criminal tria lof bof the conspirators mentioned above PaCers statement follow When I 1 saId that I gave ane Senator Mitchell to use his Influence with Ringer Hermann to those land laDd claims In 11 I told the truth and Sena tOe Mitchell knows It Gave Mitchell 2000 I gave Senator Mitchell to get IrEt those patents through and 1 1 wilL I say that I i never regretted tellin anything so much In m my lift life as the fact ct that Mitchell took the money I never told a living soul In my life lIte before J I gave the d details alis to Mr lr honey I never neer told It to Mc or Tarpley my In these e deals I kept an entry book In which I Imade Imade made entries of every ever cent spent In con connection with getting these e lands too to pat patent patent ent Al the costs of filing were entered as well as railroad faros fares etc ete The only entry I made of this money given to Mitchell n was OO L McKinley racy may have had an idea of hit his own as to where here the money mony went but I never told him I 1 When Hermann Balked Mitchell had no Intimation frees frolD me meas meas as to the fraudulent character of et the en entries n tries to this land I never so much as intimated it to him But when gave me to understand that the lAnd w was s down and out and that the ma matter would have to be I referred back to the Oregon CIty land office I went to Senator MIt MItchell chell and told hint him that these the e 1 patents telus would have to go through for fer the reason that if they were referred back to the original thE whole thin thing would be lost boat I told hits him that the were ere scattered and that It Would be Impossible to get Iet them together again Was to Pay PayI I laid two 1009 1000 bills on the be table tabe Mitchell said that it was too much I Iwas Iwas was desperate ov over r a a desire to get the patents through and told him to take it and do what he could LOuid to Influence the commissioner Congre Congressmen Hermann to take tako the claims up and get the patents I know w that as a United States senator Mitchell would have R a lot ot of Influence with the laud land and aDd I Iwas Iwas was willing to p pay that amount to have bave havethe the tho patents Issued I knew the special agents agent had a report on the lands but of ef the nature or of the report I had no n means ot of knowIng and I was at a loss to know wll why Corn Com missioner Hermann throw threw the claims out outI I do not know to this day why he did it but when ho he told me last t tUne ne I Ivons Iwas was before him that the lands would ha have e to go back to th Oregon ity of offIce flue fIce 1 went to lee eo Mitchell at ollee Ul AU I 1 abo t le that ner t i ht hf mon monet was Vas aid tu to and J I had given glyen him that inducement tu to make a good goott hard talk that Hermana bed 4 his mind Why be M t I t know and aDd would not Mr any Plenty of o Evidence Js Is there any that jon rea paid him lim the money mone other ta ys r to that effect waga wa k d Oh I guess there a said Mr Pue PueI I 1 suppose they have hae cOrroborative Uve deuce dence but what it h Js is I i tor ator Mitchell gave me so Be for t money but I think ent L J J other evidence All that avot told 1111 wt relation to lo Ia I gave e 1 h a that money Did you know bI before went to w Yes Yea I had known for a long time And Yes The M Nys ys Letter What about iW t in from MayS Mars why W S It rn rh toil tell you OU about that Bf Before fore I let left for Wa ia I WOE to Ma Mas S and told him I wn ok to fe ee fethe the about dese I lends ill hi 11 that had had bad so 80 trouble abna abr A Asad sad and that a few lInes from him wulL help heI the case He ns down and wrote a few lines put It I 1 an eD art s sealed Jed it up r I It to Mitchell Jt It I dont know w that it was a letter of Introduction I did not uk ask for a letter Jetter of introduction m mand and as he knew that th I was waa acquaint with Mitchell I can see Bee no DO reason it h he should letter of at introduction |