Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-05-06 | Page 3 | Sheep King Pays a Very Heavy Fine

Sheep King Pays a Very Heavy' Fine Pleads Guilty to Charge of Conspiracy Conspir-acy to Defraud United State3 of Public Lands. PORTLAND. Or., May 3. Tho cases of diaries Cunningham, tho eastern Oregon "sheep king"; Glen 31. Soling, Sol-ing, Shelley Jones and Dallas OUara, charged with conspiracy to defraud de-fraud tho United States Government of publlo lands, were brought to an abrupt and unexpected conclusion by pleas of guilty 'oZftg inado when theo dofondanto wro arraigned In thr. United States District Dis-trict court hero this morning. Murk Sliackleford was tho only one to plead not guilty, anil Ids trial commenced this afternoon. after-noon. ICate James was discharged for want of probable cause. Cunningham, us the ring leader, was Immediately Im-mediately sentenced to pay a lino of JS0CO. Tho others, being considered only tools of Cunningham, wcro let off with a line of 5100 In each case. Nono waa sentenced! to a term of Imprisonment. TIicho convictions aro tho direct outgrowth out-growth of tho trials of Asa Thomson, receiver re-ceiver of tho La Grando tOr.) land office, lost fall. During1 his trial tho defendants In the present case, who were witnesses In tho Thomson case, made admissions whllo on tho stand which placed Inspector A. R. Greene of tho Interior department In possession pos-session of tho evidence necessary to convict. con-vict. A few weeks sub?quont to the Thomson Thom-son trial Cunningham and the others were arrested. It was supposed from the start that they would light conviction to tho blttc'r ond and all tho prospects were favorable fa-vorable for a long-drawn-out legal battle, oven If conviction was eventually obulru d, of which there was considerable doubt, owing to the result of the Thomson ca.c.