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Show HISTORY OF MONTANA CASES Conspiracy to Defraud Under Alleged Leadership of Cobham. WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 Tho following authoritative announcement was made tonight: to-night: In the spring of MM the Interior department de-partment was informed lhat extensive land frauds were perpetrated In Montana and Idaho under an act of Congress known ns the timber and slono act. Seo-ret.irv Seo-ret.irv liilfh.-.ck Inrmdt.itelv --t --n f-.of an Investigation nnd In the Statu of Montana Mon-tana It was discovered that at tho land Offices of Helena and Missoula many fraudulent entries had been made. It was goon discovered, that under the leadership of R, B. Cobham, a conspiracy was organized and a lot of persons living In tho vicinity of Missoula men and womenwere wo-menwere dlrect.d to mako applications ai the land office. Cnder this act of Congress It was necessary for the applicant, appli-cant, when ho made his application, to tnke an oath that the land was not taken for speculative purjoses, but for hta own use. nnd that no one else was directly or Indirectly Interested In the purchase. Cobham and his associates prepared all these affidavits and paid all expenses nnd tUO an iirro for the land, and gave theee persons from $100 to $1M a piece for false swearing and entry. Theie were l-c persons, men and women, Indicted, and a numlxr of Indictments were fflofl Cobham Cob-ham being Indicted some t.-n time Th- . Indictments w. r.- for perjury and forgery All these lands, amounting to some r acres, were sold bv Cobham to I'nlted States Senator W. A. Clark. Demurrers were filed to these Indictments and they have been delayed from tlmo to time until un-til now |