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Show Review of the Oneida Swindle Editor Suit .Lalcc Tribune: In the past I have been somewhat prejudiced against your publication, and In conse-Mucncc conse-Mucncc seldom read it, but recently J have been driven to Its columns for news pertaining to public Issues iu which a largo nuinbnr of poor settlers surrounding surround-ing my home arc vitally interested; and I must confess that I am becoming converted con-verted to the fact that, you are not so black as you arc sometimes painted; and that you are In reality doing a great nubile Korvloe through your fearlessness. your special correspondent. Mr. Arncy, has certainly been fair and truthful In reporting ihe recent trial hold nt Malad City, Ida., between George C. Parkinson-Hart Parkinson-Hart and others, with the exception of his assertion that Bishop Ira Baker of Ilolbroolc was within the Jurisdiction of President G. C. Parkinson. That la an error. The Oneida stako of the Mormon church does not reach over into thut place. The trial is over, but In connection con-nection therewith 1 desire to bring before be-fore your readers the following facts: That for the past two ycaru theso two men G. C. Parkinson and A, W. Hart have at all times denied ever using one dollal' of the people's money in the purchase I of the Armstrong ranch, but UnrL did, at all times, stale he paid tho sum of S29.500 for this properly, and with his own money, and that its sale brought to him tho sum of $40. 000. This he maintained until upon the stand. Now let us see what the evidence presented at tho trial disclosed: First A. W. Hart did get possession of this 329,500 belonging to the Oneida Irrigation district from Its treasurer, George. C. Parkinson, without any authority au-thority of law or oven from Us board of directors, so far as was disclosed at the trial or the records of the board. Second That Hart, did take this sum of money belonging to this public corporation corpo-ration and place' It to his own private banking account and then check the same out in payment of this Armstrong ranch, thereby malting his statements covering a period of two years an absolute falsehood. false-hood. Third That through this speculation, financed with tho people's money. A. W. Hart, director, secretary and attorney for the district, enriched O. O. Crockett lo the sum of ?2000. Junius C. Jensen In the sum of 51S00: but In fairness to these two men I will admit that I am convinced con-vinced they could have carried on this real estate deal without the financial assistance assist-ance of Parkinson and Hart, but these astute financiers retained a string In the shape of 3200 to each of them, should those two men carry the scheme through successfully: so. It Is easy to perceive that It was a financial benefit to these two men to take Parkinson and Mart back again into the deal, and owing to It having been established nt the trial that Crockett and Jensen did not have guilty knowledge as to the source of the purchase money, they could not bo held responsible, and In consequence retained tho sums they received from Hart, Fourth S. C. Chadwlck. business partner part-ner of A. W. Hart, received $13n0 from profits made In this speculation, but guilty knowledge could not be established, estab-lished, for Hart e.voneratcd him of such, and he. likewise, retains that much of tho nccrumcnts. Fifth A. D. Henderson, who was president of the hoard of directors during dur-ing this speculation, waa not charged with receiving money in a direct way from this deal, but the plaintiff sought to connect liirn by two deeds produced from tho records or Oneida county. One deed was from Armstrong and wife lo A. D. Henderson, convoying 160 acres for $1000. Hart admitted that this land was a part of the original deal with Armstrong. Then plaintiff produced another deed, executed within loss than one month after the other, conveying this same tract of land to A. W. Hart for $1200. Hart stated on the stand that the reason this land was reconveyed to him was because Henderson Hender-son could not pay the purchase price, and Henderson testified that he never received from Hart one dollar of that S1200 set forth as the consideration in the deed from him to Hart; thus nothing could be traced to him, and, In consequence, he escaped Sixth George C. Parkinson admitted he was a salaried officer at the time this speculation waa consummated: that he let Hart have the money without authority author-ity from the directors, but alleged that it was given to him for the purpose of cashing warrants In his absence, but alleged al-leged that he had no knowledge Hart was using this money for speculative purposes; but he did admit that originally original-ly he put up So In. this speculative pot and in return received 51350 from lis ac-cruments ac-cruments from Hart, and In consequence of this admission was put upon his defense de-fense In connection with Hart. Seventh Hart .denied that he had stated definitely to any person that he sold the ranch for 510.000, but. maintained that it was simply an estimate he gave and that the sums he had paid to those who sold out to him were based on that estimate, which he maintained was simply sim-ply a guess; that since making such offhanded off-handed estimate he has had to take back certain parcels of this land which were simply ' sold under an agreement and which parties had given up, and that such tracts could not now be sold for one-half their valuation agreed upon, and In consequence claimed that he. personally, per-sonally, was a loser In this speculation to the tune of $2000; and thus It went to tho Jury, which brought in a verdict of not guilty of making any profits out of this speculation, and such verdict was rendered in the face of the fact that George C. Parkinson confessed that he only put $r In the pot and received the sum of SlilnO. In summing up the evidence, we find that between Crockett. Jensen, Chadwlck and Parkinson there was distributed from the accruments of this speculation, with the money belonging to these hard-lolling people of the Oneida irrigation district, a public corporation, the sum of SB500. , This is the record disclosed In the first skirmish. Now watch the next, and the line Italian hands of some of Idaho's politicians poli-ticians In connection therewith even from the capital. Don't blame It all to the Mormon church. In Uiat you are wrong. Respectfully, FAIR PLAY. |