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Show LAND FRAUDS IN IDAHO. Conditions in That State Similar to These in Oregon. Washington. Jan. 4. More sensational sensa-tional developments in connection with the unearthing of the pub!ic!and frauds : in the far west arc expected shortly. Fresh indictments are being prepared in . Portland, Ore., where the grand jury will ifsume its sessions 011 Jan. 10, and persons prominent in public life, other ( than those whose names already have . been Implicated are involved. j An .investigation of a.leged frauds in 1 Idaho has been brought about by affi- 1 davits addressed to President Roosevelt by Ficei Cuher of Lewiston, Ida., can- ; didate for attorney general of h.'.s state j on the Democratic ticket two years ago. The affidavits charged frauds against W. F. Kettenh-icn. president of a trust company: George Resteer, cashier of a jl ank. and Clarence Bobnett, all of Lew-. Lew-. is on. The- charges a:e made in connection con-nection with the entry cf over $1,000,000 I worth of white pine through J. B. West, register of land office at Leviston. Mr. Culver sent the affidavit:? to Senator Dubeis, who. without comment, transmitted trans-mitted them to the president. Secretary Hitchcock, to whom the affidavits af-fidavits were referred by the president, instituted the investigation. Information Informa-tion sent to the interior department, charges that frauds have been perpetrated perpe-trated on the hind office at Boise, .as well as Lew!iton. and it is intimated that the inquiry, when fairly started, will reach out In many directions and ' many prominent citizens of Idaho may j become entagled. In connection with the Idaho affidavits affi-davits it is alleged that a syndicate exists, formed to acquire valuable timber tim-ber lands from the government. Other affidavits than those mentioned are expected ex-pected shortly in the Idaho cases. Within the past three weeks more than 1.500 patents on timber and homestead home-stead lands in the Roseb'rg. Ore., land office, covering about 3bO,G00 acres of land, have been held up at the interior department, pending investigation. Roseburg is the home of Representative Represen-tative Hermann, who was recently indicted in-dicted by the grand jury in connection with alleged land frauds. An inspector of the department of the interior has been ordered to Idaho to investigate the charges made by the" affidavits as to frauds in Idaho, and he is believed, to have already begun his labors, No information on the subject could be obtained at the Interior department, de-partment, and Secretary Hitchcock will not discuss it. The papers in the case', however, have been forwarded to the inspector. It is expected that he will keep Secretary Hitchcock promptly advised ad-vised of all developments. |