THE OREGON ' DAILY : JOURNAL: PORTLAND. TUESDAY ; EVENING. V AUGUST 13, 1S07. 12S . iViETHODS EMPLOYED BY : : BENSON IPJ LAND FRAUDS AN OREGON PRODUCT v forlnne Reaped by Fraudii- Jant j lTactices wnlca T v Cannot Bo Punished. : 4ulp Million inm ! v , SURVEY CONTRACT ..- .v.- ; Early Operation of Swindler Netted We Altfa-Sutnte , of Limitation prerrata Prweeotlon i of - All Bat Latest Crime.' . ,1 ' ' ' (WMfc Bern et Joaraal.)- C Washington. Aaf. 11. When the land r trawl cm aalnst Benson,. Hvde, VI ' mond and Schneider cornea on next Jan , taaiy, the government will place on trial a man who (or to year haa defied all . . law and revelled )n illegal traneactlona 1 with Impunity, If tha allegation at tba vroaacuUon ba sustained. A long- train ' f fraudulent acta baa boon charged to Benson, beginning in 1171. and onoa ba ' bat Wn under Indictment and escaped. Tha chart to ba laid In tha January trial ara (or acta orla-lnatlnr lees than three rears- prior to tha finding of tha 1 , lndlcune.ni xwo yeara agu, wvm previous acta have boon Immunad by tha -,' atatuta o( llmltatlona. " 1 . , Tha (acta to coma in tha January triaj relate aiore or leaa 10 me incmuB; f Ulnirer Hermann mm uuiiiiuimi" y -. ; land office, and area tha outlawed acta of Benaon In lar e part came under the . , Jurisdiction 01 JT. , .nermann mm ww mlssloner. ; ' - - ' . ," Seaaon' izt Arraai. "? ' John a. Banaon. a wealthy real aa 1 tate operator of San Franc taco. waa ar rested in Wahlnton In MS! by order of Secretary Hitchcock. It waa tha first ' move on the part ( tha Interior depart ment to bring to Justice person who had eoo violatlnr the publlo land laws of - the United Statea on a rand acaJe, la ' .ra nnmoroua arreata had been made by the department, but lor aome ' reason or omer me caiw i-uu.n.wi - men who not only practiced (raud them- .eelves but en gaged with othera to vio late the law by committing forgery, per jury and bribery, escaped. SecreUry Hitchcock, on hearing re porta from the weat and south o( scan dalous operatlona nnder the eectlon providing (or atone and timber entries, ' ordered his arenU to conduct rigid ex amination. Their , reporta abow -that amaalng fraud had been committed in the weatem and northwestern statea a well aa In Louisiana and Mlaalaalppl, ' Where bribery has been attempted or accomplished. It waa not tha intention : of the Interior department to act qulok- ly la ordering the arrest of Benaon. (or v hit case waa an old and notoiioua one. Involving many counts, but when be - came to Washington and It la alleged bribed a (ormer chief of division of the land office and attempted to bribe th , era, SecreUry Hitchcock decided to take ' him while be eould get him, remember " lng that on a prevloua oocaalon Benson (led to Europe when ha waa wanted. . Career An ZatereatlBf.Oaa. V ' The career o( John A. Benson haa been an interesting one. Acoordlng to tha ' official reports In tha general land of fice, he, and several associates, ataad ". charged With fraud, perjury and publlo robbery of glgantio proportlona, cover ing a period from 1171 to 104. But aa ; publlo officials either were In eolluslon with the conspirators, or winked at the 1 racts preaenxea oy speouu mu mui ' to California to conauct Investigations, punishment was not meted out to the 1 'accused.--','-' ''''. ; ';; '''"' "' John A. Benson waa flrat a schooj teacher after his arrival In California. He soon gave this pursuit up to enter the service of the- government as a " deputy surveyor. ; This office he held untU May 1, 1871. when he tendered , bla resignation to Survey or-General Wagner, aa be stated, on account of hi. "wish ta nnn in business whlob : In aome respects might be Incompatible with his duties as deputy surveyor." I the character ; Of ia bualnesa is best J Illustrated ' by ' the reports - of three 1 United States grand Juries, which In : -Boat tirn t1 him nnratlons In tba Sit years following his resignation and re - turned seventy-isx Indictments against him, his - associates and employes, (or violations ot ine locerai uw. owim himself waa lndlcted no leas than . twenty-four times. . ' .- , . v t aoured Bla? Oonteacfta. . The records' of the' Und ofrtce ahow ' that prior to Benson's resignation he and CIS associates . naa , invenu murrmrmu contracts to tha amount of 177,000, from Rurvevar-Oanerai Waaner. but after his resignation bis name aisappearea xrom the rolls a a contracting deputy and thereafter ha employed men to make ' surveys. '- These men be had appointed , ' deputy aurveyora and took contracts In their namesr ; generally without tha knowledge of the employes, aa tha aign f lng of blank bonds. . contracta, oatha, ', etc., of which they knew neither the im-;- port nor use, constituted the conditions . of such employment. Some of these men were paid S50 to, $60 per month with others he divided the oroceeds o: contracts taken In their names; but he controlled, absolutely, the letting of contracts In California and waa recog nised aa "Boss." -. - The reports of the special agents ahow - that Benaon, in California, nominated ' the men he wanted (or deputy surveyors . ' ana urveyors-uenerai wagner . ana , Brown appointed them; ha arranged with different persona to act as sureties for ' . the deputies and such bonds Invariably i were signed in- Diana, to which the men were' not required to make oath,- the : blanks 1 being filled out by a pliable notary. According to law Benson couia ; have no part or interest in any contract - not In bis own name. The law, how $ ever, was evaded by the conspirators with the aid of officials of the land oiiice. Soheme to Bvada Xaws. The evidence In possession of the general land office ahows that contracta : to the amount of nearly -11,000,000 In the state .of California alone. . were se- ;'l . '- " " 1 t r r eared by Benson from SurverorsxSen ersi Theodora Wagner and W. II. Brown (mm 178 to 118. During that period theeve offtoers . let surveing oon tracts to tha) amount of fl.MMlL Benson, therefor secured from Wagner 1! per cent of the contracts let and from Brown SS per cant, - But one of these contracts, (or less than 11,000 waa taken In his own name. The other oontraota were taken In, the namea of men In bla employ, generally without their knowl edge, the proceeds being collected from the United Statee treasury upon powers of attorney sla-nad In blank and never executed by the parties signing them, - m scneme ror evading tne taw, vj this ring, required:- , . r . irirst -(surveying contracts, survw--or' bonds, surveyors' oatha uaed In mslrtna. nronf at exenutlon of surveys and powers of attorney, kept "In etock" to collect from the United States treas ury tha proceeds of Its contraota, eignea In blank. J Hiwinillrii ennnlntmanr or soma as sistants aa United States circuit court nunnlailnnin- and notaries DUD1IO tO sign blank toonda. bUnk oaths and blank J "Yonr powers or attorney, witnuui w - lira nt tha naptlaa. For this Purpose Benson, according to the reports of the narl.l aaanta kant in his OfflO the Of ficial seals of such court commissioners. which his confidential eierg niiacn-a " tha papers whjoh he desired to turn. In the surveyor general' office. Third The oompiete iuo;un u w n,r...n.,n,nl ana hlS aSSlStantS tO tha Interests of the ring, In appointing Benson's men as deputy aurveyora and in securing the approval of ."dummy" contracta. . - , - Fourth The ecoparatlon and assist ance of tha surveyor general In conceal ing from the persona in whose names such oontraota war taken all knowledge thereof. - ; ? ; rot-tan XHofsJXy maapa. -I Nearly 1100,000 wan taken from ta for faaM James ; Garland Smltli, aged ten month, ton of 'Dr. Frederick 8. Smith of Port- land, . ; ''' ' . BOGGESS WORKED HIS fiJIlE HERE ou.h.arBwrro - owes Money to'. Merchants' National Bank" WATSON DENIES HE t WAS CAUGHT IN NET knowledge until afterward that the con tracts were in vxiatence, as zouows: In tha name of K. B. Buckley, a cab driver, who did not know what a com naa waa and who stated on bis solemn oath that he "never held a contract with the government,' never Knew mat mere waa any rdoneyi drawn In his name, and ha la aura that ha never received one cent of money from tha government for surveying, zi.ti.J7. la tha name of Charles Sawyer, who when he applied In proper person to the amvwmwmm ..nar1 ffir nnAllltmBt aa a deputy, waa not Informed that ha ai-1 Caaoier OX UUUtaaoa itportel to ready naa oeen appomtea ana umiiwii MintriKia arara In hla name. 17.1 14.1a. In the name or John w. r itapatnca, who made affidavit that ha "did not en. I,. intA that contract, or knew anything of it, nor did he ever receive the money, or any part Of It from tha government. 11,614.71." - . . In the name of Charles Holeomb, who. aa shown by official records, was never appointed by either Wagner or Brown, a deputy surveyor, god who during six 1 . . Aa r, Bo Among Callfornlan' Creditor Sa lie EcPd Wily War of IVomoter. j ' (Jeeraal Spedal Servlea.) f . Ban Francisco, Aug. IS. Rellley Bog- aresa mining nromotor. who. several deputlea" never took an oath of office I months ago,' waa declared Insolvent In response to a petition presented by aome of hie creditors, filed a schedule of his liabilities and assets In United State district court yesterday. Tha schedule reveals tha fact that Boggess la a wls- and did ndt know that there waa a sin gle contract In his name until nearly thraa vaara after the date or tne xirst contract, and not until over S 4 1.000 bad been paid out of tha treasury In hla name On accounts approved by Surveyor- Tin nam? of iw feakar. 11 art In tha .art of aecurlng money. H contracta, 1.14l.0. - ' lowea I1S7.0V0. and hla assets, according ';' Banket MX Basallolasiaa. ' I to bla Utemnt, ar a very Indefinite Thta large sum of money. 1174.181.08. 1 nuantitr. conslstlna of an undetermined 7.?. ?ld at0oth,luik,.-nt?r! I Interest In mining stocks, the-value of luuiw wi ma JI.IIVITOI, .i '' h Ch ta Problematical. These stocas from the United Statea treasury for John A. Benaon the proceeds of these fraudulent contracta in the namea or men who aid not know that tne con tracts, with a single exception, were 1 existence. - They. In their Ignorance. signed blank papera at their employer's, request, and on these papers the de ar In 'tha name of an attorney. Frank M. Stone, and Boggess saya that, al though Jie waa to be a large owner of them, only, fjve ahares were transferred to him, that be might be enabled to act as a director, .. imnni hla creditors is J. Frank Wat- eon, cashier of the Merchants' National J BITTERS jMost everyone know what it is to experience a spell of Stomach Trouble or Bilious ness and Hhbusandsl jare,5 arding agamstj a: return attack "by keeping' a bottle rf the Bittera handy, s. It res Indigestion, Costive r.srs, Cramps, Diarrhoea. IIcJ -.:!:e or Insomnia. lllm BDUeUUMUivai Tftvu aw sj uwmw toggesa Boggess promoted the Arisen melting and Mining scheme. vfS'von the treasury, were forged. 0f Portland, who Is out 17.050 by aiuvuuui ' vvr frovivvvf mu j uvnh Agent John A Slbbald. In one of hla re ports to tha commissioner of tha gen eral - land office in Washington, , "con- Mr. Watson denied this morning that trolled by the Benson ring, I am aatls- Boggess owed r either himself or the fled that a proper, investigation -. will bank any such sum. Mr. Watson said show that not less than f 760,000 was while It was true Baggess had borrowed paid out . of the treasury to Its agents money. It had been paid back years and representatives In this city (San ago. Mr. Watson explained that while Francisco) on (also and fraudulent pow- he is nominally a creditor on Boggess" era of attorney. In the course of this books, the frenzied financier owes him investigation . conducted by the - lata nothing. The only money owing to the United State district -attorney and my bank from Boggesa la a personal note predecessor, these forgeries were ex- aigned by Boggesa and - Mra. Boggess posed, and yet not an indictment was for several hundred dollars, which waa rouna against the guilty parties under I cnargea to prom ana ius tmm section f4Zi or the Revised Statutes. I ego. Tha statute of llmltatlona now protect the forger from criminal prose cution, but I . believe that the govern ment haa it remedy by civil, suits to recover, the money from the man who used tha bogus powers of attorney at the treasury, at least in the cases referred to- in thie report . , ' , '.sf'-;- Xven Asked Immnnlty. ! ' "Benson and his confederates ask Im munity for their crimes, and not only to Keep tne proceeds or tneir frauds, but that the government ahall pay them (or surveys heretofore rejected by the gen eral land office upon proof that they were fictitious and fraudulent amount ing, according, to varioua estimates, from Rnc-reaa was formerly manager of the McMillan Urn company, which did a great deal of bualnesa In Portland. The property la ownea vy lormer siaie mil road Commissioner MoMlllan of Wash Ington, and It waa through dealing with the lime company that Mr. Watson be came acquainted - with . Boggess, who later secured money on mining proper ties be waa' floating in uuuornia. OFFERS TO SEAL ' . .1.1 (Continued- from Page One.) Thomas whined that he did not have hla clothes or even a towei on wnicn $260,000 to $400,000. Part of to dry - his T f act T but the only satlsfac- these banker also furnished the bonds I ,aiv a tit.mnt tmm tor Benson and his assistants when his wife that she would give him his vu.y wvtb nricatvu unuar me inaict- i mbh., inmm . wan n in fr in, rutmrv ments. and I believe it Is as much the a .nlluvnrlnr to ronnlliate hla anouaa. duty of tha government to make them I Thomas through his attorney waived a Day back the money they have taken out I nraiiminnrr anamination and waa bound of the treasury for Benson as It Is to I over to the grand jury In the sum of prosecute uenson unaer tne, inaiot-l 1160. ments." . . Twisted Wtf Boa. ' During President Cleveland a admin. I m.. .1,, .nnimd an latratton the , Benson ring waa lnvestl-the Twenty-third street Una aa a con- '""i -If". "V" 07 an I due tor, recently Decern ao enragea at agent nt out by Secretary Lamar, i the action of hla wife In arousing him Special Agent Conrad procured evidence 1 tmm drunken stunor In order for him upon which Benson and a number of his to report for duty on time that he associate were Indicted. Thereupon the brutally twisted her nose and . puUed ring burned its papers and records and her hair, in addition to other mlstreat- oenson ora o fcuroiw. ouoneauenuv 1 ment. . Benson wa extradited and brought Jjackl Mrs. Thomas nose was badly lacer- (or trial, v . fated and her body bruised by her nus- Bfrong. political lnlhience waa used In band's vlolousness and he was only pre Benson's behalf and hla trial waa nnat. vented from doing further injury by the poned; Special Agent Conrad waa dis- arrival of neighbors. The couple live missed and Later Mr. Slbbald was sent on Thurman near Twenty-sixth etreet, f. oaiirnrnia .tn inveatia-ata. Tt la ai. and have two children.- If found guilty leged that tha United States district at- tne upper court tne streeicarman may tornev aid not prosecute tne govern- u lu u muwwi i- ment'a case with vigor, and that against the advice of Mr. Slbbald, the weakest case waa tried first, the result being as he had nredlcted. acaulttaL This, of course, helped Benson. Aa Abundant Xarreet, The harvest of the Benaon ring, while It exlated, waa abundant A paper, pur porting to be. a settlement between Ben son and on of bis partners. James E. Woods, for surveys amounting to $360. 000 received from SDeclal Agent Conrad and stated to be In the handwriting of Woods, gives some interesting informa tion not'lntended for the public A copy la ss (ollowss "Survey made, amounting; to $360,000. Deduct axpenaea, via: Charle O, Brown, attorney, $17,600. "Office work on notes. $6,000. .. "Lobbying congress, $25,000. ; "Blackmailers, $6,000. "Interest on money, $80,000. "Expense field work, $70,000. y'" ' i :- v '$i7i,ooo - "Balance, $179,000. Divided equally rives to ach $89,600. "Deduct J. E. woods' Dersonal ex penses, $81,000. -' Hsjance aue j. m. woods, isu.boo." c This shows -that the nroflta of Benson and Woods , on t aurveylng ' contracta mounting to $360,000 was about 61 per ceau at ine same rate me pronre on tne total amount or the contract'1 m. 000) secured by the ring in California under Surveyors-General "Wagner and Brown would amount to over $600,000. TaUy le of -Horse's BJck. TITsll Walla, Waah Aug. 18. WhU sWmlnchi hone, Tommy Isslt, a 15-year-old -boy.- waa klrVeA in tha nhcat yesterday afternoon and dangerously in jured. The boy was found unconscious near a road leatna- h. vi - J taken toth Walla Valla hospiui. He I uffr rjrwB. severe Internal Injuria. 1 1 MASSACHUSETTS DAY AT JAMESTOWN FAIR (Journal Special Servlea.) - -Norfolk, Va., Aug. 1$. The Old Bay state and the Old Dominion, through their chief executive and other repre sentative citisens, exchanged salutation at the Jamestown exposition today . it was Massachusetts day on the exposi tion calendar, and a large and Influen tial delegation from Massachusetts, headed by Governor Curtis Guild, was on nana to celebrate the occasion. Formal exercises were held in the Audi torium, with addresses by the gover nors 01 Massachusetts and Virginia. President Tucker of tha exposition and Colonel Llvermore, president Of the Massachusetts commission. Open house waa kept all day at the Maasachusetts building, which Is a reproduction of the motoric old statenouse in Bostoq. -v Well-fed and , Comfortable No matter how hot the- day, on Grape-Nuts 4 i'.if " ' I ? i FOOD IV I '. i" f - - '- . -There's a Reason' CITY CUT OFF ; (Continued from Pag One.) ; latter plaoe, ' Chief Operator Durkee, Manager Annand and two Seattle offi cial who happened to be in the city yesterday ar . the only . one left at the Postal to handle what little busi ness is coming In. .'.. feiayeo messages wer received ther thl mornlna and were balna AmtivmrmA by a few messengers who had but little to da Western Union messengers struck last night at 11 o'clock-after a meeting held, but so far thev hava nni . k... Joined by those delivering messagea for the Postal. ,, v - , .. Practically every small hlaea In tha nvruiini is aa completely isolated to day as Portland Itself. In addition to a complete tie-up of the wirea by the airiKina- . ooeraiors - on me eommareiai lines, conditions ' wer ' rendered more hopeless by tne walkout of Associated Press men last nlaht With the nloalnar 01 ids press wires uie . country is aa distinctly separated as It waa AmrmAwm ago before the Invention of the tele- grapn. - . Taaoourer vperator oajk At Vanoouver. Waehinaton. thl morning the onerator there walked out voluntarily without receiving any fur- 1 nor wora una uiii to i-ortiana aesas had been deserted, and small station every where in - both Washington and Oregon ara aendlnc renorts to anion headauarters in Portland that '- their keys are silent ..-.. Picket have been appointed' by the local union, but no trouble of any kind is (eared.- The men have been orderly and attended atrictiy to tne work in hand and tae plana ror tne ruiure. An effort will be made today to call off operator working in . the brokers" of fices. , .--. r Associated 'Press men In the city be lieve that their grievance will be sat isfactorily settled within a few day when the new, wire will again be In service. - The Associated operators ara asking for the earn houraanl pay which la given operator In th lioarut service. . --.jcf .. . ESPEKANTISTSnOLD C0N0EESS AT LONDON I (JToeraal Special terries.) , . London. Aug. 18 Th graat oongres of Ssperantlsts, which 1 In session at Cambridge. Is by far the largest gath rin. nt Its kind aver held. The attend' anoe at the formal opening yesterday exoeeded l.aoo delegates, ana mis num. ha- waa oonalderablv increased by many naa arrivals today. The visiters have came from a score of different coun tries, Inoludlng the United Statea, Can nes, Mexico, reraia, pitiih hi Mia eountrlea of "South , America and all parts of Europe. . , Th proceeding of the congress ar conducted entirely In the Esperanto lan guage. In addition the new so-called universal tongue la employed in makinf speeches. In alnglng tha national airs of the rtirrerent eountnea, ana in tne pro duction or acts irom weii-anown piaya iclusive . NoTelties Sooteh' ari Enxllsh woolena Hol- brook and Laveen, Couch bldg.. Fourth ana .vvMOington atresia. . , - , 'J '' . l II Ml l l I STUNNED STBANGER r?IN SPOKANE HOSPITAL N (DflUl DtsMtdi te The JoaraaL) , : flDokane. Wash.. An.' IS.- A man who later gave hla name as John Fltsslm mona and aald he was from Evanston, IUInola waa round unconscious venter- aav in tne ureat Northern varaa 11a wa taken to the Sacred Heart hospital. his name was ooiainea rrom mm at a time when he partly cam to himself. He 1 not expected to live. No mark or assault could be round on hla body. . J-1 If. Two'f company W- ' 5 ; thrcc'f a crowd W,C1 1 Z - . tdlg , unlets there's in t w I Qinoizit Oiiapo. jr. . 8 5 j My, buVAey're fJ5' It, V -IV $18.00 Values for: $IZ00 $20.00 Values for $13.50 ;$22.50. Values for $15. $25.00 Values for $16.50 $30.00 Values for $19.00 .-.' -..I 7"" -. '? 'I t ,' i"'.-. JL-vJ; nn TV , . a- ' .. '- '- -'" i '.' m t.Vi'-:' ;':V'L '" ' - In odd lot;; double ani single breasted $20.00 Values for $12.50 mm v". t-i ''-v ' : -'.,;' '-V v f if i si 11 i;. ij in ALU J 1L J i imo i 269-271 MORRISON STREET com mg a g -,...,..-. a )-'- ' It M " a 4 m llA IHAtm ftMlriin lan lll-.avl-ral f am - ; ,wMr lilt MUUVt: LAUIdlll lilt IVItllldl Wim IVAmiXki : ' r .1 in is. . i , fi ; rn K 4 i " IS mrmn at mo tifiihrffnoc whn KocDicrort t; i w UIIIUII Ul UIU IllUailUUUJ IT IIV UUJVilViM ' ' )" j ' C ::: f X f. ,iV as4 c vuvyj o mti fftT. J , a A. i f ..". - ' t ' ' iff- the Hub Yesterday And right here we want to tell you something, good people. There is no need of working yourselves into a state of anxiety because you are-not waited upon the moment you come into the store youH all get your share if you have a little patience; the stock is not limited; the Metropolitan Clothing Co. purchase is a matter of $150,000 worth of Clothing. Cases lore Arrived 36 YcsferaaV'. On opening them we were a little disappointed, as some of the goods were slightly damaged not sufficiently to be considered damaged by most stores but. when, we find goods this way we, , are honest enough to admit it and allow for it with v D3 J Jill ..: SV rt tv a -eaw" M bj a, "Bv' sr j I HER CORIPfflT $2.85 $3.85 Takes $7.50. Suits be cause they havje been slightly ' sprinkled wlth' clean water. , - Takes $10.00 Suits be cause there is the slightest smell of smoke on them. 1 - $4.85 $5.85 Takes $9.00 Suits that are not damaged at all but came in the same cases with the' less for tunate ones. 1 I. 1 : Takes ' " prettiest tweed Suits you V would find. Undamaged,, but . came th r o u g h Metropolitan fire nevertheless. - $6.85 $13? Takes the Metropolitan Co.'s $12 and $13 Suits. Perhaps one in 3 dozen sprinkled ; or .- smoked. : . Takes the. $30 and $35' Suits, the" brightest, newest Chicago styles, and ' perfect : every way! Men's Shirts at Hen's Shoes at Men's Hats at Men's Ties at Men's Socks at THIRD AND BURNSIDE STREETS Underwear at 3V ,':'f';.:-.',i'-!i'.:i-V--''ii j: lw X -