Stephen A. Douglas Puter

“ I am plenty capable of paying my own fine. I never expected, nor would I permit, anyone to pay my fine. All I asked for and expected was, that Mays, Kribs and yourself would show me the consideration to which I was entitled. I had no other thought than that you would all hasten to my aid, and the only question in my mind, immediately after conviction, was which two of the three I would permit to go on my bond without offending the other. You know, Jones, how badly I was mistaken as to your respective dispositions. ”

“ Ready to put up thousands or any unlimited amount when it came to a question of bribery or the corruption of public officials, they were too deeply impregnated with the germs of covetousness, too much the slaves of greed, to chance the loss of a picayune, even though well aware that by reason of their complicity in his fraudulent operations they were completely at his mercy, and that their indifference to his fate was planting in his breast those seeds of hate and revenge whose harvest must be their own dishonor and downfall. ”

“ In all truth the position of a cruiser or estimator in regard to honesty and reliability is on a par with that occupied by the cashier or paying teller of some large bank. In fact, it is more important, in some respects, as a crooked cruiser is capable of swindling his employer out of thousands of dollars without becoming involved in criminal liability, because, if cornered he can set up as a defense that subsequent estimates exposing- his dishonest efforts are the result of a difference of opinion between experts, and there is no law that can reach him. ”

“ Although hard hit, as a man must be under such awful conditions. Senator Mitchell retained his composure. Tears welled into his eyes and his voice shook, and, as he slowly rose from his seat, after the jury had been polled and Court adjourned, he tottered, and for the brief spell of perhaps a minute the shocking force of the verdict seemed suddenly to unload upon his shoulders every one of those 70 years through which he has passed, and he became old, very old. ”

“ I am the owner of an humble homestead claim in a heavily-timbered tract that has appealed to the covetous eyes of the merciless landgrabber. See before you the father of nine motherless children, weeping out in the woods all alone for their devoted father, of whose tender care they are bereft in order that the immutable laws of a great government might be satisfied. ”

“ This was not the worst feature of the situation, either; whenever the great railway corporation once feasted its eyes upon a township rich in timber resources, like a hungry pack of wolves inspired by the taste of blood, it would brook no obstacle in the way of acquiring a foothold, and in furtherance of this grasping idea, has been known to harass settlers in every illegitimate manner possible. ”

“ Knowing that the police station was but two blocks away, I realized that the time for action had arrived, and that something must be done without delay. I anticipated, as a matter of course, upon reaching the corner, that Burns would turn to the right for the purpose of walking me directly to the station, but instead he stopped, or hesitated, as it were, and I could now see that the great, bold and daring Burns, the one fearless detective who was reputed to be the personification of an iceberg itself, even under the most trying conditions, had really become excited. ”

“ It may be said, also, to the everlasting credit of the manhood of Oregon, that there was no shirking of duty when it came to a question of dealing out the full measure of justice to the guilty. The eyes of humanity were fixed upon each person sitting in judgment as a juror in the various cases, and the honorable part of the whole world applauded every verdict returned. ”

“ My escape from Burns was the only stumbling block in the way. I knew of course, that he would exert himself to the utmost to influence Mr. Heney against me, for although we had been the best of friends during the land fraud trials in Oregon, while I assisted the prosecution in the collection of evidence against the accused, recent events would unquestionably have changed his feelings toward me, as my escape in Boston was the first time Burns had met with defeat, and to one of his reputation and pride, this incident, which was given widespread publicity, was very humiliating. ”

“ It was never brought out in the course of any of these sudden manifestations of assumed virtuous concern, that if a homesteader has faithfully complied with the land laws, and has proven up on his claim and secured his final certificate, that this evidence of title is just as good as a patent for all practical purposes, and that no human power on earth can ever deprive him of his rights. ”

“ Visions of great wealthy are always in the mind's eye wherever the public domain is involved, because it appeals to the general public as being a something for nothing proposition. Consequently, it is usually an easy matter to find some one quite eager to bite at any get-rich-quick bait of this character. The woods are full of timber land locators, styling themselves cruisers, when, at a matter of fact, they are not familiar with the first rudiments of the game when it comes to estimating the quantity of timber on a given tract of land. ”

“ Andy was right, agreed these men. Yes, his head was level, and they must do as he suggested and act at once. But what of their old comrades who were laboring under the impression that to stand pat was their only hope, arid were allowing themselves to be carried away by Kribs and the Mealey boys? That was the question, and the thought made them shudder. They hated to entertain the idea of seeing their pals convicted and carried away to prison cells merely to appease the avariciousness of the agent of a millionaire lumberman and a couple of his boss locators. ”

“ While thus meditating, the conductor called out the name of a certain street, and as the car was stopping in answer to the signal from one of the passengers, it occurred to me that I, too, might alight at the same place, although still several squares from Mrs. Watson's boarding-house. However clear the coast seemed, I could not separate myself from the idea that somehow, and in a manner entirely unexpected, these "wise men" of Uncle Sam had determined upon some carefully devised plan whereby they hoped to thwart my efforts to conceal the whereabouts of the one they were so anxious to capture. ”

“ Upon being shown the agreement in the Grand Jury room, Tanner's son had declared under oath that he had not written it, nor had he ever seen it before, and upon the basis of this testimony an indictment was prepared, charging him with perjury. It was at this juncture that judge Tanner, who had also been indicted for perjury in connection with his efforts to shield Senator Mitchell, learning that his son was to be indicted, decided to tell everything and save his boy from criminal prosecution, and the story he told the Grand jury was pathetic enough to arouse every instinct of human compassion. ”

“ Old Oregon itself came in for a goodly share of praise, for if such as the Watson woman could be found in great quantity within her borders, the State Immigration Commissioner's office might just as well be dispensed with, and Western feminine loveliness, instead of the wonderful commercial, mineral and agricultural resources of the country, should be held out as a sufficient allurement to attract the masculine attention of all nations. ”

“ I pleaded with Mays that something might be done to ameliorate conditions, but he was inexorable, insisting that he was on the "inside," and that he had been advised by his brother, Edwin P. Mays, who was then United States Attorney Hall's assistant, that Judge Bellinger's mind had been fully made up, and that, if we had any hope of saving ourselves, we must, of necessity, sacrifice Miss Ware, and if the worse came to the worse, get her out of the country altogether. ”

“ Very much depends upon the honesty of a cruiser, as may be assumed. He has it in his power to do either the contemplated purchaser of the tract or the one who sells an irreparable injury by any dishonest methods. For instance, he can "stuff" the estimates in such manner as to make it appear that there is a great deal more timber on the land than actually exists, or he can underestimate just as readily, according to how he has been "approached," and if his figures do not show that the land runs up to a given quantity or merchantable lumber, the seller is usually quite willing to shave the price ”

“ We came to the conclusion that everything possible had been done in the way of preparation for our defense, as we had surveyors on the ground as witnesses who had previously made an examination of the township, and who were in a position to testify that the character of the land was such as to preclude anyone from making a statement that the improvements we had vouched for did not exist, as the township was so densely covered with underbrush and timber that it would be an utter impossibility to notice a cabin within a hundred feet of the line. ”

“ I have tried to impress upon your mind the necessity of your first thought being of yourself. What for one claim, or a thousand, as against your freedom? As to the claims, the case at issue has nothing whatever to do with such trifles. I have no doubt, however, that Mr. Heney will ask the Government to cancel the patents to every one of those bogus entries, but that is a subject for future consideration, and when the proper time, comes, you will be afforded ample opportunity for defending the title of C. A. Smith to them. ”

“ One of my men, however, told me he saw Puter in Minneapolis on the street about two months ago. I imagine the fellow has about got to the end of his rope. He has a family in Oakland, California.
"The fact that Puter is not only smooth, but a man of great nerve, is demonstrated by the way he escaped from the Government officer in the public streets of Boston; and I understand United States Marshal W. J. Burns, of Washington, D. C, is one of the cleverest men in the employ of the Federal Government." ”

“ As rapidly as they appeared at Heney's office, they were turned over to the tender mercies of Detective Burns, who would proceed in a good-natured way to draw out of them what purported to be the facts connected with their location of the timber claims. This sympathetic feeling was all assumed by Burns, however, for the purpose of leading them into a trap, as he was perfectly aware from the very beginning that they were making false affidavits, and it will be shown subsequently how their own statements under oath were used as a leverage to force them to tell the truth. ”

“ The idea of creating the Blue Mountain Forest Reserve originated in the shrewd minds of those who saw in President Roosevelt's well-defined policy of preserving the remaining timber of the country for the benefit of future generations a chance to further their own selfish interests. They were aware that nothing would appeal to the Nation's chief executive with such vivid force as the plan to embrace a large area in Eastern Oregon in an immense reserve. ”

“ The work of a cruiser is no snap, by any means. On the contrary it is a vocation not only of great responsibility, but of unremitting toil and hardship. To be successful, a person must be endowed with a rugged constitution, and capable of enduring the greatest privations while in the field, as he is often compelled to pack his blankets and provisions for weeks at a time while in the woods, over the roughest character of country imaginable, with a tree as his canopy at night. ”

“ Waiting patiently for that supreme moment when I could decide that our surroundings had reached the climax of all possible expectation in the way of a crowded condition, ever hoping that the moment might arrive when the congestion of moving humanity would become still more intense—as I stood thus, all hope, all expectancy, I could see our car nearing the corner, with but one in advance. ”

“ Watson's apartments without further delay and assist in spiriting her out of the city, I decided to make the attempt.
Going to my room, I secured the fateful telescope basket, and descending a stairway from the second floor that led to the basement, I experienced little or no difficulty in reaching the streeet. When I took a car on State Street for the North Side, I was pleased to observe that no one but myself had boarded it at that particular point, and after scrutinizing the passengers closely, became convinced that there were no Secret Service men around. ”

“ The fact of the Northern Pacific having relinquished to the United States all claims to a large percentage—the worthless portions, in short—of its holdings in the two reservations, gave the company full authority to sit back and select lands in lieu thereof at its pleasure, and it has since followed this policy at all times. While individuals are not permitted to make selections under the dead "scripper" law of June 4, 1897, the favored Northern Pacific is allowed to do so, and can take its pick from the cream of all townships, surveyed or unsurveyed, in any State penetrated by its lines. ”

“ Burns, said: "Mr. Puter informs me that you were not entirely satisfied with my statement of yesterday, so I have prepared a new one, which I trust will meet with your approval."
"No," declared Mr. Burns, "I was not at all satisfied with your other statement, as I found that it did not contain anything like as much as you promised to divulge, nor did it present the facts as I know you are in a position to give them to me."
"This statement covers all the ground," responded Kribs meekly, and handing it to the Government sleuth, continued, "I have dealt with all the salient features." ”

“ In their stead has arisen a new generation of plunderers, more subtle and swift in their operations, because the looting of the public domain has now become one of the gentler arts, and the "dummy" timber entryman and perjured homesteader, with their ways redolent of the frontier, have given place to the polished enactments of a subservient Congress, which is interpreting the land laws to meet the requirements of greedy corporations, without any heed whatever to the people's rights. ”