Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/390



About two weeks alter my arrival, accompanied by Deputy United States Marshal J. F. Kerrigan, who had escorted me across the continent, 1 went to the General Land Office, equipped with an order from United States Attorney D. W. Baker, of the District of Columbia, for certain data to be used at the Hermann trial. This included the status of the six fraudulent homestead claims in Tp. 24 S., R. 1 E., together with information pertaining to the seven bogus entries in 11-7, acquired by McKinley and Montague. A clerk in Division "P" of the Land Office was sent with us for the purpose of enabling me to secure the data required, and after having obtained this information, I next made inquiry pertaining to the Northern Pacific Railroad Company's lieu selections in Oregon. This was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky to the clerk, and notwithstanding that United States Attorney Baker's order called for this information, objection was raised to showing the Northern Pacific lien selection records to me that day. upon the plea that the clerk was too busy to do so. and for me to call again. At the time we entered the room where the lien selections were kept, a person Page 384