Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/92

 are standing in the awful presence of Colonel A. R. Greene, the renowned Government sleuth." They were bound for Silver Lake, and after my salutation we engaged in general conversation.

"Did you see any stray sheep as you came along the road?" I inquired, assuming the aspect of a typical "Rube."

"No," answered Colonel Greene, majestically, "and besides I am not seeking to corral that kind of animals. It is two-legged beasts of prey of the land-grabbing variety that I am after, sir, and if you know of any bell-wethers of that class "around here, just trot them out, because they are my game."

At this he swelled up with as much importance as a bullfrog, until I almost thought there would have to be an explosion in order to relieve the pompous congestion. I realized at once that he mistook me for a sheepherder, and proceeded to encourage him in the belief. He proved to be a voluble conversationalist, and in almost less time than it takes to describe it here. Colonel Greene had imparted the whole secret of his mission, laying particular stress upon the fact that immense frauds were being committed against the Government by numerous large irrigation companies in the Deschutes region, and wound up his tirade against everything land-grabical by asking me point blank if I knew a person by the name of S. A. D. Puter.

"Puter—Puter—" I repeated, quizzically, "Appears to me that name sounds familiar. Who does he herd sheep for?"

"Herd sheep be d——d!" fairly snorted the Colonel. "He herds 'dummies' up here in the woods, and shears these forests of their pristine grandeur. Why, sir," he continued, growing radiant in expression under the inspiration of his eloquence, "a pine tree out here alone isn't any safer in that man's hands than a virtuous maiden in the harem of a Sultan!"

Pointing in the direction of the timber, Colonel Greene added: "That man Puter has located over 100 people out there under the timber and stone act, charging them $150 each as a location fee. I am satisfied it is a part of the game for him to get hold of the titles for some company, but thus far he has eluded every effort of mine to ferret out his scheme. At Prineville I interviewed a lot of people whom he located on these lands, but he has pulled the wool over all their eyes, making them believe that they are taking up land for their own use and benefit, as the law prescribes, although charging them this location fee of $150, besides agreeing to loan them $600 to pay for their land."

Whatever his other failings, I saw that Colonel Greene had the dope on me all right, so, after getting all the information I could from him on the subject, I took my departure, and circled around back to camp. Sweet finished his estimates a few days later, his computations indicating that the tract would average over 12,000 feet of clear lumber to the acre, so all I had to do was to abide the period of final proof.

Subsequent events, however, proved how uncertain the common affairs of life are. Just before the time for making final proof on the 108 entries had expired, Mr. Bradley died suddenly, leaving me up in the air so far as a financial backer was concerned, and as I did not have sufficient time in which to secure someone else to take his place along those lines, my only course was to have the entrymen readvertise their claims, involving considerable extra expense. However, I succeeded in compromising with the Deschutes Echo on the costs to the extent of securing an agreement that the paper would republish the notices at half price, so I personally assumed the additional expense of $540, and the entrymen were satisfied to let matters stand upon that basis.

After completing these arrangements, I once more proceeded Eastward in search of a new financial backer, and found him in the person of N. H. Withee, a retired capitalist of La Crosse, Wis., and already the owner of about 30,000 acres of fine timber land in Lane county, Oregon. He organized a company of local lumbermen, all of whom were willing to go in with me under similar conditions existing between Mr. Bradley and myself. Page 86