< Page:The American Magazine volume LXIV.djvu
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588

THE TAMING OF THE WEST

about Col. Greene. Also he learned something about Greene and Hall that increased his anger.

When he was leaving Portland, Hall gave Heney, as the whole of the Puter case, a transcript of a preliminary hearing. This showed that Puter and the two men with him had got hold of lieu-land scrip by having men and women "file homesteads" in a forest reserve. Each claimant had to swear that he had lived five years on his "piece" and made improvements. The allegation was that these persons were fictitious, and that Marie Ware, a United States District Court Commissioner, had knowingly received these fraudulent proofs and for-


Hall to have Greene inspect the lands, investigate the “persons," and report to him at Washington. They did not report to him at Washington; they reported to the departments; and their report said that they had made their inspection and investigation long before Heney had told them to. “Why hadn't they told me that?" said Heney. "Why were they keeping back such essential evidence in the case?

Burns told him. "They're jobbing you," he said. When Heney talked of Hall's jealousy, the detective laughed. "He's a crook," said Burns, and he reasoned it all out. Since Hall was the prosecuting officer in a district in which there were land


Spot on which "A. O. Austin" (an imaginary settler) was alleged to have his cabin. He, or somebody for him, swore that he had cultivated this ground!


report to Heney; it was a pretty sharp telegram, and when the Secretary signed and sent it Heney

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