lands, including the claims of fictitious homesteaders, it was not deemed expedient to cross-examine him too closely as he was known to have turned traitor in order to save his own scalp, hence his testimony could not be of any particular benefit to us.
W. A. Holt, assistant cashier of the Wells-Fargo bank, of Portland, was the last witness of the day. He identified my handwriting, with which he was familiar, in several of the homestead final proofs, and also the signature of Emma Porter as that of Mrs. Watson.
On Wednesday morning, November 30, J. T. Bridges, Register of the Roseburg Land Office, was called for the purpose of proving the mythical character of George A. Howe.
The testimony of Robert B. Montague, the next witness, was of a most sensational nature. For several years he had served as deputy clerk of Linn county. Up to this time neither McKinley or Tarpley had been brought with any degree of prominence into the case, but had become obscured in a way by the flood of startling developments that had come to the surface in other directions. With the advent of Montague, however, it was their day to shine.
After acknowledging an acquaintance with McKinley, Tarpley, Marie Ware and myself covering a period of five years, he testified that during the Fall of 1900 he had entered into a contract with McKinley and Tarpley whereby he was to receive $100 for each person who would file and make final proof on a homestead entry before him, it being understood that McKinley and Tarpley were to produce the entrymen; that they had caused 6 persons to so appear, who had filed and made final proof on claims in township 11-7; that he had received from McKinley and Tarpley all moneys to cover office fees for the filings and final proofs, and that he knew the entrymen appearing before him had not used their right names. This testimony related to the 12 entries in 11-7 concerning which I was familiar.
Montague then testified further that, a few weeks after the filing of the 6 entries referred to, he had entered into a private arrangement with McKinley, whereby it was planned to use fictitious names in securing additional claims in the now- famous township 11-7; that he furnished the necessary blanks to McKinley, who in turn caused them to be filled out in the most promiscuous fashion, and in this way the names of Mattie S. Lowell, William McLaughlin, A. O. Austin, J. R. Foster, James Wakefield, Christie E. Langham and James A. Taylor had been obtained to the blank homestead applications, the body thereof being afterwards filled in by the two conspirators, after which the documents were filed before Montague, as he had such authority by virtue of his office as Deputy Clerk.
After the bogus proofs had been made, all the papers were forwarded to the Roseburg Land Office, where final certificates were issued and returned to Montague. The latter testified also that himself and McKinley had caused deeds to be executed, conveying the claims to George A. Howe, a fictitious person, who in turn had relinquished the claims to the Government in lieu of other lands, which were sold by McKinley and Montague to innocent purchasers for their mutual benefit.
I was more than surprised to learn of the facts developed by the testimony of Deputy Clerk Montague, as this was the first intimation I had that he was familiar with the fraudulent character of our operations in township 11-7, McKinley never having mentioned to me the subject of his relations with the crooked official. It proved conclusively that McKinley, my old partner in wickedness, had given me the "double-cross," and when I turned to him for an explanation I found him the picture of despair.
Before Montague had gone on the stand, McKinley had been engaged in affable converse with those around him, but as soon as the denouement had taken place, I found him with his chin sunk so deep upon his waistcoat that it almost touched the lower buttons. He would not talk, and his reply to my inquiry as to what it all meant was merely a shake of the head, as he bowed still further forward to hide the torture depicted in his countenance.
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