than to accept the terms, however hard, but held back to the last when it came to discussing the documentary evidence proposition. In fact, he had no inclination to talk on that subject at all, consequently I did not insist, believing that Mr. Burns would reach that part of it in his own good way and at the proper time, so I suggested to Mr. Kribs that we go up to Mr. Heney's office, and this he consented to do.
Arriving there, I introduced Kribs to Burns, who took him in hand, and succeeded in forcing an admission from him that the claims in Township 14 South, Ranges 3 and 4 East, Linn County, Oregon, besides certain claims in Douglas county, had been taken up for the benefit of C. A. Smith, of Minneapolis. Minn., through the Mealey brothers, of Sweet Home, John Givens and others of R.oseburg, and S. A. D. Puter, who had located the entrymen on the lands.
At this juncture Kribs undertook to argue with Burns that everything was regular, and he could not understand wherein there were sufficient grounds to warrant an investigation of the claims in question.
Kribs admitted further that he was on very friendly terms with J. T. Bridges and James Henry Booth. the Register and Receiver, respectively, of the Roseburg Land Office; also, that the law firm of Mitchell & Tanner, of Portland, had represented him before the Land Department at Washington in the matter of expediting patents. Burns, realizing fully that enough had been extracted from Kribs as a starter, under pretext of having a very pressing engagement, asked to be excused, and upon showing Kribs the door, invited him to call again.
After the departure of Kribs, I sought Burns' presence, and was informed of what had transpired. He was of the opinion that it would not be policy to press Kribs too hard, as he seemed to be a gentleman who was very much attached to his friends, and would undoubtedly go to any limit in protecting them, especially where C. A. Smith was concerned, as well as Senator Mitchell, for both of whom he appeared to entertain the highest regard. In concluding our interview. Burns suggested that I call at Kribs' office again upon a missionary errand.
When I did so, Kribs expressed himself as very glad to see me, as he was greatly in need of advice, and believed that I could put him on the right track. He told me, of course, all about his conversation with Burns, and how the latter had pressed him for information concerning the Smith deals.
"Now, you know, Steve," continued Kribs, "that I cannot give up on Smith, so how am I to protect him? Burns insists that I must make out a written statement of the facts and present it to him at the earliest possible moment, which I promised to do, but I must, in some way, get around the Smith transactions."
When I saw that Kribs was determined to shield Smith, the thought occurred to me that my opportunity had arrived for squaring up an old account, so I replied:
"Now, look here, Kribs; so far as you are concerned, it appears as if you must tell everything in order to be on the safe side yourself, but I will agree with you, that, in the event of your testifying to everything you know relative to the cases at issue, and which are now under consideration by the Secret Service Department and being investigated by Mr. Heney, to use whatever influence I possess in behalf of both Smith and yourself, to the end that you be absolved from criminal prosecution, provided, however, that in return you exercise your powers upon Smith and induce him to settle with me. You know very well, Fred, that Smith has treated me shamefully, and has steadfastly refused to return me the $10,467.45 which I advanced to secure those Humboldt county lands for him, to say nothing about his holding back between $17,000 and $18,000. due me as commissions in that same transaction. The commissions, of course, I do not care so much about, but when it came to my own money, and more than $10,000 at that, he had no right to try and beat me out of it, and it will be necessary, if he ever expects any favors from me. for him to refund every cent of that amount before I shall turn a hand for him.
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