Alleged Fraudulent Land Entries

Alleged Fraudulent Land Entries.

Washington, Nov. 6- The interior department has suspended, with a view to cancellation, a large number of alleged fraudulent land entries in Nebraska, made by soldiers' widows who, it is charged, have entered into an agreement for the transfer of the lands to cattlemen. W. N. Lesser of Iowa, a special agent, whose headquarters have been for several years at North Platte, Neb., has been suspended in connection with these proceedings. The action follows an investigation that has been quietly conducted. The exact extent of these operations is not disclosed, but so far as known there are about 45 or 50 of them, each entry being for 160 acres. Under the law, soldiers' widows have a right to make entries of public lands without any residence requirements, but they are required to make improvements and cultivate the lands. It is understood that the women who made the entries are mostly Chicago people, who were influenced to take these steps by the agents of cattlemen, with the agreement to transfer the land to the latter by leases, with the right to purchase.