St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-10
Duluth Reports Contest for little to
Iron Lands Worth O Mint OF
Money.
Iowa's Legislature and Executive Send
Greetings to the English and the
Irish Leaders.
Government Advice Upon an Unsur-
veyed Island--The Department
of Dakota.
News From Various Points of tn
Northwest Cleaned by Globe
Correspondents.
AnImportant Land suit.

Special to the Globe.
DULUTH, April 9.-The hearing of an
important contest is now progressing in the
Duluth land Office, which involves the loca-
ton of lands by means of Sioux half-breed
certificates In a fresh ditticulty three
wears ago and explorer named Edward
Bvme. while exploring for the Minnesota
Iron company. discovered an extensive de-
post of hematite ore in township SO north,
range IL west. He and his packer kept
the matter TO themselves until they left
Minnesota eompany's employ, and then
they agreed with Eaton IL Merritt OF this
city to show them the ore, the lat
ter agreeing TO scrip the land and
give the discoveries One-third interest.
Byme and his partner, fearing that they
might be followed and have trouble, assoc
ciated with them. by the knowledge and
with the consent of Eaton * Merritt,
man named James Powers, and these three
went on the land, pretended to take up
three homeSteads, and went to work making
improvements as If for themselves. Eaton
81 Merritt in the meantime employed a
United States surveyor, Thomas Ross, to
go and make survey sufficient to definitely
locate the land on which the ore is,
and then Byne, Powers and all hands
left their claims and Eaton placed
Sioux scrip thereon. In the meantime
Lonsdorf of Milwaukee made strenuous
efforts to obtain possession of the lind, ana
finally bought out Powers x ByrneS' pocket
shares of one-ninth each. After Powers
had decided to Lonsdorf it was found that
the description OF the land was incorrect
and this led to a good deal OF
LEGAL WORK,
in the course of which it is alleged Powers
made and subscribed to two different afiida-
Wits, the one stating that he made improve
ments on the lands in question for
the purpose of locating a home
stead thereon, and the other that
he made some improvements for the
benefit of the party who scripped the land.
He was arrested last Tuesday upon COM
plant made by Leonidas Merritt, but was
released last night on bail furnished by
Emil Hartmann and August BobolZ. About
a wear ago Powers returned to the land
with Tom Hyde, and Angus Mcdonald and
the last two proceeded to make homcsteads
and to contest the location of the scrip upon
the ground that the improvements upon
the land in question were not made for the
benefit of the scrip. The original
grantee of the scrip was found,
one Mrs. Rlla Moura, and she
was induced to sign an affidavit stating that
she never gave the power of attorney to
Frank w. Eaton to locate said scrip lands
whatever, and upon this affidavit the COM
missioner ordered a hearing Of the case in
the Duluth land office. The hearing was
commenced this morning. The iron lands
involved are supposed to be worth about
$1,000, 600, and the case is creating consid-
cradle interest. Messrs. White and Rey-
nOlds, assisted by Mr.. Shannon, are attor-
news for contestants, and Mr. Thomas Eu-
son, assisted by Hon. w. w. Bllson, for
Eaton Il Merritt.