Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-22
THE ROCK CREEK PARK.
The Arguments Before the Commission
Drawing to q Close.

The Arguments Before the Commission
Drawing to a Close.
District AttorneyC Cole this morning, before the
Rock Creek Park commission, resumed his argu
ment of the governments case. Mr.. Perry
who follows the District attorney for the gov.
eminent, stated that he hoped to conclude his
argument today. Mr.. Coleman and Mr.. Wilson
will close the case for the land owners, and
those gentlemen stated that they thought they
would be able to divide toanorrow's session
between them. II these hopes should be real.
lied. the case would then be concluded as far
as the presentation Of il before the commission
is concerned In that event there would be
nothing further for the commission to do but
consult and report their valuation Of the land
to be acquired
The District attorney resumed his argument
by discussion Of the testimony given by
Messrs. Howard and Johnson, witnesses for
the land owners, respecting the matter OF gold,
dismissing their testimony with the reflection
that they were alleged mining experts, who had
presumed to soberly state that this region of the
country was equally valuable in a mining sense
as the great and rich mining districts of the
west. The testimony OF the land owners wit
ness Johnson was referred to as the expert
who had said that it would take from 400 to 900
tons of ore from these lands to yield $50, but
who had signally neglected to state the cost Of
even removing such an immense mass. With
possibly one exception, it was remarkable fact
that the shabbier, the more poverty-stricken
appeared the alleged mining experts produced
mates given as to the so-called prospects.
Another remarkable fact in this connection
was that Of all these alleged experts but one
had been shown to be successful miner.
Leaving the witnesses produced on behalf OF
the owners, Mr.. Cole next discussed the testi-
mony offered by the government upon the
existence Of gold on the tracts in question,
contrasting their scientific attachments and
knowledge with those exhibited by witnesses
examined on behalf Of the owners. These wit
nesses had unquestionably sustained the claim
Of the government that a prospect in this sec
ton Of the country was q tar different thing
from what constituted a prospect in the west
in acknowledged rich mining districts. The
government had never denied that there was
gold on these lands, but it did deny that it was
more than a mere trace. On that point rested
the difference between the government and
Messrs. Shoemaker and Truesdell, and that was
all there was in this case.
1t had been clearly shown, Mr.. Cole main
tanned, that the assays which showed more than
q trace of gold were assayed not Of the average
samples taken from these tracts, but they we're
assay of selected samples and it was far from
clear whence came the ore selected. Passing
to the matter Of the weight to be given to ex-
pert testimony Mr.. Cole read authorities sus-
tanning the position Of the government that it
was not for the commission TO surrender its
province Of determining the credibility and
value Of testimony given either to a prepon-
derance In the number Of witnesses on one
side over those on the other, or
to submission OF its Judgment
to that Of the witnesses called. With the SUBJ
mission of authorities as to what constituted
mineral lands in law and brief comparison of
the values given District Attorney Cole conciud-
ed his argument with the reflection that 1t was
a most remarkable bit Of history that not until
the government desired these lands was it that
that the land Of Ophir, that lost treasure land
Of King Solomon, was discovered by the land
owners experts in the Shoemaker and Trues-
dell tracts on Rock creek.