The record-union., 1897-07-21
TWO ATTACHMENTS MADE.
MINERS WERE NOT PAID AND
A FIRM WANTS ITS MONEY
Receiver Smith Wants the Sheriff
to be Cited for Contempt
of Court.

The troubles of the Internal Improve
ment Company which for the past three
years has conducted the large placer
mine at Michigan Bar, in the eastern
edge of Sacramento County, seem to
have reached a climax.
AS heretofore published in the Rec
ord Union,' suit was recently brought
to foreclose the $4,000 mortgage on
the property, held by Mrs Jennie
Ritter and Engineer Ritter Houssay,
and that action did much to unsettle
minor proceedings at the mine.
1t transpires that the miners en-
ployed by the company have received
no pay for a rAlmber of months, and
sharply following the suit to foreclose
the mortgage held by Mrs. Ritter, the
employees took steps to make them
selves whole, and placed an attach
ment for their wages, on the string of
sluices through which the hillsides
reached the river
1t has been the rule of the company
to make monthly cleanups, and when
the attachment was placed on the
sluices about twenty-five days run had
been made since the last cleanup.
Pending the cleanup intended to
satisfy the claims of the employees, the
mine is in charge of James Heath and
William Breeding, who will. it is un-
derstood, see that the dust is gathered
in before the week is out
The company was also indebted to
the firm of Baker & Hamilton of this
city, in the sum of 50, 500 for pipe fur
nished, and all pipe being used or
hxy ha hoC
tahed by the Sacramento firm.
The Michigan Bar, or Hill Top prop
erty was formerly fabulously rich, and
twenty years ago the monthly clean
ups averaged $4,000 A great deal Of
pay dirt still remains, and in the fu
ture it may be made to pay, and the
principal reason for the present fail
ure is said to be that more money was
expended in improvements than the
output of dust warranted
Receiver S. B. Smith has applied to
the Superior Court for citation COM
manding Sheriff Johnson to appear and
show cause why he should not be pun
ished for contempt Of court for inter-
fering with the Receiv er's discharge of
his duty. He AYERS in his application
that the Sheriff claims to have at
tached the amalgam and the imple-
mentS belonging to the hydraulic mine
of defendants at Michigan Bar and
that after he had notified the Sheriff
Of his appointment he had refused to
vacate the property and desist from in
terfering with the Receiver.
He also claims that the amalgam and
implements, such as pipes, fumes,
monitor and gates, are real estate and
not subject to attachment
Baker & Hamilton and other firms
have filed a notice that they would on
Friday move for an order of court mod
flying the one appointing the Receiver
to the extent that he be required to
abandon all claim to the property. for
the reason that the mortgage sought
to be foreclosed does not cover the
mine, but is limited to the property
conveyed by the Amador and Sacra-
mento Canal Company to the Interior
Development Company, and no more,
and that the property in question was
purchased by the company subsequent
to the date of the mortgage.
Judge Johnson yesterday directed the
attorneys for plaintiff and those for
Baker & Hamilton and others to enter
into a stipulation that the mine be
operated till next Friday when the
hearing of the motion for the modifi-
cation of the order appointing the Re-
ceiver comes up
The attorneys, however, were unable
to agree and the matter will remain
in its present condition until the hear
ing on Friday. The miners decided a
short time ago to work until to-day
and If not paid then to decide definitely
what to do in the matter.