Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-10-06
MRS, DARLING WANTS AM|NE
Excitement at Murray OVsr ALLEGED
Claim Jumping.

A dispatch to the Review fron,
Murray, Idaho, says there is con-
siderable excitement locally ov >
an alleged attempt at claim-ium, .
ing up towards the head of Pricb
ard creek. 1t has already resulted
in a meeting of the miners
of the district, in an infor
NAL way, and another meeting :
to be held Wednesday evening /,
take such action as miners moo.
ings can take.
The trouble arose over a gronn
of claims in the silver-lead helt
which crosses the upper waters Of
Prichard creek, known as the Rar
ton group, and the meeting was
held at the instance of Mrs. Eliza-
beth Darling of Grangevile. Mrs
Darling is the owner of the entire
group, having inherited them from
her husband at his death two or
three years ago. Her story. AS
told to the miners, was in substance
as follows:
On September 10, 1898, she gave
an option on the claims to Ii, T.
Phillips of Portland, Ore, under
the terms Of which he was allowed
to enter upon aud work the prom
erty. He was to do the assess
ment work for that year. and to
remain in undisputed possession of
the claims one year before being
called upon for any payment, ex,
cept that in case he shipped any
ores he was to pay her 20 per cent.
of the net returns. On September
Is, 1899, he was to relinquish pos
session or pay the sum of $4,000.
In the latter event Mrs. DARLING
was to place a deed in a Portland
bank to be surrendered on the paw
ment of $4,000 on or before Jan
uary 10, 1900, and $40, 900 on or
before May Is. 1900.
The time for the first payment
having arrived, Mrs. Darling came
up from Grangeville to receive it.
and also to collect her royalty on
he ore which Mr.. Phillips shipped
out via Thompson last winter, for
which she claims she has received
no accounting, although published
statements at the time were to the
fleet that the ore was paying
handsomely, aud shipments were
continued as long as the condition
! the roads would allow. When
sac went up to the property she
says Phillips refused to talk to her
and that she found the tunnel
locked up and the water rights,
mill sites and part of the claims
had been covered by new locations
made by Phillips. Also that Phil
lips had offered her prior to that
ime, $500 for the claim which he
had relocated.
After she told her story to the
miners they appointed a commit
tee OF three to go up to look at
things there.
Mr.. Phillips was in town the fol-
lowing day, and when questioned
about it entered general denial.
He said he had no tunnel under
lock and key, and never had. He
denied that he had taken anything
from the Barton cabin or any rails
from the tunnel, both of which
Mrs. Darling alleged had been
done, or that he had offered her
$500 for any claim in the group,
but that he had offered small
sum for a renewal of the bond.
Later the committee returned
and reported things in even worse
shape than Mrs. Darling had
claimed. Two tunnels and the
blacksmith shop we're locked, the
cabin had been wrecked, the mill
sites and the water rights were re-
located and two of the claims had
been covered wholly or in part by
new locations.
The county recorder was petit
toned by 10 claim owners in the
district to call meeting OF the
miners of the district to consider
the matter, and he has called the
meeting for Wednesday evening.
So far as can be remembered by
people consulted, this will be the
first miners meeting held. either
in this district or the state, for a
number of years, and the power
which such meeting possesses IS
IA question in the minds of many,
although there are those who claim
that it's power rs almost unlimited.
The last me ting which can be re-
called is one held in the Hoodoo
district, Latah county, a little
over three years ago, when miner
lccused his partner of robbing their
Juice boxes. That meeting took
/ upon itself to divide the prop
city which the two men held II
partnership, and while it was gen
rally doubted that they were in
my way bound by it, the decision
was accepted in good faith by both
parties.
On the Home Stretch.
| Frln Fri avs daiy