Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-12

HEARD ABOUT TOWN..

va VIZ &N M XI~ Er MN w tNA ~
II have about concluded my work here
taking dispositions in the Indian depreciation
claims" said Ben Carter Of Washington, ID.
c., at the Willard last night, "and in a few
days I go to Texas on the same line Of
work"
Mr.. Carter is a special attorney OF the
Department Of Justice and has been spend
ing the summer and fall in this state, South
Dakota and Wyoming examining witnesses.
In the grand aggregate the claims of the
early settlers Of the west foot up a pretty
big sum. They run up into the millions.
One group OF claims in the Black Hills"
says Mr.. Carter, amounts to 500, 900, ac-
cording to the figures Of the claimants.
They arose out Of the Wounded Knee affair
In 1890"
Remembering the experiences Of a govern
ment attorney named Fitch, sent some years
ago to Texas to gather up testimony on the
governments side, Mr.. Carter prefers to go
about his work quietly and say as little as
possible. Fitch was interviewed so much in
Texas that he never got a chance to do any
work to speak Of, although he was made to
say that his mission involved several million
dollars OF claims. Now Mr.. Carter has to go
over the same ground Fitch should have
covered.
Mr.. Carter did admit, however, that while
here he examined witnesses in about 400
cases. These claims are mostly for depreda-
lions by the Sioux and Cheyennes from 1865
to 1870 to the cattle and other live stock OF
the settlers. The dispositions in the cases Of
John F. Coad Of Omaha and his brother,
Mark Coad Of Fremont, make about 200
pages Of typewriter matter and took two
weeks time. The Coad claims amount to
about $40, 900.
Speaking of the John Wedderburn claims
agency Mr.. Carter said: "Wedderburn's
business has mostly fallen into the hands Of
A. l.. Hughes, a young Washington attor-
ney.'
Samuel E. Rigg, a wide-awake pusher Of
real estate of Spokane, Wash, was in the
city last night on his way home after an ex-
tended visit through the east and south.
II think we in the far west are now about
due with another big incursion of home
makers" said he. when it does come 1t
Will be a source of development that will
DO our section som lasting good. l do not
attach much faith to such excitements as
the klondike kind, save that they serve to
prlng a great many persons out upon the
prairies and into the valleys of the trans
mountain region, who otherwise would never
have come. II they do not get to the frozen
Yukon and Its tributaries they at least get
a chance to see what they can do by going
into agricultural, horticultural and mercap-
tile enterprises where opportunities for natu-
raj and profitable development abound. The
state OF Washington received much benefit
from the Klondike craze just in this way.
People soon saw that there is really more
money to be made by tilling the soil, rails
Ing live stock. cutting timber or even going
into the Rockies and seeking the yellow
metal where the risks are not one tenth so
great and the prospects probably far better
than IN Alaska. So a large proportion of
hiondikers stayed in our state and went to
work on the fertile soil or delyed into the
auriferous gulches of our own Rockies and
Cascades.
my reason for thinking that We will soon
nave another incursion Is that find so
many people In the east and south, ~particu-
iariy the younger generation, turning their
eyes TO the west in the hope Of making their
fortunes. Conditions are too much CRYSTAL
ilzed for them at home and their opportuni-
ties are limited. They want gold had
enough, but are beginning to realize that the
pest way to get 1t is to go where land can
pc Obtained at a reasonable price and then
TAX on their coats and go to work. In a
ilttle time they can have homes as eooa n.
those OF their fathers and farms equaled bv
none anywhere else in the world"