The Elbert County tribune., 1900-07-05
COLORADO NOTES.

men are involved.
Rumors are again rife concerning tne
building of railroad from florence
Into Custer county. A rev Gays nso
II was announced that the Denver /"
Rio Grande directors had voted sUVs-
900 TO build n line from Texas creek
or Cotopaxi. This has stirred the flor-
ence Southern Company, when iour
years ago completed n survey Tor
line 20 Silver Cliff.
A whole shift employed on the santa
Rita mine has been discharged pc
cause OF the disappearance OF soIne
high grade ore. The management was
unable 10 detect the thieves, ana therc
fore made the wholesale dlscnarse,
hoplng to include the guilty parties IN
the lot. II is said that the ore has been
traced to an assay office In Victor. Fur
ther developments are expected.
Friday morning II became known
that work had begun on the grade Tor
the Florence Southern. Upon inyesti-
gation Il was learned that upon IN
| structions received from headquarters
Mt Denver, Frank Ruby put dozen
men to work on the company's survey
paralleling the Rio Grande around
Vinegar hill, in extension of the WORK
done several years ago on hailroau
street. The men worked all night and
had completed considerable grading
at daybrcak. When Mr.. Ruby was
asked by reporter about the work
being done at this time on the Florence
Southern. he replied that 1t was sim
ply done to hold its right of way In
view of early developments pertaining
to the construction OF the line Into Gus
ter county.
william Mackin, prospector, was
killed by a, bolt of lightning in East
Mancos on Friday afternoon, and 1t
was not until last Saturday evening
that the body was found. He went
from his cabin to stake out his horse,
and the back of his head received the
stroke. He was about 90 years OF age.
The Colorado Midland has aban-
doned for good the old Hagermann
tunnel and pass west Of Leadville, and
the picturesque seven miles of road is
being demolished. The big trestle over
which the trains approached the tun-
mel is being torn down and the tinbers
carried away and stacked at Colorado
City. The rails will be torn up, and
soon only hole In the mountain Will
mark the most wonderful piece OF rail-
road engineering in the state.
| For some time trouble has been brew
ing between the teamsters of Lyons
and the owners of the toll road between
there and Estes park. The climax was
reached the other day when John
| Walker and Norman Billings attempted
to pass the gate without paying toll.
The company had placed in charge of
the gate Charles Knapp of Longmont,
who claims he has instructions to col
lect toll or keep parties from going over
the road, even should he be compelled
TO kill them at the gate. When Walker
and Billings made an attempt to pass
the gate, Knapp promptly presented n
cooked revolver, and leveling 1t at
Walker told him that he would certain
ly kill him II he attempted to pass with
out paying toll. The argument en-
forced by the gun was convincing and
toll was promptly paid. However, the
end is far from being reached as yet.
That an attempt will probably be
made to force the road open by deter
mined men.
The San Luis Valley Land and Min
ing Company that recently purchased
Baca land grant No. 4, in the south
western part of the state, has begun
two eJectment suits in the Federal
court against settlers to force them to
| TtilONt iEOll nt lWO Cdstb
will probably be sufficient to convince
the settlers that the ground on which
they live and on which they have built
n hamlet known as Duncan does not
belong to them. that is If the courts
decide in these as they have already
done in the well-known Kellogg case,
which the United States Supreme
Court decided in favor of the former
owners of the grant. The present COM
pany purchased the grant for 81, 400, 600
last March from Quincy A. Shaw of
Boston. For n great many years small
settlements have existed on the tract,
but the present owners say they have
never been able to secure recognition
from the United States government
The settlers have held their claims up
on certificates of location filed with the
recorder of Saguache county. The two
defendants in the present ejectment
suits are J. w. Stambaugh and John L.
Duncan. The town of Duncan Is named
hfter the latter. This place Is inhab-
tied, attorneys say, by persons who
have purchased their rights from Dun
can, one of the pretended locators."
A La Junta dispatch says: Rev. DIR.
Weaver, pastor of the First Presby-
terian church of Pueblo; Rev. DIR.
Patchell pastor of the First Congre-
gational church at Pueblo, and Rev.
DIR. Farley of the Central Christian
church of Pueblo, came down Monday
morning and a meeting was held at
the NJ e. church regarding the re-
establishment of the Fries Orphans
home at this place. These gentlemen
contradicted the statements made in
the papers as to Mr.. Fries neglect OF
the home. They say that under the ex-
citement of the hour neither the people
nor the daily papers gave Mr.. Fries q
chance to be heard and that he has
been basely rmisrepresented. Mr.. Fries
said that there was no doubt but that
the home would be located here; that
he was daily receiving letters from
various parts of the state assuring him
of financial assistance. A tract of land
will be purchased shortly, and It is Mr.
Fries plan to raise money in the East
to erect suitable buildings. He also
stated that his goods formerly used
In Pueblo are here and will be stored
until definite arrangements are made.
w. S. Stratton has donated $4,000
to aid in the erection of the. national
Elks' home, provided the grand lodge
decides to locate the home In Colorado
Springs. This gift came entirely un.
solicited, and is another example of his
splendid generosity. When Mr.. STRAIT.
ton learned that the local lodge of Elks
was making an effort to locate the ma.
tional home in Colorado Springs he i'm.
mediately made an offer of $4,000 to-
ward the erection of the building. The
committee will go to Atlantic City next
month and make n vigorous fight for
the home. Encouraging words have
t1..l l..1. all