Cochise review., 1901-03-09
HE TRIED TO GRAB.
Thomas A. Tate Makes a Peculiar
 Mininu Location.

Mining Location.
 Last Monday morning the residents of Bisbee, particularly those owning property on Main street, were thrown iuto tlutter of excitement on learning that Thomas A. Tate had made min
 ing location on the ground which had been covered by the building burned last May, and lying immediately west of the Norton house, and had man at work digging there. Although monu- ments had not been put up nor lines run, it was presumed that it was M". Tate's intention to claim, under his To- cation, all the valuable ground to the east of the point where he had put the man to work up to the company's pat ented ground. This land is owned by various parties and is covered by busi- ness buildings bringing in good rents. The land ou which the location notice was posted and the man was working is owned by E. G. Norton, an old and re- spected citizen of Bisbee.
 Mir. Norton, at about eleven o'clock Monday morning, discovered the man working on his ground and asked him what he was doing there, and was in formed that Tate had put him to wor& there. Mir. Norton told him that he was the owner of the land and ordered him to quit work and get off the ground. This the man refused to do until he had received orders to do so from Tate. MT. Merton then went to Tate and asked him to order the man to quit work. This Tate refused to do, saying that he had made mining To- cation there and proposed to hold it. Mir. Norton then swore out warrant against the man at work, Ed. Conroy, charging him with trespass and mali cious mischief.
 The case was tried Tuesday evening before Justice Wilcox. The court room was crowded by an interested au- dience, as it was a matter of great inn portance, especially to the property owners on Main s-reet. MT. Norton was represented by J. NJ. O'CoDnell, and Conroy and Tate by c. T. Clark, lawyer who has recently come here from Globe. Mir. Norton testified that he had purchased the ground and had been in peaceable and undisputed pos session for sixteen years, and that the digging done by Conroy was damaging his property, as i: interfered with plans he had made for the erection of large building on the lot at an early day. MT Godfrey, neighbor, testified that to his knowledge MT. Norton had been in peaceable possession of the property over twelve years, and as to the nature of the excavation made by Conroy. Thomas Wright, a miner, testified that he had examined the excavation and found small mass of decomposed lime, silica and porphyry slightly stained with iron, but no further indications of mineral. Another miner testified in a similar manner as to the character of the formation where Conroy had been working.
 On Tate's behalf Conroy simply made the statement that he was put to work there by MT. Tate, that the ground was soft and could be easily removed with pick and shovel, and that his work was in the nature of cut into the side of the hill. Mir. Tate testified that he had observed whG he considered indica- tions of mineral at the point where he had put to COnroy to work and he had made mining location, believing that ] he had right so to do under the min , ing laws. He stated that the place / where the work was being done was composed of mass of decOmposed , lime, porphyry and iron stained with copper. He had not found any mineral in place because he had been stopped from prosecuting the search for it. i
 This closed the testimony, and the case was argued by the attorneys and submitted. Justice Wilcox found Con- roy guilty of trespass and fined him. Notice of appeal was immediately filed. This is the present status of the case. |
 To the REVIEW it looks as though this was an unwarranted attempt to grab very valuable piece of ground under technicality of law. It is to be hoped that the upper court will sustain Justice Wilcox in his just decision and thus quietus put on such attempts to unsettle titles.