The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-01-17
MIllIONAIRfS MADE IN A nav
DECISION HANDED DOWN nv u,,.
UNITED STATES SUPREME
COURT.
CREATES A GREAT SfNSATlM
A SHARP QUESTION DIyrprs
WEALTH FROM THE MIME.
sofa IRON COMPANY.

Duluth, Jan. lathe decision a. ".
United States supreme court in the ,ass
of the Midway company against Fra,,
Eaton, which was yesterday in
Duluth, created quite a sensation, ana
well 1t might, for it is not every dav
even here, that three m~illionaires are
created in a single day.
The decision, which confirms the deaf.
sion of Former Judge s.. III. Moer OF In.
district court of Duluth and the supreme
court of Minnesota, makes Frank "
Eaton. Leonidas Merritt and Richard n
Pagan Of Duluth and George ]. Lonstorf
son of the late Nicholas Lonstorf Of MI.
waukee, each of them millionaires bv a
comfortable margin. These gentlemen
are the owners in fee simple of the "a,
acres in 30-60-11 involved in the case, and
it is worth from six to eight million dol.
lars, according to the estimate of ONT of
the men who will profit by the decision.
The decision lifts Frank w. Eaton from
the everyday life of a man of compare
lively small wealth to the pinnacle Of AZ.
fiuence. His share will be considerable
more han 81, OOO. 900. The report that he
has relinquished his interests and allowed
them to become hedged about in such a
manner that he will realize little or 10th.
ing
II Denied by Him
and his associates. Tonight a COMPANY
of his friends assembled in front OF his
house at Mesaba avenue and Third
street n let go a big bunch OF fire.
works. The neighbors of the Eaton fam
lily were much pleased and cheered the
demonstration. Mr.. Eaton was pleased
and somewhat embarrassed.
Leonidas Merritt was already in com
circumstances, as was Mr.. Fa-
gan. Mr.. Merritt, six or eight years age,
was a millionaire twice over. but met
with which the public Il. ia.
miliar. This is his second experience at
acquiring a million dollars, but it is the
first time for Pagan and Eaton. Mr..
Eaton says he has no plans matured for
the future.
Section 30 lies three miles east OF Ely.
1t contains a large deposit of high-grade
red hematite ore. 1t has been in litiga-
ton for the past eighteen years. 1t has
run the gamut OF the land department
and the courts, inc il is m that
the cost of the litigation and other ex-
penses incident to it has amounted to
81 900, 900.
In 1883 Edward Byrne was head ex-
plorer for the Minnesota Iron company
and Joe Clement was his packer. There
was no railroad to the ranges in those
and 1t was a five-day trip each way
and from the Vermilion range. One
day in the year mentioned Byrne and
Clement discovered the now
Famous Section 30.
They had not been out very long, and
they showed up at the local Office
Of the Minnesota Iron company in Duluth
the local officials were surprised to see
them.
III. F. Thompson was solicitor for the
and. seeing Byrne enter, eX-
claimed: "What are you doing here, old
Do you think the company pays
you to run back and forth on the train?
The words were not intended to be harsh.
and were spoken more in surprise than
anything, but Byrne, burdened with his
great secret, was sensitive to the mark,
turned and left the office wl-out a
word. He never worked for the company
again, and turned the minutes of the a
to some Of the parties who have just
won the long-drawn-out litigation.