Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-08-21
Land Fraud Charges Denied.

Idho FRAUD Shaf9es Oehieo.
In regard to the charges made that
the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company
is Involved in the coal land frauds.
says the Denver News. Judge ID. c.
Beaman, attorney for the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company. has made the
following statement:
"Yes. have read the newspaper re-
ports about land frauds In Routt coun-
~.
zone OF the most important is the
statement that some government OH
cial has said that II would cost the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company 81
500 900 to square It's accounts with the
land Office for the difference between
the amount paid for its lands entered
under the timber and stone act and
that which should have been paid II
entered as coal lands.
THE reporter and the hcadliner OF
the paper then note that general cSo-
dus of officials. clerks. etc. has or IN
about to take place In consequence.
II do not suppose that any govern
ment ofiicial made any such state
ment.
THE fact is that the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company does not now own
or claim to own. nor did II ever own.
= single acre OF land that was taken
up under the timber aud stone act.
Some of our lands-a very small
amount-were entered as homesteads
and preemptions twenty years or
more ago. when there was little doing
In or known about coal lands. Some
OF these have coal In and some not.
haI MI ha nd
were purchased by us Of the people
who owned them. and are used mostly
for coke ovens and other frontage pur-
poses. All our coal land. as well as
all our Iron lands, were lawfully nc-
quired. and we do not fear investiEa.
ton.
'As In many other cases meddlcrs
have protested. and some OF our pur-
chnscs have been investigated. but In
every case they have been found reg
ular and lawful. the complaints un-
founded. and the entries approved by
the secretary Of the interior.
There will be n lot Of newspaper
men leave Colorado before anybody
leaves on account Of unlawful acauisi-
tion OF land for US.
In Routt county. where We have
been charged with connivin. with Mr..
sands OF acres OF coal lands by forg-
Ing names of women and girls. this
company owns but $50. acres. part Of
II bought by us In 1898 and part In
1897. OF the men who had entered Il
some years before. II IL on the Snake
river. and Mr.. Moffat's road viii not
20 within thirty miles of Il. Aside
from this half section. the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company has no lands
In Routt county. nor IN II Interested
In any way In coal or other filings In
that county.
In fact. the company has not nc.
quircd or attempted TO acquire any
coal land for more than Ave years past
These alleged coal land frauds
bloom annually. The southern field
was exploited about this time last
year by the newspapers. and the most
awful results were predicted.
The reporters and correspondents OF
the Denver papers change about once
| year and new shift comes on that
knows little or nothing abou, the
| topography. geography or history of
the state. and they strike n cold trail
and write up n few columns. ninety
eight per cent. OF which is imnHina-
| tion.
'one has Just bobbed up at Ncwcas.
tie and writes to n Denver paper that
We closed our coal mine there because
there were so many stores that We
couldn't run n company store.
That mine was closed Ave years
ago. because conditions were such that
mining was too expensive. as We
thought. II remained for that CORE.
spondent TO make new discovery.
The whole story OF land frauds, so
| far rs the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com.
pany In concerned. may be disposed of
! by saying that whatever In these re.
/ ports Is important is untrue.
Il have also seen the statement
about the changes to take place at the
annual meeting. I don't know any.
thing about It. Ask some other news.
paper reporter. II he can't tell you.
then nobody knows"