Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1905-02-11
,,u1Au RESERVATION CRAFTS.

~. 11intah reservation is going to be
,,..,o less than a farce. The paper
ntards that the 100000 acres of
-,ou,tural lands will be allotted to
sso indians. leaving but little for the
tn ..,or who wants a farm, while the
.,noral lands will be in the posses
n,on of two companies, which have
;nGuenced members OF both houses
Of congress, officers of the department
Of the interior, both at Washington
and the reservation, for the benefit Of
the members thereof.
these companies referred to above
ore tbe Florence Mining company, ana
the Raven Mining company. The first
was Incorporated in the state of New
Jersey. February 20, 1899, by Thomas
r Lennon, Frank Farrell, Ernest T.
charles, w. S. Potwin, Charles F.
p6ster. Leroy d. Thompson, George
F Timms, T. H. Anderson, William j.
Word, and Chas. N. King. Pfister was
tbe first president. Afterwards, and
presumably for the purpose of secur-
ing influence with the administration,
william L. Word, of the Republican
National committee, was elected as
director; the late Henry G. Payne,
postmaster-general, was elected presi-
dent and Benjamin b. Odell, governor
of New York, was made treasurer.
The Raven came into existence about
the same time and the membership is
practically the same.
It was then, according to the Post,
that the company began to make an
effort to shut out every one else from
the possession of the valuable claims
of elaterite, gilsonite and asphalt
which are to be found on the reserva-
ton. The work began in 1899, when
T. A. Byrnes, agent at White Rocks,
discovered that parties from Salt Lake
City, Vernal and other places had To-
Gated claims to the extent of 5000
acres, established a mining district,
began building roads and the erection
of houses. This would never do,
though Mr.. Byrnes, who was a crea-
ture OF the Florence company, accord
ing to the Post, sent William G.. Swan
son, the agency clerk, and Judge J. T.
Mcconnell, agency farmer, to drive
these men out. The agency police force
was sent with them; the men were
drlven out. and their houses destroyed,
lhelr stakes pulled up and all trace
OF their locations effaced. Then houses
were RACED and the little settlement
was eftaced. The Post declares that
thls action gave Mcconnell and Swan
son an idea of the locations and en-
apled them to afterward stake out the
eialms In behalf of the Florence Min
ing company. 1t says Mcconnell was
very Vigilant in keeping his eyes on
people who came to the reservation
a,terWard, and when a man who look
Gu ike prospector showed up, he
was promptly elected, or else McCon-
him. Win
FINALLY Mcconnell, according to the
post, secured the services of w. A.
ny 10y a sort of mining expert from
T. 10 draw up lease with the
rnuians' About twenty of the head
nn OF the tribe signed it in Febru-
tb o 1875 This lease was assigned to
cne, american Asphalt company, which
Liu,npanys members believed they had
rann iense deposits of asphalt on the
o cSseivation. The elaterite was a sec
tho consideration with them. but
NJ , man who perfected the process
=, tuissolYlng it and working it into
in "a was getting out patents, and
ceiuoS sNorI tlme he succeeded and re-
portion on assignment of the elaterite