Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-09-21

session was A r. Abbott of Davenport
Ia, who gave his occupation as a prospec-
tor and miner. The witness said:
II am the party who sold the northwest
quarter OF section g. township q. range 102,
in Sweetwater county, Wyoming, to the
Superior or Union Pacific Coal company
and received therefor $1,000. This par
ticular piece of land had been previously
filed upon by one Frank Newton OF H6
South Water street, Denver, who was evil
IDENTIFY a fictitious person and who, with
fifteen other fictitious parties. had been in
duced to file on lands IN Sweetwater
county at. al believe. the instance Of the
Union Pacific Coal company. d. o. Clark
had land all about this particular quarter.
made the necessary declaratory statement
as coal prospect on the land paying the
50 fee and subscribed to the necessary
oaths. Y
Talked with No OmciaI.
had no conversation with any of the
Union Pacific officials before 1 made the
transfer of the land, this being done
through my agent, Warwick Saunders. AT
this time 1 was working as common
laborer in the Sioux City & Rock Springs
Coal company properties and had n small
interest therein. The proposition mat 1
put to- the parties who wanted to buy the
lands was a consideration Of $4,000 cash
and an, interest in the Sioux City mines
The Union Pacific people wanted my land
on the general principle that they objeeted
to the land being In such close vicinity to
their property being in the name Of one
not connected with their companies. They
also objected to all kinds OF roads running
through their vacant properties and posted
up notices that there was no thoroughfare
through these lands. BY so doing 1t gave
them an absolute monopoly OF the lands.
The same rule applied In their town prop
critics. l don't believe any man mob con-
nected with the company could buy a lot
in the town of Hanna.
started as Eaborsr.
II went to work for the Sioux CITY com
pany in May. 1903. No development work
was done on its property until 1 went onto
the ground. l worked under Jim Foote
as common laborer with pick and
shovel at $3.50 per day and board. be-
came foreman of the Sioux City & Rock
Springs company in the fall OF 1903. Some
times we worked two or three. men and
sometimes six or seven The land was
twenty-four miles from the land I owned
in sweetwater county. l made my own
investigation and first development work
on my land and was satisfied that coal was
there. / paid the 50 declaratory fees and
the s.. 300 for the quarter when proved up
/ borrowed the 1920 from w. II. Kaniff
who was secretary OF the Sioux City COM
pany. Saunders acted as the intermediary
between me and the Union Pacific Coal
company. The terms l made were $4,000
as a cash bonus and fourth interest in
the interest that the directors OF the Sioux
City & Rock Springs Coal company had in
that property. The only names of the
directory that can remember were W. H.
Kanir. warwick Saunders and W. d,
Aosher made the transfer OF the land
TO the Union Pacific Coal company and
got my s13 900. which Saunders paid to me,
as had sold TO Saunders direct. The
$500 7 paid to Kanlff for what | owed
him for the money borrowed. Kaniff is
not connected with the company now. but
believe Saunders is"
Fees on All IAnd. l,
Frank d. Brown, local treasurer Of the
Union Pacific Railroad company. produced
a memora ndum in which II was shown from
vouchers that from July ?. 1902, to March
g. 1904 he had paid 10 the receivers and
registers of the local land ONCE at Evans
ton, wyo. as local fees On ali lands Sl4.lsS
and TO the local land ofiieers at Cheyenne.
Wyo.. from February 2, 1902, to October IA.
1904 s5.0ss for the same purpose. All Of
these payments were on Union Pacific land
department vouchers. He had also paid
during that period. or during the last four
years. to d. o. Clark $4,000 for the pur-
chase Of lands.
Warwick Saunders was recalled. He said :;
THE Sioux City & Rock Springs Coal
company had nothing 10 do with the Abbott
land selection in Horse Thief canon. The
company paid no money to Kanih "a nay
TO Abbott. Kaniff borrowed the money"
Cross examined by Mr.. Baldwin, Mr
Saunders said:
"Kaniff did Il in the interest Of the Sioux
City Rock Springs Coal company.
Commissioner Prouty declared the lnvesti-
CATION adjourned to 10 o'clock Monday
morning September "A. az Salt Lake City.
where the commission will cit two days.
continuing this same investigation. Thurs
day and Friday, September n snd q, the
invesffaatton will he continued AT Denver