The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-12-11
CARS BUT NO COAL
Rates Granted by Railroads
Have Little Effect.
HARTMAN AND NDGOuD|NO|cTED
Union Pacific Throttles Composition
and Used Dummy Locators to
Secure Coal Lands

| A railroad official who was in
Athena Saturday made the statement
that the railroads could make rates
galore, but the rates would not bring
coal to the fuel famine districts. He
reiterated the oft repeated statement
that his company had cars in plenty
to handle coal shipments. but there
was no coal to be had.
In relation to the above statement
the following dispatch from Salt Lake
City may be of interest to Press read
ers:
Salt Lake, Dec. 7.-With the in
dictment of Hartman and Gould
Railroad and coal corporations and
their officials, the federal grand jury
began the work of bringing to Justice
the men who are accused of stealing
thousands of acres of coal land in
Utah and Wyoming and using their
connection with the railroads to estab-
lish monopoly of coal mining and
dealing in the inter mountain country.
i AS in other states where indictments
have been found for land frauds, the
grand jury has aimed at the principals
in the conspiracy and has let the dunn
mics through whom the land was OBJ
tanned 60 free, provided they made
clean breast OF the affair. The only
suspected dummies indicted are two
men who denied the charge before the
grand jury. These are indicted for
perjury.
| These indictments are only the first
in what may prove to be long series
for the grand jury is to resume it's
inquisition soon after Christmas.
| The grand jury's partial report was
made to the United States district
Judge. John A.. Marshall. The indict-
ment against the Hartman companies
embraces the Union Pacific, the Ore
gon Short Line, the Union Pacific Coal
company, Everett Buckingham, gen.
eral superintendent of the Oregon
Short Line, and man named Moore.
The indictment charges violation Of
the interstate commerce law, alleging
discrimination against d. J. Sharp. a
coal dealer in Salt Bake City, who was
forced out of business after he had cut
prices charged by other dealers in coal.
The indictment against the repre-
sentatives of the Gould interests en-
braces the Utah Fuel company II. e..
Williams, general manager of this
company; Robert Forester, the COM
pany's geologist; w. r. Foster, sere
tary to Robert Forester; Alexander
M. Cowie, general manager of the
company's Wasatch store. at Sunny
side, Utah; Elroy N. CLARK, the Utah
Fuel company's attorney at Denver,
and George A. Moore. the company IS
agent at Denver. They are charged
with defrauding and attempting to de-
fraud the United States government.
the charges being based on the meth
ods pursued in acquiring title to coal
lands in Utah
II Benchiwarrants for the arrest of the
persons accused in the two indictments
! were issued. Bonds in the case of
each individual were fixed at $4,000.
! Theodore Schultz, an employe of an
insurance firm, and Thomas A. Moore,
) abstractor in the county recorder g
Office, are indicted for perjury COM
mitted before the grand jury. Both
were arrested tonight and released on
$4,000 bail. The charge of perjury,
it is believed, grows out of the belief
of the grand jury. that tie men acted
as land 'locators for the Utah Fuel
\ company but refused to admit the fact
when examined as witnesses The
other defendants have not been for.
mally arrested, but have arranged
\ with their attorneys to appear before
tomorrow morning and give bond fol
their appearance at any time desig
4 | mated.
After the indictments had been re
! turned, bench warrants had been is
sued and the grand jury bad adjourn
ed until the first Monday in January
: Assistant Attorney General Maryland
\ stated that when the grand jury re
convenes after the holidays, the in
QUESTION will be resumed. The in
dictments returned today, be sale
mark only the beginning of the gov
erRment's neutrality-suspicious. in UtaI
and Wyoming, and the violations Of
law alleged in these indictments ar
only incidents of gigantic system O.
fraud that has been in operation in thu
west for many years.
4 The indictments against the Utai
4 Fuel company and the six agents O.
that company is based on the methods
4 used in acquiring about 400 acres O
1 coal land in Sewer county, Utah. Tb,
L land was fled on in March. 1905. Il
a statement made this afternoon Mr.
1 Maynard outlined the methods alleges
to have been pursued, as stated by wit
E nesses called before the grand jury.
b Robert Forester, geologist an
mining expert of the Utah Fuel com
E pany. is alleged to haye been charge
with the actual direction of the me
who fled on the lands. After Fore.
4 ter had prospected the grornd. Georg
? A. Moore, the, Utah Fuel company