Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-08
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SMALL DEALER
General superintendent Buckingham and
Local Agents Also Indicted,
CHARGES AGAINST UTAH FUEL COMPANY
OmciRls OF Gould Corporation Accused
of Securing Titles TO Mineral
Lands by Irregular and
Unlawful Methods.


SALT LAKE CITY. Dec. THE federal
grand jury investigating coal land frauds
I'm Utah and charges that railroad corpora
tons have Disseminated against certain
shippers made partial report this after
noon. Indictments were returned against
the Union Pacific Railroad company, the
oregon Short Line Railroad company, the
Union Pacific Coal company the Utah Fuel
company and several Of the highest officials
representing the Hartman and Gould in
terests in Utah and Idaho. The indictment
against the Hartman companies embraces
| the Union Pacific, oregon short Line, the
! Union Pacific Coal company, Everett Buck
/ ingham, general superintendent Of the
/ oregon Short Line, and J. NJ. Moore, gem
| eral agent in Salt Lake City OF the Union
! Pacific Coal company The indictment
! charges violation of the Interstate Com
merce law, alleging discrimination against
| ID. J. Sharp, a coal dealer in Salt Lake
City, who was forced out of business after
he had cut prices below the prices charged
/ by other dealers in coal.
Gould interests Involved.
The Indictment against the representatives
of the Gould interests embraces the Utah
Fuel company, H. G. Williams general
]
the company's geologist; w. r. Foster.
secretary to Robert Forester Alexander NJ
Cowie general manager Of the company's
Wasatch store az Sunnysde, Utah. Elroy
/ N Clark, the Utah Fuel company's attor-
ney at Denver, and George A. Moore, the
companys agent at Denver. They arc
charged with defrauding and attempting to
defraud the United States government, the
charges being based on the methods pur-
sued in acquiring title to coal lands in
/ Utah.
Bench warrants for the arrest of the
persons accused in the two indictments
were issued Bonds in the case of each
individual accused was fixed at 5000
Fred r. Maynard OF Washington, as
sistant attorney general, who has been
conducting the investigation before the
grand jury, is authority for the statement
that two other indictments charging per-
jury before the grand jury have been re-
turned. The names of the persons accused
in these indictments are withhelds
Only the beginning.
After the indictments had been returned
and bench warrants had been issued. the
grand jury adjourned until the first
Monday in January. Assistant Attorney
General Maynard stated that when the
grand jury reconvened after the holidays
the inquisition will be resumed. The in
dictments returned today, he said, mark
only the beginning Of the governments
probing operations in Utah and Wyoming,
and the violations of laws alleged in these
indictments are only incidents of gigan-
tic system Of fraud that has been in opera
tion in the west for many years.
The indictment against the Utah Fuel
company and the six agents of that COM
pany is based on the methods used in ac-
quiring about 1,4OO acres of coal lands in
Sewer county, Utah. The lands were filed
on in March, 1905.
Methods of Securing Titles.
Robert Forester geologist and mining
expert of the Utah Fuel company, is al
legged to have been charged with the actual
direction of the men who filed on the lands.
After Forester had prospected the ground.
George A. Moore. the Utah Fuel company's
agent in Denver, went over the numerous
claims and on each one caused to be dug
an excavation exposing the coal deposits.
Dummy" locators were then secured to
make filings on the claims These were
mostly young men. who were each paid
IS. their expenses to and from the lands
and 50 per diem while they were employed
in entering the claims. There was an ex-
plicit understanding in advance that the
claims were 70 be conveyed to the Utah
Fuel company or its agents.
These dummies were taken upon the
lands the uncovered coal deposits were
shown to them and Immediately they filed
on the lands with application papers made
out by the company's attorney. Major VIII
liam II. Bird Major Bird has since died.
All the entries to the 1,4OO acres involved
we're made on the same date March "a,
1906.
I ror aaob 90 tbo ,t,tr,s th,,, .oo,,r,A 4.
was necessary that a payment of 100
should be made to the government. Loans
for this amount were made by various
persons. The government prosecutors
charge that the persons from whom tho
loans were secured were mere agents Of
the coal company.
On April T. 1896, the coal lands were
transferred to Frank A, Calkins. MI
CallIins is father-ln-law Of e. N. Clark
the Denver attorney against whom an in
dictment was returned today.
Lands Advertised for Sale.
Before these transfers were made Mr.
Calkins, accompanied by Attorney Clark
wen. over the lands, making a pretense
OF respecting them. In the November fol-
lowing Calkins, in newspapers Of Salt Lake
City. advertised his coal lands for sale
1 From Calkins the lands were transferred
10 Frank b. Cook mining man Of salt
Lake City. The lands now stand IN Cook s
name. The allegation Of the governments
attorneys is that Cook holds the lands IN
trust for the Utah Fuel company
, The allegation is made that just before
? the lands we're advertised for sale by
, Calkins report was made to the land de-
partment at Washington by Special Agent
Love, who charged fraud and colusion In
the locating OF the claims. Information
that such things had been made by Special
Agent Love is alleged to have reached the
persons involved before the transfer 10
Cook was made.
Charge Against Hartman Lines.
The Indictment against the Hartman rail-
roads and the Union Pacihc Coal company
and the two oficials Of these companies
Is based on alleged unlawful discrimination
! against the ID. j. sheTp Coal company. Mr..
: sharp recently told his story before Inter