Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-08
TWO LINES INDICTED
Hartman and Gould Companies
Must Answer in Court
FOR COAL LAND FRAUDS
Discrimination Against Certain Ship
pers Among the Charges.
WARRANTS FOR HIGH OFFICIALS
Only the Beginning of Governments
Probing in Utah and Wyoming
of Gigantic Frauds.
WARRANTS FOR HIGH OFFICIALS

SALT LAKE CITY, December S.-Indict-
ments were returned yesterday afternoon
against the Union Pacific Railroad 'om-
pany, the Oregon Short Line Railroad Com
pany. the Union Pacific Coal Company the
Utah Fuel Company anu several of the
highest officials representing the Hartman
and Gould corporations in Utah, by the
federal grand jury that is investigating coal
land frauds in Utah, and charges that rail-
road corporations have Disseminated
against certain shippers
The indictment against the Hartman
companies embraces the Union Pacific,
Oregon Short Line, the Union Pacific Coal
Company. Everett Buckingham, general SUI
perintendent of the Oregon Short Line, and
T. ]. Moore, general agent in Salt Lake of
the Union Pacific Coal Company. The il
dictment charges violation of the interstate
commerce law alleging discrimination
against D. 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.
Charge Land Frauds.
The Indictment against the representa-
tives of the Gould interests embraces the
Utah Fuel Company, H. G. Williams gen
eral manager of this company; Robert For
ester, Alexander M. Cowie, general man.
ager of the company's Wasatch store, at
Sunnyside, Utah; Elroy N. Clark. the Utah
Fuel CompanyS attorney at Denver. and
George A. Moore the company's agent at
Denver. They are charged with defrauding
and attempting to defraud the United
States government. the charges being based
on the methods pursued in acquiring title to
coal lands in Utah.
Bench warrants for the arrest of persons
accused in the two Indictments We're issued
Bonds in the case of each individual ac
cused were fixed at $1,000
The grand jury also indicted two men for
paying Theodore Schultz, employee of an
insurance firm, and Thomas A. Moore, abb
stractor In the county recorders Office.
Both were arrested last night and released
on $3.50 bail. The charge grows out of
the belief of the grand jury that the men
acted as land locaters for the Utah Fuel
Company and refused to admit the fact
when examined as witnesses.
Gigantic System Of Fraud.
After the grand jury had adjourned AS
sistant Attorney General Maynard stated
that when 1t reconvenes the inquisition will
be resumed The indictments returned yes
terday, he said, mark only the beginning of
the governments probing in Utah and Wy
oming, and the violations of laws alleged
in these indictments are only incident of
a gigantic system of fraud that has been in
operation In the west for many years.
Company and the six agents of that COM
pany is passed on the methods used in ac-
curing about 1.4O0 acres of coal lands in
Sewer county, Utah The lands were filed
on March "A, 1905.
Robert Forester, geologist and mining
expert of the Utah Fuel Company, is al
legged to have been charged with the &C
tual 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
dug an excavation exposing the coal de-
posits Dummy" locators were the, se-
cured to make filings on the claims. These
were mostly young men, who were each
paid S.. their expenses to and from the
lands and So per diem while they were en-
ployed in entering the claims. There was
an explicit understanding that the claims
were to be conveyed to the Utah Fuel Com
pany or its agents.
The men were taken upon the lands, the
coal deposits were shown to them and
Immediately they flied on the lands with
application papers made out by the com
Maj Bird has since died. All the entries
to the ], 400 acres were made on the same
date.
On each of the claims payment of 600
to the government was necessary. Loans
for this amount were made by various per-
sons. The government prosecutors charge
that the persons from whom the loans
were secured were mere agents of the coal
company. April A. 1905, the coal lands
were transferred to Frank A. Calkins. Mr..
Calkins is father-in-law of e. N. Clark. the
Denver attorney against whom an indict-
ment was returned yesterday.
In November following Calkin1. In news