Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-10-17
LOCKHART Wins
big Mine CASE
LITIGATION o. osEr Twelve
YEARS STANDING 10 At
LAST CLOSED.
Mine TO BE REOPENED
o~nersass - washington Nine Set
fisa-pstsey PespstFstsd fraud @"
fhs People who GFuhstaksa ram.

After twelv@ yesFs NJ rtlent5e@@
fighting HenFy I<ekhars has a ls~t
wya ont In tBs Washington snine case.
probably The greatest litigation FFe~
emanstIbg from the territory. Judge
Ire A. Abbott has made known his
cuneiastoD Ia the matter. after haV'
Ing had the case under advtsement
Tor more than tw0 ulgnths, Having
been Defore the courts Hf the terrftor
for u doxen years and twiee To the
supreme court Of the United States.
the people of New Mexico IRE almost
81 familiar wlth the details Of the
ease a. are parties 10 the suit. Tbs
property involved ID located In the Co
chit KoId mining district. which a
few years ago vas the scene Of much
activity and many are the tales told
Of fabulous wealth stored there. Tho
mountains of the district are gopheret
~ full Of holes IN n prairie dog towh
and from every hiu II brought gold
values. Al one time a stage left the
camp daily hearing pigs Of gold 10
the railroad 10 De shipped 10 the
mInts. This was the result Of the find.
Inn u n prospect by~a man by the
am of reikey. who had been grub.
staked by Henry lDckhart aud Ben
johnson. both we'll known residents
u Albuquerque, and strange Ia Sav.
among the very few Of the many who
have had to do with The mine and the
case attn alive.
While living on bacon. flour. sugar
and coffee furnished by Johnson and
~f0ckhart, PeIkcy discovered some
very rich ore In Hand canon. Hav.
Ing had considerable experience In
mining pelkey knew ut n glance that
be had made no ordinary discovery.
and unknown Ia the men who were
feeding him he had two assays made
Of the ore. One revealed a value al
$4,000 tn the ton and the other $4,000
Ia the ton. II was quite n find--toO
good for 10ckhart-so. according q
the findings II the court, he made
n deal with one Levi ualker 10 de-.
fraud IOckhart and johnson out uf
tho interest they we're justly entitled
to. according 10 the grubstake ron.
tract they had entered into with him
The scheme was simple. indeed.
I.ockhart and Johnson had Implicit
confidence In Pelkey and left II TO
him 10 have the claim. which had
been originally chItstened the Samp,
son. property filed upon mud the nec
hssaTy work don" 0n the property 10
make their holdings good Instead Of
intf,g this. Prlkoy. according 10 the
evidence. did not d." the necessary
assessment work aud let the original
claim 20 by default. When the nine
~ days had elapsed. PeIke>'a friend
filed on the property. calling II the
Washington This took place In 1898.
and the litigation which has Just
closed wAa begun shortly after that
time, but nut until after the mine had
IFen ol"n"d np b! a shaft lT feet
ittr and about 2,Utm feet If develop
meat work. and $1I.t"n worth II nI"
taken from ii I"for. an injunction
n'npl"I tn" work.
Al hnr time the luIt, d Sia'c~ MI
pt"mc rourt decided t',At I.nchlntt
who had purchased Iuhtmpn'N inter
"s' IN III" mine. had tnat the lcKa!
iii" 10 III" property, the defendants
t" the suit having secuted Il patent
Ia II but III" court iniimat"d In us
drCisi"n that h" might secure. an