The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-12-04
FIVE INDICTED
FOR LAND FRAUDS-UNION
PACIFIC RAILROAD AND
OFFICIALS
DISCOVERIES of Coal Driven Out by
Force and Threats and Fuel
Company Fostered by Re-
bates on Rio Grande
Road.

KOaQ.
Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 3d.
It is understood that the Federal
gtald jury, now hearing testimony
concerning the gigantic grab of coal
ana timber land by railroads and
coal companies, has voted to return
indictments against the Union Pa
cific Railroad Company, the Ore
gon Short Line, the Union Pacific
Coal Company, and two officials of
these companies will be included
when the indictments are returned.
1t is SAID thebills would have been
reported out before this, but the
government officials are waiting to
hear additional evidence at Pueblo
and Denver next week. j.
The indictments will charge the
defendants with fraud in obtaining
government land by subornation
! of perjury in hiring persons 10
sWea that they were making entry
upon the land for their own person
al use, and then turning them over
to the companies.
A brother of a United States SEN
ator, who, 1t is said, was implicated
In these dealings, was pnwittingly
permitted to testify, thereby secur-
Ing an immunity bath.
The dramatic story of the fight
for the Sunnyside mines, the richest
mining camp'in the entire state of
Utah, was told before the interstate
commerce commission here today.
It was the story Of hopeless,
truthless, pitlless and one.sided
struggle between the man without
| money ON the one side aud organ
ltzsd millions on tie other. tt was
ftne sort OF relentless power of cor
porations exercised to the fullest
extent to prevent the original dis
coverers and possessors of the vast
riches of the Sunnyside district
from eojoying the fruits of their en-
terprise and labor.
The tale is said to aptly illustrate
the methods whereby corporate In
terests and corporate green have
succeeded in establishing monop.
oily of the coal industry of the en-.
tire West. As told before the com.
mission, the story finds no parallel
unless it be in the methods used by
the Standard OIL Company to throt.
tie competion and to maintain mo
nopoly. Incidentally it throws q
strong light upon the general Goa
famine from which the state O
Utah and other portions of the Yves
| are now suffering severely, mo
nol o.y-made famine.
This publ Indictment, comm,
from the mouths of witnesses wh,
had fought with the system" ant
who had suffered irreparable de
feat, went unchallenged by the cor
porations against whom it was di
rected and unanswered, except b,
protest and objection of attorneys
When asked it they desired to in
troduce testimony to refute th
charges which which witnesse
brought against them, attorneys fo
the Denver & Rio Grande railroad
the Rio Grande Western railroad
ths Utah Fuel Company and th
Pleasant Valley Coal Company stat
ed tnat they had substantially moth
ing to offer.
George T. Holiday told a dra
matic story of how be WAS drive,
from the Sonnyside mines. He wa
the discoyerer and rightful owne
of this tremendous iwealth, bu
by devious method, all crooked, b
was eventually dispossessed. Hi
allegations went unchallenged b
the attorneys for the railroads an
coal companies. Squatters we,
sent to the lands and be was dri,
en- off with rifles when hs returned
His standing with the New Yor
Surety Company was destroyed, s
that he could not find empioymeo
He finally sold out, received 500
for property Mhich today Is supper
ing 5000 people and paying +no
NOUS dividends to the company.
Arthur w. Sweet told how tt
Utah Fuel Company had wrecke
him. He. owned valuable coal Ian
which be finally sold for $4,000
This witness said that the telegrap
wires were -elayed through the o
ices Of the Fuel company, and a
messages of interest to the compan
were copied and submitted to il
officers.
Charles A. Livingstone and otl