Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-27
SERIOUS CHARGEs MADE.

With reference TO the investigation
now going on In this city in the coal
land cases, the following special dis
patch from Washington, d. c.. will be
read with considerable interest.
Afiidayits are on file with the governs
ment here and have been called
to the attention OF President
Roosevelt charging that the gil
gantic land frauds whereby the
Union Pacific Railroad company
and the Union Pacific Coal company
secured Illegally coal lands In the state
OF Wyoming valued at many millions Of
dollars were perpetrated with the full
knowledge OF the government land Of
flee, II not with It's connivance, and
were known If not tacitly assented TO,
by the department Of the interior.
Tho afildayits are made by Artemus
J. Smith OF Smith & Bradbury, dealers
In mines and mining at Denver.
The papers are supplemental to pc
ttlon ana other aflidavits which were
filed by Smith at the land office OF
Washington early In 1903, and they
mako demand upon the department
to start proceedings for the recovery
OF all the sequestered lands.
The charges made by Smith are sem
satiohal al the sxtrdihe and call into
question the integrity OF William A.
Richards, government land commits
sloner. and OF others high In the en-
ploy OF the government
CAUSE OF INVESTIGATION.
II was the knowledge OF the earlier
charges made by Smith which led 10
the investigation OF the interstate COM
merce commission recently at Omaha,
Salt Lake City and Denver, and by
which fraudulent land deals OF great
magnitude were uncovered.
In pursuing the investigation tho In
terstote commerce commission was ex-
ceedingly careful not to uncover the
fact that these steals and all the details
called with them, together with names
and dates and amounts paid for alleged
perjury, had been In tie possession OF
the department OF the interior for more
than three years. Acting under the
suggestion OF government officials, the
commission carefully avoided exposing
or making all attack upon coordinate
branch OF the government.
Emboldened by the disclosures OF tho
commission. Smith has again appealed
TO the department of the interior for
Justice, declaring that he has q pros
pectiye interest In the lands In question,
and that he desires to assert and pro-
tect his interest.
Smiths charges may be summarized
as follows:
That on Nov. 81, 1908. he placed
before the department of the interior
facts and data and offered to prove, II
given the opportunity, that q vast
acreage of land had and still was be-
Ing stolen from the government, and
that little or no attention was paid
TO his petition.
CHARGES sUBsrANTIATED.
That, after inslstant demands and
repeated charges, NJ. u, Myendorff,
special agen, OF the land department,
made an investigation In the Evans
ton district Of Wyoming, which sub
stantiated the charges.
That Immediately thereafter. Myen-
dorff was transferred permanently to
Los Angeles.
That Smith again protested and fur
nished additional facts. making his ap-
peal directly to the secretary Of the
interior, and that the latter official or
dered an investigation made by tho
land commissioner
That on Dec. 20, 1906, star cham
Der Investigation YVES made at Evans
ton, Wyo., during which only witnesses
IN the employ Of the Union Pacific
Coal company were called, and that
said witnesses were secretly heard.
That almost Immediately after this
hearing, and on the very day the de-
partment received n determined pro-
test from Smith, together with sub
Stimulating facts, patents were issued
to stolen lands valued at mora than
100000.
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