The San Francisco call., 1907-06-26
FEDERAL CHIEFS COMING
To STATE WILL PROBE
LAND CRABS IN PLUNAS
Garfield and Ballinger to
Investigate Frauds in
Northern County
AUBURY GETS FACTS
State Mineralogist Says
That He Has Evidence
of Big Swindles

An apprehensive thrill is likely TO
shoot through the consciousness of a
large number Of the citizens OF Plumas
county when it is announced that Sec
retarv Garfield Of the interior depart
Ynent and Commissioner Ballinger OF
the general land Office of the United
states will arrive in California next
month. and that they viii inquire
into the land grabbers' operations in
Plumas.
l. +. Aubury. state mineralogist, said
Yesterday that he had heard that Com
missioner Ballinger already was on the
way TO this coast
That is excellent news for the
miners Of California" said Aubury.
"An I want TO show is that the land
grabbing has been done on an enor-
nous scale. and the presence of the
secretary and the land commissioner
viii furnish d great opportunity to pre-
sent the facts 10 the highest authori-
ties"
when Aubury was asked how he in
tended to show the facts he replied
that there were many sources OF re-
liable information, and that the data
that had been gathered ofhcially was
Of the conclusive sort
Il have many affidavits in my pos
session that were made by men who
live in Plumas county and who know
the facts" said Aubury. Then, have
seen other afidavits in the hands Of
Others. which I have been permitted
70 read. and which are available at
any time.
some Of these afidavits were gath
cred by secret service men. Others
were got by special agents, whose
names have not appeared yet 1t is
entirely possible to bring before Sec
retsry Garfield and Commissioner Bal
linEer a score or more OF witnesses
who could not be impeached, and
whose testimony would be conclusive
] hope to be able to get r chance to
present testimony OF the highest sort
TO the secretary and the land commls-
sioner. A hearing might be held in
the state mining bureau or at any
other point convenient 10 the govern
ment officials.
II have written letters recently to
Secretary Garfield, informing him of
the situation" continued Aubury. "All
general knowledge could be supple
mented at once with a great mass OF
easily substantiated details of the most
convincing sort There are two re-
ports that I have caused to be made
those of Stevens and Edman- Then,
there are other reports by the geo
logical survey, by secret service agents
and others am ready to get the
will welcome the chance that will
prabably be afforded next month, when
Secretary Garfield and Commissioner
Ballinger arrive in this city.
7 can show. said Aubury, that
the fraudulent acts by which mineral
lands have been acquired. by taking
the nonminerai af1davits, represent
great sums of money / can show
that money has been directly passed
by some Of the greatest timber grab
bers on the North American continent
10 dummy locaters. 1t can be shown
by the confessions of many Of those
who have acted as dummies just how
the business has been transacted. There
need be no omission in the chain Of
proof nor in the completeness Of the
showing from every and all points of
view
Aubury also said that the only pur-
pose that he had in view was to pro-
tect the miners Of California Some
newspapers in the interior Of the state
have claimed that he (Aubury) had
been finally defeated in the after Of
retaining seven townships in Plumas
county in the Plumas forest reserve.
1T all rests with the government,
which shall have all the facts that can
be required" he said Aubury also said
that be understood that the special
agent upon whose report the commits
sioner of the general land office moved
10 have the seven Plumas townships
thrown open was neither a mining en-
gineer nor q mineralogist, and prob
ably had no expert knowledge of min
erals