The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-09
COAL LAND SUIT
IN FEDERAL court
II Seeks to Vacate Some of the
Miner Entries in
Carbon.
A LONG BILL FILED
AND RELIEF DEMANDED
RecitaIs of the Pleas, Which
Will Be Urged in the
Court.

Timely, pertinent and suggestive, in
view OF the much discussed present
GRAND Jury sitting, and bound to at
tract public attention, coming at inns
particular time, is the suit brought
against the Milner estate by the Undted
States. the bill of complaint being hled
late Monday afternoon with the Clerk
of the United States court and bearing
as prosecuting attorneys, the names or
Charles A. Bonaparte, United states
Attorney General. NJ, C. Barch and F.
NJ. MAYNARD. special assistant prose
cutting attorney, and Hyrum Booth,
United States District Attorney
for Utah The bill contests the right
Of the estate to certain valuable coal
lands living in Carbon county, and
names as defendants Truth A. Milner,
executrix of Stanley B. Miner, De
ceased Truth A. Milner, Harley Q. Mil
ner, Samuel H Gibson, Carbon County
Land company, corporation, and
Peter N Campbell, The bill is a long
and complicated one, and tells IN no
uncertain manner and in a direct;
specific way the history OF the alleged
frauds by which the land was obtained,
The prayer asks that the defendants
shall have DO right to the land in the
described bill of complaint; second,
that the court to decree that Ger
tain contracts, made between the de-
PENDANTS and the State of Utah, be
declared void; third, that the Carbon
County Land company shall have no
interest in the lands described by rea-
son of assignments and transfers, by
and of the defendands herein named;
fourth. that each defendant, and all,
be directed and decreed to surrender
up to the State of Utah, any and all
contracts and agreements they now
have with the State of Utah In regard
to said lands: and the bill prays that
an order be made by the court direct
ing Peter n. Campbell of Springfield,
| Mass. and Harley o. Miner OF Mil
| ner, Ida to appear and plead on a
| certain day, fixed by the court, and
| further asks that said Peter n. Camp.
| bell acquires no hen or claim on said
| premises by reason of any mortgages
| given to him by the Carbon County
| Land company.
Important Case.
That the case is most important
one, promising TO be bitterly contested,
| both by reason of rs bearing on recent
| developments in the coal land Investi-
cations, and also because of the value
of the land involved, is evident.
The bill also alleges that Samuel H.
ellison was induced by Miner to enter
into the scheme of obtaining these
lands. Milner, it says, paid for these
lands $!l9.25. and this sum is con
trasted against the formal valuation at
present Of 100000.
The time of the buying of these
lands is declared to have been Decem-
ber 10. 1900, long after the enabling
act was passed by Congress for Utah S
admission to Statehood. The land in
question, instead Of being of agricul.
tural use, Is cited by the complaint
as being rough and rocky, and utter
ly unfit for agriculture, but containing
valuable coal deposits. 1t was bought
for agricultural purposes, thus, il is
claimed, putting it into the fraudulent
ly-obtained class Of lands.
1t is declared, by those who are or
the inside, that this is one Of the first
rounds to be fought in the coal land:
fight, and the outcome will be watched
with interest by both sides. 1t is de
clared that the suit has been brought
because of evidence obtained during
grand jury Investigations; The forma
valuation places the value at 800,
600 and upward, but the amount in
volved ia said to be very much create