Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-10-26
Employed By Fed
eral Agents to Sc
cure Indictments
HINTS JURY WAS PACKED"
Sensational Interview By
Prominent New Mexico At
torney in FL Paso Paper.

That court officials were removed
at the instigation of assistant United
States attorneys, and that a grand
jury was chosen at Santa Fe primarily
for the purpose of securing men who
would act implicitly upon the sugges.
tions of these special agents of the
government In returning indictments.
that suggestions were made about
nesses by these attorneys and thar
the savage attacks upOn men who are
known as foremost in the world Of
science and charity, Is in keeping with
the sensational mode Of procedure j."
a morbid desire 10 indict any and
everybody who has purchased lands
from the Territory of New Mexico, is
the substance of statement made
this city last night by Judge w. A.
Hawkins, counsel for the Phelps.
, Dodge interests"
The foregoing is the Introductory
paragraph of an interview with Mr..
Hawkins which was published IN
THURSDAYS FL Paso Times. Mr. Haw
l1ins is quoted at length in connection
with the recent grand jury investiga
tion in this city which resulted in the
returning OF a blanket indictment
against officials of the Phelps-Dodge
company and others whom 1t Is
charged were associated with them in
an alleged conspiracy to defraud the
United States out of coal lands in San
Juan county.
Lack of space in todav's New Mexi-
can forbids the re-publishing Of Mr..
Hawkins interview in full, but as 1t
is of interest throughout the Terri
tory in view Of the present federal In.
| vestigations a synopsis OF 1t is here
with given. Says the Times in part:
Synopsis Of Interview.
"Judge Hawkins returned yesterday
from Santa Fe, New Mexico He was
requested by the Times to make a
statement with reference to the in
Idietments found against certain part
/ les alleged to be employees Of the
|Phelps-Dodge company. and also
against the members of the firm. re
Gently at Santa Fe In reply to this
quest. Mr.. Hawkins stated:
Tn this instance am going to de.
part from the usual rule which gov
erns all attorneys under which they
do not fight their law cases In the
newspapers, I am going to do this be-
cause of the fact that these indict.
ments constitute an attack upon the
character and reputation of many
prominent men, who have for a
great number Of years been known as
foremost not only in business enter
prises. but in works of charity and ad
vancement of the highest class Of citi
Izenship, and the preservation of the
laws of the country in every way pos
sible.
Attack On Characters Of Prominent
Men.
I refer to the members composing
the firm Of Phelps, Dodge and Com
lpany The indictments also constitute
an attack upon the character and rep
Iutation of such men as DR.. James
Douglas and DR.. l.. d. Ricketts,, who
are eminent in science and who are
most directly known to the people Of
this section Of the country in the great
development work which has been car
ried on by them, as the lieutenants
and officers of the Phelps-Dodge COM
pany; and also an attack upon the
character of a great many young men
of Arizona, who have affiliated with
these gentlemen in their work--to say
nothing of the embarrassment and un-
just notoriety given to the names OF
the ladies of DR.. Ricketts, family, in.
cluding an aged mother and an invalid
sister.
Drag Attorneys Into Case.
BY these indictments, also, it Is
sought to involve one or two attor
neys, land surveyors and others.
whose connection with the whole mat
ter was as remote as possible, and
who have acted in this instance, as
has been customary in thousands Of
similar instances in which the devel-
opment of coal fields has been sought,
and who have in no way made proof
or statement, the truth of which the
government questions
Mr.. Hawkins then calls attention to
the act of congress which provides the
methods by which coal lands on the
public domain may be acquired, after
which he referred to the unusual prac-
tice Of discharging members Of the
grand jury as was done here with no
explanation by the court.