Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-11
BIG COAL CLAIMS AT STAKE
Contests Involving 10000 Acres Be-
gins Friday at Lander.
ILLEGAL ENTRY IS CHARGED
sixty-FOuF Prominent New Workers
Accused OF Taking Up MinernI
Claims for Benefit Of Two
Corporations.


CHEYENNE, wyo.. Feb. 1O.-tspeciall-
Contest cases involving rearly 10000 acres
Of valuable coal lands in Big Horn county,
Wyoming. valued at S1.5OO.OOO, will begin
Friday in highlander Nvyo.j United States
land office, when sixty-four defendants aD'
pear TO answer to ummcn tiled by the
government; The cases, which are the
most important ever heard before a land
office IN this. state. have attracted wide
attention, not only on account of the large
values involved, but also because some OF
New York's most prominent men are In
volved either as operators of the coal
mines or entrymen on the coal lands,
which the government alleges have been
filed upon illegally.
The cases involve $500 acres of rich coal
lands lying in the Gebo and Lander coal
districts in Big Horn county, Wyoming,
which the government alleges have been
filed upon by false and dummy entrymen
in a conspiracynto defraud the government
for the benefit Of the owl Creek Coal
company and the northwestern Coal COM
pany, which are rumored to be connected
with the Burlington railroad.
Value Million and n Half.
Government experts have appraised these
lands at a valuation Of $3.50 per acre, which
would make the total valuation involved
in the cases nearly $1,5O0.0O0.
The cases now on trial nave grown out
OF investigations which the government
has been making for tbs last three years
into the alleged fraudulent entries made
on these lands In 1905, both criminal and
civil actions having been filed by the gov
eminent. A recent injunction case was
kA-..-tA - 49, $500. $500 -
Cheyenne by the government, in which an
effort was made to5compel the Owl Creek
Goal company to discontinue operations on
the Gebo coal mines until the title to tho
lands has been determined. A temporary
restraining order was granted, by which
the Gebo coal mines closed down and about
1000 men were thrown out of employment.
William T. Adams, register, and Robert
r. Heron, receiver OF the land office at
Lander, have beeA disqualified from hear
ing the cases, as they are witnesses in the
cases, and John A. williams, "A law ex-
aminer Of the land office, and Captain
George II. Hair, chief Of the field division
of the Salt Lake City land office, have
been appointed temporary register and re-
ceiver to hear the cases. Able legal talent
has been employed on both sides and many
witnesses have been summoned from New
York and other eIties to attend the cases
In connection With the civil cases against
the entrymen on coal lands which the
government ciaims we're obtained by T.
legal entries, many prominent coal men
and entrymen were indicted by the United
States grand jury. Warrants were issued
for the arrest of Rufus ]. ireland, Frank
w. Daily, wilberforce suliy, Thomas P.
McDanald Thin Ma aon and Tohn "a w ivf,,
Of Amltyvllle and New York City, who
were charged with unlawfully conspiring.
combining and agreeing to defraud the gov
eminent out Of l.760 acres OF valuable coal
lands near Lander. Wyo,, for the Owl
Greek Coal company by false entries. The
crime was alleged to have been committed
In june 1905, at Amityvllle, when Rufus
]. Ireland Is alleged. on Information, to