The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-03
HIT UNCLE SAM IN
COAL LANDS CASE
Inorganic uggenheim interests
lmpeach Witness for the
Government.
ADMITS HE WAS GAMBLER
CAMPBELL SAYS THERE WAS
NOTHING ELSE TO DO THERE.

IN an effort to impeach the evidence
OF w. H. Campbell of Fallon, New, who
testified for the government in Salt Lake,
yesterday, before Special United States
Commissioner William J. MCGEE of
Washington, IN the famous hearing 70
test the validity of the claims of Clar-
ence Cunningham and 90 other entrymen
10 Alaskan coal lands estimated by noted
biologists TO be worth fabulous sums
there was a sensational echo of the Har-
rs Orchard ease and the murder of Gov
ernOr Frank NJ. Steunenberg of Idaho
in denying the testimony of Campbell
That Cunningham had told him when they
were together in Alaska in 1863 that he
knew that any combination of the coal
land interests he and his associates held
would b. unlawful. Cunningham testi-
neG that Campbell Was not the klnu
OF man he would take into his con-
tidence; that ne was suspected OF be-
ing mixed up in the labor troubles in the
Occur dAienes and Goldfieid; that Camp
ir-u was run out of several towns and
that he left others suddenly after several
shooting affrays. Cunningham fuTthcI
testified that Campbell was gam bier
anu worthless character.
Under denomination by Attorney
john Z. Gray. counsel for Cunningham,
Campbell admitted that he had been
gambler, but stuck TO his statement con-
corning the conversation he claimed 10
have mad with Cunningham in Alaska
with reference to the coal lands. It was
admitted by representatives, Of the gov
eminent. att,r the hearing adjourned at
, O'Clock in the afternoon. thai CampDeiI
had Wavered ana sWerved from the line
OF testimony that was expected Of him.
Cunningham Unexpected.
The governm mt did not expect that
Cunningham would appear in the hear
ing IN Salt Lake yesterday, nor that an at
tempt would be made TO attack the
character of Campbell and thereby dis
credit his testimony.
Campbell WAS the last witness in the
famous case which will likely be made
a political issue When coupled with the
Ballnger-PlncnOt dispute. Guarded by
the rules of evidence, there was some
sensational jousting while Campbell was
on the stand for two hours. When taxed
about his alleged loafing around saloons
and gambling houses in Alaska, Camp
bell relied: F
There were no theatres and club rooms
there and one can't live in d sleeping
bag al the time
in the poker games in which I played
there was always a good bunch of law
yers on hand at that. They were not
ashamed of it. and neither am l.
Salt Lake viii figure III the record OF
the case because II was here that 5. w.
Eccles, vice president of the American
Smelling * Refining Company OGuggen-
helm interests met with Clarence Gun
ningham, Miles &. Moore, former terri
JOrial governor of Alaska, and a. b.
Campbell ana opened negotiations where
by the Guggenheim interests became in
terested in the thiTty-three coal claims of
To- acres each. Al this meeting the
American Smelling < Refining company
secured an option on half of the pros
pective output OF the claims for SS5J,010,
Which was to be used IN opening up the
coal lands Cunningham and associates
now hold that the option is not binding
because the smelter trust people did not
carry out a promise to construct rail-
road from the mines TO Ketalla. the
nearest harbor, p miles from the coal
lands.
Will Complete Record.
With the testimony of Campbell taken
before Special Commissioner MCGEE, III
the United States court room in Salt
Lake yesterday the record in the famous
case will be complete and Will at once be
submittei to the commissioner of the
general land office for review and de-
cisiOn as to whether patents to the coal
lands in dispute will issue,
In the event of a decision favorable to
the government the claimants Will doubt
less appeal TO the department of the in
terror. Secretary Ballinger has announced
that he viii not review the facts at issue
in the event of an appeal. as he acted as
an attorney for the claimants before h
became secretary Of the interior. 1t was
on this point that L z. CLAWS attacked
Secretary Ballinger in the Pinchot hear
Ing.
e \. Fisher CT the government geolog-
teal survey made a trip TO Alaska and
investigated the claims of Cunningham
and associates and he estimated that they
contained 50,1000 900 long tons of semi-bi-
luminous and semi-anthTacite coal which
ranks as good as the best West Virginia
and compared favorabiy with PennsyIva-
mia coal.
There has been little development Of the
claims. but Mr Fisher reported that
there We're from 80 TO 90 exposed workable