Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-10-15
Are Returned
Against Claimants to VaIu-
able Coal Deposits Near Cum
ningham Claims in Alaska,
LAND OFFICE ACTIVITY
FINALLY GETS RESULTS
Special Agent Christensen
Notifies Department of Sue
ceSSfuI Conclusion of Several
Months Quiet Work,

IBy Morning journal Special leased Wirel
Washington, ID. c.. oct. 14.--Atter
months Of secret effort and patient
waiting, the officials of the general
land office were able to announce to-
day the Indictment of number OF
claimants to valuable lands in Alaska.
The entries involved number l54
and cover almost 1900 acres of land,
all of which lie near the Behring
Strait district in which the Cunning
ham claims are located They are
what are known as the English OF
Stracey and the Christopher Simonds
group. the former containing SO and
the latter "A claims OF 160 acres
each. The deposits covered by these
claims are believed to be as rich ns
those of the Cunningham mines
which cut . conspicuous figure in
the Ballinger-P Pinehot controversy
The indictments We're handed
down in the United States district
court sitting at Tacoma, and the in
formation that they had been re-
turned was conveyed in two tele-
grams received today by Commits
sioner bennett from Special Agent
Christensen in charge of Alaskan
matters. to whose efforts the find
ings are especially due.
The first telegram contained the
announcement for action against the
English group and stated that indict-
ments had been returned against G..
f. Munday, A. H. Stracey, Archie w.
Shields and e. Il. Siegley. few
minutes later came the second tele-
gram telling OF the indictments or
Cornelius Christopher, George sim
monds and Mortimer c. Sweeney OF
the second group. Mr.. bennett added
that warrants would be issued as
soon as the indicted could be appre-
hended.
The first group of defendants takes
its name from the fact that a number
Of people in western Canada are sup
posed to be interested in the claims
taken up by this part. Stracey is
a resident Of Vancouver and Is
charged with being instrumental in
making some locations. Munday is a
prominent attorney of Seattle.
The charge differs from the charge
in the Cunningham claims, in which
there were no allegation that the EN-
trymen took the claims for persons
other than themselves, but, rather
that they had a previous agreement
to work or dispose of their claims as
Il unit. II is said that few claim
ants in the new cases ever saw the
land on which their names were used
for locations.
Both groups of claims figured to
a considerable extent in connection
with the Balllnger- Pinchot inquiry.
Charges OF fraud in connection with
the entries were made two years ago.
and If was asserted that investigation
had been started by the land office
supposedly for sinister purposes
Meeting this allegation with the
statement that the services of the land
office force We're needed elsewhere
and that there was no statute OF linz
itations to run against these cases
II was conceded that they were not
pressed for period. Since last May
however. Mr.. Christensen has been
giving the major portion of his time
10 them with a result over which the
land office and the entire Interior de-
partment processes itself much grat-
fled.