The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-09
WYOMING LAND
FRAUD ENTRIES
Ruling of the U. s. Land Off
cials at Lander Against the
Entry Claimants.
A CLEAN SWEEP MADE
FOR THE GOVERNMENT
A Large Number of Indictments
Have Been Found by the
Grand Jury.
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune
CHEYENNE, Wyo, July 3,-The
United States land office at Lander has
rendered decisions in the famous Gebo
and Owl Creek coal land contest cases
which involve $500 acres of rich coal
lands In Big Horn county, Wyoming,
which were appraised by the govern
ment at over q million and half dol
Jars.
The civil actions brought by the gov
ernment to recover title TO the coal
lands on grounds of alleged fraud and
conspiracy on the part OF the entrYmen
aoainsf III" government with inter 'in"S :
of defrauding the government of the
lands, were only part of other actions
brought against those who are interest
ed IN these coal lands. Last February
action was brought in the form of in
junction suits restraining the Owl Creek
Coal company from operating the coal
mines at Gebo, and the larger mines
were closed, throwing about 1000 men
out of employment, and cutting off an
output of about 1000 tons of coal
daily
Against the Entrymen.
The civil case Just decided al Lander
involves siXty-four entrymen and thir-
S-C"o tuIries. lne decisions IN tDe
case of tifty-seven entrymen were de-
cided in favor of the government. In
hve cases it was found that no juris
diction had been obtained, and in case
of two. new proceedings were ordered.
These decisions are not final, however,
and may be appealed to the commits
sioner of the general land Office and
afterwards to :he secretary of the in
terror
Tho nr,,caed;prS AGAINST Tba eofrjes
have been pending before the land office
for several years. Testimony OF eastern
witnesses was taken in New York City
last fall and lasted over several months
The final hearing was held In Lander in
February. The register and receiver
were called as Witnesses in behalf OF the
terror designated w W. Scott, chief Of
field division of the land service at Enid.
Okla. register, and John A. Williams.
law examiner of the general land Of
Der OF eminent attorneys, both from the
east and Wyoming. appeared on both
sides; Lewis L; Delafield. leading
princpal ] attorney T io for the contestees @ @ and
was assisted by M. B. Carnplin Of Sheri
dan. Clark 7, abbott Of New York City
and o. F. Goddard OF Billings. Mont.
The governments principal representa-
tives were Federal District Attorney
Timothy +. Burke OF Cheyenne. Stuart
Mcnamara OF Washington. D. c., who
mas appeared lot the OF JUS
tice In a number OF important cases. in
Guiding the Panama libel proceedings.
and Chief Of Field Division A. Baker OF
Cheyenne,
The decisions handed down by the spe-
cial officers were elaborate and hold that
the Gebo coal tract was taken up by a
large number of entrymen living in and
around New York City. who were used
as dummies by Alfred Sully. a New
Yorker of great wealth, who had been
engaged in many large railroad opera
tions Having made their entries the
lands were transferred TO various, cor
poreti controlled by Suly and his
rela tives. the principal one being the Owl
Creek Coal company a number OF the
entries were made by Sully's relatives
and were not transferred. and these were
recommended for cancellation on the