Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-28
COAL CASE RECESS
Hearing Adjourned Until Sat-
urday at Salt Lake.
IMMENSE VALUE OF LANDS
Over a Trillion and a Half Dollars,
Attorney Hughes Informs
Astonished Hearers.
IMMENSE VALUE OF LANDS

Attorneys Sheridan and Pugh for the
government and Hughes and Gray for the
Cunningham claimants for Alaskan coal
lands, who have been conducting the hear
ing before United States Commissioner
MCGEE relative to the validity of the
claims, decided upon a recess at the ses-
sion this morning in the Century building
and will meet Saturday in the federal
court building at Salt Lake City. 1t is ex-
pected the hearing there will De brief and
the records in the case be sent imme-
diately thereafter to the commissioner of
whether the patents will issue in the cases
or not.
w. H. Campbell of Fallon, New, is the
only witness whom the attorneys for the
government desire to examine. 1t is UNI
derstood by both Messrs Pugh and Sheri-
dan that he met Clarence Cunningham in
Alaska in 1902 and at that time Cunning
ham admitted to him that he knew any
combination of interests would be unlaw-
full. This fact will have material bearing
on the case and the attorneys are de-
sirous of having Campbelrs testimony in
the record.
Attorneys Gray and Hughes both con-
scented this morning to have the affidavit
of Judge Curtis Lindley of San Fran
cisco taken and incorporated into the
record if he did not say anything which
should be contradicted by the defense.
1t was generally agreed, however, that
Judge I.indley would hardly have any
thing to say that either the attorneys for
the government or the defense would
will be sent to the defendants attorneys
before it is placed in the record. As
soon as CampbelIs testimony is taken
the record will be made up and sent into
the commissioners of the general land
office and the matter of looking into the
evidence will be begun as soon thereafter
as possible.
Long Delay Probable.
At the present time it is understood
that it may be some months before the
reading OF the testimony is taken up at
the land Office. There are a large num-
Der of cases to be decided before the
Cunningham claims are to be considered,
and as no arrangements have been made
to give these claims precedence over 9TH
ers which are on the docket of the office.
II is problematical when they will be taken
up. What is puzzling both the attorneys
for the government and defense more
than any testimony which they have
taken in the hearing is why the attor-
neys and agents OF the Guggenheim- Nor
gan combination should come to Wash
ington and admit that they had dealings
with Cunningham and the other claim
ants for the coal lands. AS one prom
inent man in the controversy said this
morning:
Il cannot see why they are rushing in.
That is the question which is puzzling a
whole lot Of us. and the only answer
can give Is there must be a colored man
in the wood pile somewhere. That is
all / can see to It. Maybe you can fig
ure it out differently. but 1 cannot. Per-
haps II we were In Alaska we might see
through things a little palmer than we
do now. but that is only conjecture
At the close of the hearing this morn
ing Attorney E. c. Hughes of Seattle led
an informal discussion, in which he point
Nd out that a leading magazine has de-
clared that the lands in question in Alas
ka have a value Of over trillion and
one-half dollars.
Hearers Take Notice.
When he made this statement every
one in hearing looked interested, and still
more SO when he announced that at this
rate the per capital ownership of each
individual in the United States would
amount to thousands Of dollars Then