Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-16

the government In the Aldsl>@1 Aoe1'
cases They were RELEASED under bonds
of 81, 500 each.
Washington, Oct 15.-After months
of secret effort the officials Of the
general land office announced the IN
dictment of a number of claimants 10
valuable coal lands in Alaska. The en- :
tries involved number 154 and cover
almost %, 600 acres of land, all OF which
lies in the Behring straight dlstrlct, III
which the Cunningham claims are 10
Gated. They are what are known as
the English or Stracey and the Chrls-
topher Simmonds group, the former
containing eighty and the latter seven
ty-four claims of 100 acres each. Inc
deposits covered by these claims are
believed to be as rich as those OF 'he
Cunningham mines, which cut a con
spicuous figure In the Balinger- Pm
chot controversy.
The indictments We're handed DOWN
in the United States district court SIT
ting at Tacoma and the Information
that they had been returned was con-
veyed in two kilograms received yes
terday by Commissioner Dennett from
Special Agent christensen, In charge
OIL AldSkdn lila llSl " "ANOSS
the findings are especially due.
To Issue Warrants Soon.
The f,rst telegram contained the an
nouncement Of the action against the
English group and stated that lndlct-
ments have been returned against =.
F. Monday, A. H. Stracey, Archie w.
Shields and E. Siegley.
A few minutes later came the second
telegram telling of the indictments OF
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 men could be appre-
hended.
The first group Of defendants takes
its name from the fact that NUMBER
Of people in western Canada are sup
posed to be interested in the claim
taken up by this party. Stacey Is
resident Of Vancouver and is charged
with being instrumental in making
some OF the locations. Monday Is
prominent attorney OF Seattle.
The charge against the indicted men
,s that the entries were made in the
names Of dummies" Most OF the
entrymen we're residents Of Washing
ton and their claims are said to have
been located with an agreement mat
tho claims should be assigned or decided
10 third parties as soon as parties WILL
.inc 70 become interested could be found
by the locator. There is said to nave
been a further understanding that the
locator should receive a large percen-
tage of the sale price.
Different Kind Of Fraud.
The charge differs from the charge
made in the Cunningham claims, IN
which there was no allegation that the
entryrnen took the claims for persons
other than themselves, but, rather that
they had a previous agreement to work
or dispose of their claims as unit
1t is said that very few OF the Claim
ants in the new cases ever sa" the
land on which their names We're USED
for locations.
Both groups Of claims inquired 10 a
consid erab,e extent in connection with
the Ballinger-Pinchot inquiry. Charges
of fraud in connection with the entries
we're made two years ago and it was
asserted that investigation had been
STAYED by the land office, supposedly
for some sinister purpose.
Meeting this allegation with the
statement that the services OF the land
office force were imperatively required
elsewhere and that there was no
statute of limitations to run against
these cases, it was conceded that they
were not pressed for period. Since
last May, however Mr.. Christensen has
been giving the major portion OF his
time to them, with a result over WHICH
the land office and the entire interior
department confesses itself much graf
lied.
It also is known that another fed
eral grand jury sitting at Spokane in
connection with the district court Of
the eastern district OF Washington, is
considering still other charges of
fraudulent coal entries in Alaska and
that results are expected from these
investigations, similar to those OBJ
tafned at Tacoma.