The San Francisco call., 1910-07-06
IMPORTANT OIL
SUIT IN court
Case Involving Titles in Midway
District Called Before United
States Judge

A case of great Importance to oilmen.
as affecting titles in the Midway dis
trict, has been brought in the United
States circuit court in Los Angeles. A
dispatch from Los Angeles tells of
these suits as follows:
The title of the cases is C. L. Lyman
and others VS.. the Honolulu Consoli-
dated oil company, Parker Barrett and
O. Q. McReynolds The plaintiffs in
the two suits differ somewhat in their
personnel. The attorneys representing
the plaintiffs are c. o. Whittemore, w.
II. Bryant and H. L. McNair.
The plaintiffs bring suit asking for
an injunction against the defendants
to prevent them from interfering with
the work of drilling wells and develop
ing oil property; the same being the
south half of section S-32-24. This is
the land involved in both cases. The
value of the land as it stands now is
placed at 100000, but If 1t were pat
ented it would probably be worth
100000
The plaintiffs located on this land on
June 10. 1910, claiming it was open to
location, and aver that they were
driven off by the defendants acting
through J. A. Pollard, manager of the
Honolulu Consolidated oil company's
property.
the injunction suit. The first is that
until there has been discovery of oil
the lands are open to exploration and
development by any citizen who is
qualified to make a location, without
interference from any prior claimants
or locators.
The suits recite that these lands were
loo xn1 IN N0y- he, 1
Stroud and seven others, and that these
locators in December, 1908, conveyed
their rights to O. 0. McReynolds; that
McReynolds made a contract with L. A.
Crandall to undertake the necessary
development to discover oil, and that
Crandall assigned his contract to the
Honolulu Consolidated oil company
The second important question in
volved in the suits is the contention
that prior to discovery conveyance
by locator of his rights operates as
a REIMBURSEMENT, and no rights are
acquired by the person to whom the
conveyance is made. This contention,
it is alleged, is supported by a de-
cision of the secretary of the Interior
in the celebrated Yard case.
1t is understood that the object of
the suits for Injunction just filed Is to
bring the matter to a head for the
protection of everybody's rights, and
the plaintiffs disclaim any attempt to
attack the rights of others When the
summons are issued on July IL no.
tice will be served that the plaintiffs
will apply for an injunction.
The claim is made that the persons
who form the Honolulu Consolidated
oil company are holding IL square
miles of territory in the Midway dis
trict in the same way they are holding
the half section involved in the injunc-
tion suit.
L. A Crandal1 one of those inter-
ested in the Honolulu Consolidated,
spoke in harsh terms of the plaintiffs
in this action.
Crandall asserted that Lyman and
the people he represents have no rights
to- the property involved, and will be
unable to establish any rights. He said
the property in question, and much
other property that goes to make up
the holdings of the Honolulu Console
dated oil company. was acquired from
residents of Kern county, who obtained
it in a regular and legal way, and that
the company will protect itself from
the encroachments of claim jumpers
from Nevada.