The Detroit times., 1911-03-04
COMES TO PUSH
LAND FRAUD CASE
Assistant Attorney General Townsend
Aids in Grand Jury Inquiry-No
Finding Before Monday.

b. ID. Townsend, special assistant
attorney general. arrived from Port
land, Ore, Saturday noon, to take
part in the presentation OF the gov
ernment's case in the Alaska land
fraud inquiry before the federal
grand Jury. Mr.. Townsend has been
working on land fraud cases for sew
eral years, and has been stationed III
Portland for two years. He has rep
resented the government In most OF
the grand jury Investigations OF land
cases recently.
Senator Moriarty was one OF the
witnesses called Saturday morning.
<. w. Yost, county school commits
sioner. was also subpoened as wit
ness. Both of these had claims In
Alaska but sold them.
Mr.. Townsend said there would be
no finding by the grand jury before
Monday.
The title OF $4,000 acres OF coal
lands on the Alaskan coast, valued
at upwards OF $50, 100000 Is involved
in the Investigation now being con-
Quoted. The lands are claimed by the
Michigan-Alaska Development Co.. OF
which Arthur l.. Holmes, OF Detroit,
is president. The stockholders com
prise a number of well-known Michi-
gan men and a number OF prominent
citizens of Seattle, and it is under
stood that nearly 100 witnesses have
been subpened for the inquiry. The
government officials, laying the facts
they have In their possession before
the grand jury. will not discuss the
case further than to say that II is
not a friendly investigation for the
purpose OF determining the title OF
the lands, as some of those interested
seem to think.
Under the new law, II Is illegal for
company consisting OF more than
four people to form company Tor
the purpose of locating coal or 9TH
er valuable lands and they cannot
lay claim to more than $40 acres. The
Michigan-Alaska Co. has about 800
stockholders, 1t is claimed, while the
holdings, as indicated, aggregate 49,
900 acres.
w. w. McAlpine, former president
of Highland Park village, located the
coal lands in question. While In
Seattle. In 1904, he heard consider
able talk about great tract OF coal
land at Cooks inlet. He returned
to Detroit and interested Mr.. Holmes
and others in the lands. In 1906 he
made his first trip to Alaska and lo-
Gated about 100 claims. On subse-
quent visits in 1906 and 1907 he To-
Gated the remainder, 800 claims in
of ha M
terest is the little village OF Homer.
The veins of coal. Mr.. McAIpine says,
can be seen with the naked eye. and
when the tide Is out, can be followed
up the coast for a distances OF 70
miles.
Mr.. McAlpine says he is confident
that the government will find moth
ing wrong with the manner In which
the claims were made. Each indiyid-
ual entrant holds 160 acres, for which
he will have to pay the government
$40 an acre, he says.
Should the grand jury return indict-
ments against the members OF the
company and the government be sue
cessful in prosecuting them. the de-
PENDANTS would be subject to fines or
imprisonment or both, in addition to
the forfeiture of the lands.
Among the Michigan elen who are
now or have been interested In the
Michigan-Alaska Coal Co. are: Gov.
Fred M Warner. State Senator M. III.
Moriarty, Attorney Frank ID. Andrus,
Albert II. Roehm, Charles w. Kotch-
er, Walter Drake and George w.
Ross