The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-12-26

Surrender without firing a shot
That was the prediction of the out
come of the armed raid upon the dis
puted potash claims now controlled by
the California Trona company by rep
resentatives of the Foreign Mines De-
velopment company yesterday.
Just what means the English syndi-
cate men would take was not divulged,
but it was stated that secret legal
action taken recently in Los Angeles
ehectuaIly would stop the expedition
in the desert and deprive it of all
means OF reaching the coveted 10000
acres at searles lake. where assess
ment work must be done before De-
cember 81 to perfect the title of the
Los Angeles claimants to the property.
EXPEDITION HITS TRAIL
Meanwhile an automobile loaded
with armed men. which left Los An
ing under the direction of Louis Rasor
OF Los Angeles. is speeding to searles.
the railroad station nearest the lake.
to meet a party Of Iaborers headed by
Edward Rasor. The Rasor brothers are
civil engineers Of Los Angeles. and
although the Trona people frequently
have attempted to buy them off, they
have remained loyal to the men who
are backing Attorney Henry f. Lee o.
this city and Judge T. O. Toland OF
Los Angeles, who have had supervision
OF the assembling OF the expedition.
The party headed by Rasor planned
to leave Los Angeles at 1880 o'clock
last night. No tickets in any guam
tity were sold at the Los Angeles
Southern Pacific station for searles.
There is a possibility. however. that
the tickets were purchased at some
station near Los Angeles
Burns men here believe that possibly
the automobile outfit may pick up the
workmen in NGoiave and attempt to
reach the lake by an approach more
circuitous than the Searles road
through Garden station.
SURPRISE GUARDED AGAINST
That this possibility has been
guarded against was shown by state
ment made yesterday by w. A. Mundell,
Pacific coast superintendent of the
Burns agency.
we have two high power machines
trailing the raiders he said 1--WE
outnumber their gunmen eight to six
our party left yesterday morning in
the wake Of the Lee automobile and
Y
two Los Angeles deputy sheriffs and
Attorney J. X Hutchinson. one of the
attorneys representing the Trona com
pany.
Brains and not brute force will win
this fight The raiders will receive the
surprise Of their lives on the desert and
do not believe that shot will be fired
to turn them back. However, il the in
truders can not see the potency of our
argument we are prepared for the last
eventuality."
BURNS MEN AMONG RAIDERS
The perfection with which the plans
of the raiders were anticipated and
checked by the Burns men led to the
report yesterday that some Of the men.
with the attacking expedition in reality
were allied with the Trona people. This
report could not be confirmed, and it
was stated that approaches had been
made to Rasor brothers, who refused
10 desert the Toland-Lee forces.
The mysterious" Lee. constantly un-
Ger the surveillance of gumshoe men,
spent the day with his wife in Alameda.
Lee has been living at the Hotel
windemere, and his. efforts to throw
his shadows" off the trail would fill a
book. The hotel management aided
Lee and even telephoned to the local
police to send men up to the hotel, as
burglars" were lowering near the en-
frances.
MINORITY INTERESTS ACTIVE
While the expedition, which TO those
familiar with the battle for control of
searles lake regard as the least impor-
Continued OH Page 2. Column