The Coconino sun., 1913-11-21
GRAND CANYON CATTLE CO.
CASE TRIED BY U. S.
Case Involving Big Money Being In
vestigated by Government North
of Grand Canyon

ii. SmalleN, secretary OF the mari
copa County Non Partisan Tax
payers league, was appointed by
Judge Sawtelle to take testimony
in the case OF the government
against the Grand CANYON Cattle
company Tor the purpose OF hav-
ing set aside patent to certain
lands lying north of the Colorado
river in this state, on the ground
that the patent had been obtained
by fraudulent representation. The
land had been patented as mineral
land to one b. f. Saunders and
was soon thereafter transferred to
the defendant cattle company, who,
it is alleged, desired it for its
splendid water privileges.
The witnesses in the case were
scattered through a half dozen
western states, and in order to
save expense it was decided to
take their testimony at their homes
rather than to bring them to Phoe-
nix, where the case will ultimately
be tried.
The Los Angeles Examiner has
the following account of the hear
ing there:
Testimony in a government
suit involving an empire of rich
grazing lands north of the Grand
Canyon in Arizona was taken yes
terday in this city, when w. L.
Walker, geologist of the Standard
Oil company, appeared before
George II. Smalley of Phoenix,
Arizona, special examiner, ap-
pointed by United States Judge
William II. Sawtelle of Arizona,
to hear the testimony OF witnesses
and report to the court. Mr.. Wal
ker came from San Francisco to
conclude his testimony here, his
examination having begun in that
city last week. The hearing is
now onin Room So3, International
Bank building, this city.
James M. Sheridan, special
assistant to the attorney general
of the United States, has charge
of the case on behalf of the gov
ernment, and O'Melveny, Stevens
and Millikin of Los Angeles re-
present the defendant Grand Can
yon Cattle company, Arthur P.
Will Of that law firm having charge
of the case for the firm. During the
past six weeks testimony has been
taken in practically all of the west
ern states, and in British Colum-
bia and from Los Angeles the
party will proceed to Utah and
Northern Arizona to examine a
number of witnesses. Upon COM
pletion of the governments testi-
monv, which is now being taken,
the defendants will produce their
witnesses before the special exam
liner wherever they may be found.
The cases arouse out of the ac-
ton of b. F. Saunders and Ora
Haley, the latter a former state
senator of Wyoming, in acquiring
control of large number of stock
watering places in the Buckskin
mountains and Kalbab plateau in
Northern Arizona through mineral
and script locations. The mineral
locations, the government alleges,
control halt a million acres of cat
tie and sheep ranges, owing to the
location of watering places being
confined to the mineral claims.
The location for mining purposes,
the government claims, were made
for the sole purpose of securing
this exclusive use of water for
stock purposes. Saunders and
Haley transferred their holdings
to the Grand Canyon Cattle COM
pany, a Los Angeles corporation
owing several large ranches in this
state and Old Mexico, as well as
in Arizona. The cattle company
is defending upon the ground that
it was a bona fde purchaser of the
mining locations and innocent of