Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-03-13
MILLION AT STAKE
IN ALASKA CLAIM
son of j. S. Adams Plays Leading
Role i'm a Struggle for Rich
Gold Property

J. S. Adams was in town the other
day with his son, S. G. Adams, who
Is spending few days with his par
ents after a sojourn of seven years
in Alaska. He came down from the
north on business as well as pleasure
and the object of his trip is told by
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as fol-
lows:
The story of fight for a 81, 0O0,-
900 gold claim between two miners
and great corporation, in which
armed guards, gun fights, long
trails travelled by dog team, and al
legged false arrests figure in a manner
reminiscent of THE Spoilers" by
Rex Beach, has been brought to Sc
attic from the far north. The con-
tenders in the legal and physical bat
tie being waged for possession of the
forty-acre area of ground on Flat
Creek in the Iditarod, said to contain
Uu6 0Sli1l OS al . w lllldll IAuOA
and Samuel Adams, two well-known
Alaska miners, on one side, and the
Yukon Gold company of New York,
owners of the great Dawson dredges,
which have eliminated the pick and
shovel miner fro mthe golden mecca
of 1898, and in which the Guggen-
helms are heavy shareholders.
Adams arrived in Seattle on Janu-
airy on the steamer Northwestern
from Valdez, after a 600-mile trip
from Iditarod City to Seward, max
ing the journey to consult legal tai
ent here and plan for the coming legal
battle in the north. He has retained
William A. Gilmore, the former may
OIL of Nome, who is spending the win
ter in this city, as his chief attor-
ney
According to friends of Mr. Adams
the following is a brief skeleton of
tho story.
The Chicago bench claim on the
right limit of Flat Creek is one Of
the richest unworked claims in AL
aska, to judge from development al
ready done. Last fall Adams and
Knox relocated this claim, alleging
forfeiture in 1911 by Tom Aiken, the
original owner, through his failure
to do the annual assessment work. In
the meantime Aiken and his associ-
ates had leased the ground to the Yu-
Fon Gold company.
On October of last year Adams
and all his men then at work on the
rich claim were arrested at the be-
nest OF officers of the corporation
and hailed into court at Iditarod on
charge of trespass. After trial, in
which feeling ran high and physical
violence was imminent, Adams and
his associates were acquitted
Jubllant over their legal victory,
they returned to the claim on Flat
creek to resume work, only to find
the property surrounded by arme ed
guards of the Yukon Gold company.
Ihere was pitched battle in which
ADAMS and his men were routed Ad-
ans returned to Iditarod City and on
december 81 last filed suit in the
district court there to GUST the Yukon
1olo company from possession of the
claim.
IN November Adams started from
iultarod City by dog team and trav-
eled 500 miles over the snow to Sew
ara TO catch a steamer for Seattle
word was received in the city by his
trends yesterday that suit has been
iiled for him and his associates by
lawyers in Iditarod City for 100000
manages for false arrest.
The legal battle for the possession
Oh the mine will be contested in Idit-
arod City next July.
Attorney Gilmore will return to
nome on the first steamer up and go
a. once from there to Iditarod to take
personal charge of the case.
AT present the mine is in possession
VI the Yukon Cola company, which
maintains an armed patrol.