Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-02-05
DEFENDANTS KNEW
LOCATIONS WERE
ILLEGAL
-etierS introduced in Alaskan
Coal Land Case to Show
Mu0day and Shields Acted
With knowledge of Law,

10y soHsipe JOURNAL uree,Al lrAnrn wRri
Seattle, Wash., Feb. tlfor the
purpose 81 showing that the defcn
dants iu the Alaska eoal land cor
spira6y Uidl or Charles H. Mdnda
and Archie ~ Shields. knew that they
could not without passage of law by
CONGRESS- acquire patent TO the coul
claims,Whlch are alleged to have beeu
entered for them hy dummies, the
Persecution to-day introduced CORE
spondcnce between Algetnon NJ. Stra-
ccy, brother Of sir Edward Stracer
and manager of tho Pacific coal &
ON Co., and A. c. Frost of Chicago,
vho was the head OF company seek
ing title to Alaska coal lands Writ
ing to Frost under date of November
2S 1905. Stracey said.
81 was vciy sorry TO have missed
you when you were in Seattle as
particularly wished 10 take ap certain
matters in regard to the existing coal
lend laws of Alaska with view 60
making ARRANGEMENTS whereby WEE
could dcfrav the cost between us OF
having the incloscd bill properly
placed before the senate SO that il
would be sanctioned by the house.
Your company and ourselves. / think
are the only parties who are suffi-
cienty interested in the matter to sec
the bill properly pushed along and I
think you will agree with me that if
we can get it passed it is going To- bee
OF great assistance to us in getting
the coal fields up quickly and insure
our being able TO get title. You are
no doubt fully posted on the present
Alaska land laws. In section it
states:
That such locator or locators. or
their assigns, etc. shall receive q pat
ent, etc
"The land office rules that AN AS
signec cannot perfect patent TO moro
than ono coal claim on this point
cur attorneys are of the opinion thar
the land office would be over-ruled by
the courts. but test ease would take
too long To get decision and also Doe
very costly As 1t appears 10 us the
simplest remedy Is 10 try and get the
lnclosed bin passed, which viii cover
an the points we require. think $50
should have no trouble 10 get this
bin passed, providing II gets into the
right channel at Washington
Under date Of December g. 1905.
Frost wrote from Chicago to straeey
agreeing that it would be desirable to
pass the bin ana adding
The question % getting O man who
could look after it and get il through.
have good friends In both house and
senate who would he willing To help
me if they could. but it would require
great deal Of work IN following bin
ike this through committees which
would necessitate employing a man
with ability and influence"
stracey wrote to Frost on Dccem-
Der III. 1905, recommending defendant
Munday as the man 20 hook after the.
bln and adding "Hc is personally
Interested in coal Ia Alaska He is
also sufficiently influential to get the
lill into the proper channel at Wash
Insttn
The bill, which according 20 land Of
ficims would have resulted in speedy
patont of an the Alaska coal claims
was not passed.
Burdette Townsend. assistant 10 At-I
torney General MeReyn0lds. an.
nounccd just before the adjournment
of court todaf That the government
would close lts case by noon tomor-
row,