Show UNCLE SAM WANTS OIL lAND BACK Federal Government Files Complaint Corn Com plaint in First of Series of Suits Against Ag the Southern Pacific and Subsidiaries ALLEGES PATENT WAS OBTAINED BY FRAUD Begins Fight for Restoration to Public Domain of California Mineral Bearing Land Said to Be W Worth orth T Los OS ANGELES Dec 20 The The com com- complaint J I plaint in in the long long-e. long expected pe ted suit it of the time federal government agai against t the Southern u Pacific railroad iny involving h- h ng title to lo worth of supposedly sup sup- mineral bearing lands in Fresno county was filed here t today in ill the United States district court for tho time southern district of California Other suits are arc to lo follow in which the government will vill contest the ownership ownership own own- of a total of worth of lands according to to B. B D. D Townsend special assistant to the Iho attorney general who arrived d here tonight Mr l Townsend with J J J. T. T Butler Himel also alEo a special assistant will prosecute the suit buit The latter filed filea the complaint Tho The suit Is brought under the tho provisions pro pro- visions 0 of the tho act of or Congress pass passed d July Jul 27 7 1366 requiring the tho department d of oC the Interior t to exempt mineral bearIng bearIng bear- bear Ing inS lands ands In Issuing patent to toU rail U roads Tho The government ment wl vr l Contend that of 4 acres of land on tho the tho main Urlo lIne lino of tho S Southern p Pacific tic r rail railroad IhL road In iii n California acres are TJ art mineral 11 C Al be bearing and must rev revert rt to tho public domain The land jf r. r th the th most part In the oil oU field and andIs andis nd Is under tho lease to tho the Kern Korn Trading Trading- Oil au company a 11 s subsidiary cori corpora corpora- corporation ora- ora tion of or the Southern Pacific and aDd n. n Joint defendant In tho the suit with many other oil companies and Individuals In III addition to the ml mineral land specified tho time complaint recites l acres of or Continued on Pa Pago Paga e 2 Column 1 UNCLE SAM WANTS OIL LAND BACK BAC K Government 0 Files Complaint in n First o of Series cries 0 of Suits Against st Southern out fern Pacific r Continued from Page Ono On bearing land already has hae teen bee on sold by the railroad List of or Defendant The Tho following Is time tho list or ot defendants defend defend- tints ants Th The Southern Pacific company compan the tho f the tho Southern Sou thorn Pacific Railroad company compan tho the Associated Associated As As- Kern Trading Oil Ott company Oil company the tho Southern Pacific Pa Pa- Land company tho the Central nl Trust company of Now York Homer S S. S King KinS' tho the St. St Paul Consolidated Oil company tho the Zier Oil Olt company the a. a Oil Gas company tho the Guthrey Oil company company com com- pany tho the Confidence Oil on company tho the Associated Pipe Line company compan the tho Section Section Section Sec Sec- tion Seven Oil on company G G. F. F I. I I L. L Briner Julius Fried J J. J J J. J Vincent Vincent Vincent Vin Vin- cent G. G E C. C Shore Oren G G. GI Myers I VV W. S. S Porter O. O C. C A. A Murdoch George Geors-e W. W C. C Baker W. W W SV Machem 1 TV IV L. L V t oy a and M. M Madsen I All the codefendants lants are arc alleged eel by bytho bytho I tho government Jo to be leasers of ot tho thoI I Southern Pacific lands s and participators ors In the profits from theft thelt mineral mineraI yield Tho The contested patent b by which tho thor r railroad was given title to tho time lands is recorded as ns patent No To o. o 2 22 and was issued Is- Is sued Rued July 10 1801 ISI hi Tho patent was accepted ac accepted accepted ac- ac says 9 tho the complaint with full tull acquiescence in tho the statutory exception of mineral bearing 1 lands not Including coal and iron lands During the last three years II tho the complaint alleges cs this plaintiff has hM ascertained that of or the lands described d dIn In said patent 22 approximately p acres are valuable mineral lan lands s other othor than coal conI and Iron lands and contained rich deposits In commercially paying pa ins quantities of gol gold silver er copper cinnabar cinnabar cinnabar cinna cinna- bar peti petroleum oleum borax gypsum gypsum gyp S sum nn and other valuable minerals and were ivero well known to be mineral al lands until lon long subsequent to Jul July 10 1001 1301 1 subject to mineral locations pursuant to the mineral land laws Jaws of the United States Fraudulent practices on the part of or ortho tho time railroad company in securing tho the patent are arc charged charge as follows In addition to the secret and fraudulent fraudulent lent purpose and Intent of or said Southern Southern South South- ern Pacific Railroad company and its officers and agents in Inducing the time Is Issuance is- is of or sai said patent and tho the including ing therein of said mineral lands It was also the secret and Crau fraudulent purpose and intent of or sal said Southern Pacific company Its Hi agents and nd officials to conceal from lom this plaintiff the thc true tarts farts in the premises premise's until moro more than six years cars had hac elapsed from tho date ate of oC tho the Issuance of said Rl patent to tho the end ond that the plaintiff hould bo he delayed ec in the institution of judicial pro proceedings e ln s to enforce tho the rights of tho plaintiff in the premises and In iii the hope that when said plaintiff should ultimately discover or said saki tho the delay deIny delay de de- lay Iny In the institution of or said ju judicial proceedings might be bo pleaded In defenE de de- defenso fenE O thereof Tho aforesaid fraudulent Inducement inducement induce Induce- ment of or the Issuance of or said patent was designed executed and consummated In Ina Ina a clandestine and surreptitious man man- ner ncr The said fraudulent scheme was of or such a nature and was so executed and consummated as to bo be naturally self For the purpose of ot enabling the de 10 fondant Southern Southern Pacific Pacific Pa Railroad cone com comi company com com- i pan pany to enjoy tho fruits of ot the afore afore- aforesaid aforesaid said sald frauds and nt at tho the same sarno time conceal conceal conceal con con- ceal from this plaintiff the Iho true truo facts on or about Ia 1 May 2 22 1903 tho the defendant Southern Pacific Railroad company cause caused the Kern Trading Oil company company com com- pany to bo be or organized anize and since said date said Southern Pacific Railroad company compan through the me medium lum and In tho the namo nano of at tho the I Kern orn Trading 1 Oil company has been engaged In extractIng extractIng extracting extract- extract Ing an and selling large lars quantities of or min orals olala from said Ial mineral lands The Tho defendant Southern Pacific Railroad company at all times has owned owne an and still Mill owns ownE all of or the capital sto stock k of ot tho the de defendant Kern Jern Trading c oil company compan company com- com pan pany and the latter corporation has been an and still is maintained b the tho by defendant de de- e- e Southern Pacific Railroad companS' companS company com com- pany panS as a w dummy I dumm corporation for or tho the aforesaid purpose The business of or removing re removing re- re moving minerals ha has been conducted l In the name of oC the tho Kern Tra Trading ln A l OH Oil company compan under somo some pretended lease or other contract but for tor the time purpose of concealing tho the true facts In its the premises Bal said preten pretended l lease age or other contract tract has been withheld from the official county records and has otherwise been concealed from thin this pIa plaintiff I The Southern Pacific Land Lan company compan Is also albo described as a dummy corpor corpor- allon having leased lease mineral mineraI ands o 0 otho tho the various additional corporations an and d Individuals name named as codefendants Each of those deron defendants with the ex ox exception OX- OX of or the Central Trust company of New ew York and Homer S. S King 1 Is la alleged to have o extracted large e quan quantities uan- uan titles of or minerals particularly petrol petrol- petroleum petroleum petroleum eum from the lands I The complaint Includes a 1 ol voluminous recital of or patent office history bearIng bearing bear bear- Ing on the lands and JH is entrenched 1 i with an nn array of or exhibits b by which tho the government will seek to establish the fact tact that all 11 of tho ho land lamb in fn question n are arc mineral bearing |