Show LIGHT CAST ON METHODS USED TO GRAB COAL LANDS Following Indictments in Oregon For Timber Frauds S Government Officials Investigate in Utah Affidavit on File Accuses Utah Fuel Company of Fraud United States and State St te Land Offices Used to Capture Property Worth Millions of Dollars A N INVESTIGATION I into the sale of public lands in the state of or Utah Uth to AX A H individuals and the methods whereby title has been be n acquired which is being quietly conducted by bJ the United States government through spec special special ial lal agents whose identity has been kept kep t secret has disclosed the fact that hundreds of or thousands of acres of valuable val coal lands have been acquired by corporations in devious ways was and by b questionable methods This land in many runny instances has ha been b een filed on and patent thereto issued by the land office as agricultural or grazing gr land through state land soles selections selections when in a majority of cases it would W be difficult for a mountain sheep to find sustenance on a thousand acre tract Great tracts which have be been a purchased in this way have since passed into the hands of or the Utah Fuel company compan which Is seeking to control an all a ii the coal of Utah The land contains vast deposits of coal and is worth many ID ny millions of el e dollars In many cases the land has been filed hUed on by individuals acting in behalf Jl of the coal company COmpall as coal lands the law strictly forbids and ad adheld held for fourteen months the period given ghen in which to make payment there for While the land laud was thus held under coal entries title was acquired to the major portion of it by other persons as agricultural or grazing land for which an acre was paid instead d of 20 an au acre the stipulated price of 01 coal lands t STATE LAND BOARD USED IN SCHEME More than 2000 of these coal entries have been made in the local land ian office and not more than one in fifty of the tile persons who made the filings has completed the purchase Their filings have ve been allowed to lapse but in the meantime title has been secured by b selection of state lands and the payment or ot a nominal sum per acre Robert E Forrester F known to have ha v been connected with the Utah Fuel company for years ears has acted as the agent for tor not less than sixty in cases where the application or filing has bas been allowed to lapse In each eadi Instance he made the affidavit required by b law that he knows that the lend land contains coal and that the work required to develop coal measures thereon has been done by his direction Yet no effort was made to acquire title to these entries even after the expense indicated by his affidavits had been In Incurred incurred Incurred S The recent expose in Oregon where many prominent men were indicted for conspiracy to defraud the government has led to a quiet investigation in other western states In which the work is done by b secret service men inca Utah l has been found to be a fruitful field It was during the administration of Binger Hermann now no under indict indictment Indictment ment meni as commissioner of the land office that the bulk of ot ceal cent land slings were made Efforts were made under his regime at different times time to U prosecutions and contests but each move of this sort on the part of oC subordinate nate Bate officials was squelched when It reached headquarters It is believed that the present administration may not be so 80 ready te tt smother investigation and that it will probe into the conditions METHODS USED TO GET FOR SMALL SMIL PRICE PROPERTY WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS The land laws Jaws governing the sale of coal lands give to any and every citi citizen citizen citizen zen the right to purchase pur hase acres of coal land at the tile stipulated price per acre which is 10 for such land when it is more than fifteen miles front from a 8 railroad and 20 when it Is within fifteen fifteen fifteen teen miles of such road It states ox ex ti that yie ie land 1 d must be for r Isis his lai own use us that he h is not ri t acting in behalf of any other person or association or persons and requires from him an affidavit to that effect In one ca case caMe e which was contested it was testified that the Utah Fuel company compan through its agents had induced many persons to make these fil for a stipulated sum of money These persons never saw sa the ground nor lor or knew anything of its location or nature They The made the I coal agent their agent he did the work made the filings and paid the bills and for the he use of their names name they the received the princely sum of 25 2 each of them were innocent of any intention of wrongdoing and be believed believed as was presented 1 to them that them were merely mere exercising their rights in the tile premises and getting a little expense money mone for something they the know they the owned I Money Paid Contestants The cumbersome machinery machine of the theland theland theland land office contains no provision n for an examination of the rights of a claimant to purchase this land and unless some other individual contests that right at athis athis athis his own expense the coal company has plain sailing Several such su h contests have been brought and with the exception exceptIon tion of one case which is now pending have been mysteriously withdrawn and the matter adjusted out of court Some shrewd and industrious persons 1 have built up UD a lucrative business in inthis inthis inthis this way and one entry which was made by Owen L Davies proprietor of the Kenyon Kenon cigar stand in Salt Lake City Cit has been contested three times The first suit was tried in the land of office office fice flee here and before a decision was given was withdrawn In the second case proceedings came to a sudden end early earl in n the game A man who has some familiarity with land office busi bust business business bustness ness places the cost of compromise in these two ces at and the third case is yet pending To put it plainly to defend Davies right to purchase this land has already cost some one a pretty penny and that right is still assailed and can be as assailed assailed assailed sailed continuously until finally adjudicated adjudicated adjudicated by the land office which is now being used as the vehicle to bleed the poor coal company compan or whomever Is back of Davies Farm or Coal Land Which While these tracts of land were ere being held as coal lands other emissaries of or orthe the coal company were Vere quietly but rap rapIdly rapIdly rapidly Idly acquiring title to them as grazing or agricultural lands by the assistance of the state land board which is em empowered empowered empowered powered to select any unoccupied non nonI I mineral government lands and sell the I I same to any an citizen 21 years of age be behe beI behe he be man or woman The land office at I Washington has ruled that to be con considered consIdered considered coal land landl coal must be shown to exist on each tract In nearly all cases the coal lies deep in inthe inthe inthe the bowels of the earth and the only outcrops are arc in the canyons though it is evident that the veins extend through these mountains and plateaus After title is acquired as aB or agricultural land it Js transferred tran to the Utah Fuel luel company comPany direct or through one of its agents It is stated that in m one case cAie the Utah Fuel company compan spent several tb Usand of dollars In hi developing coal on the opposite op ite title Jide of the th in from SU ny l e mine that i i drove Trove a tunnel opened s1 up sp the vein erected a tipple and took co coal l lout out and tested it for coking purposes and that since this work was done the theland theland land was purchased from the state for an acre on ott a selection made by b a woman oman who lives in iti Salt Lake City Since that time the company having acquired title has hus extended the work workings worKIngs workings ings of the Sunnyside mine into that t tract and that the company IB is mining coal oal below while the cows graze peace pence peacefully tully fully above Similar incidents incident are mentioned at Castle Gate where whee the coal company found coal while boring for water In Jn Inthe inthe the heart of the town and took it up as agricultural land The state makee makes no investigation of the character of ot the land nor does the theland theland theland land office the affidavits offered belau bein accepted as unless a contest is te tiled flied by some Interested person In lit Inmany Inmany many cases the land selected is in ill an aJ isolated locality and as the locators take care to leave no telltale marks the services of a surveyor are necessary necessary necessary sary to locate the th land Jand No such official oi cial is carried on the pay rolls rons of the government excepting the empl yes of o othe the surveyor generals office and it seems to require a special ial dispensation from the great father himself to get an en investigation of the sale of government lands Law in the Case The Tue law la w governing entries of coal land provides Every Ever person above the age of ot twenty one years rs who is a citizen of th the United States or who has declared his intention of becoming such err or any association of oC persons person severally qualified as above shall upon application to the register regist r of th tM the proper land office have the right to en enter enter enter ter by b legal subdivisions any quantity quan t of Vacant coal lands in the United States StateR not otherwise appropriated or reserved by competent authority not exceeding one onehundred onehundred hundred and sixty acres ea to such Individual ual person or three hundred and twenty acres to such association upon payment to the receiver of not less than ten dol dollars dollars lars lam per acre for such lands where th the same shall hall be situated more than fifteen miles from any completed railroad and not less than twenty dollars per acre for such lands as shall shaH be within fifteen mlles mites of such road The preceding sections shall be beheld beheld beheld held to authorize only onI one entry by the same person or association of persons and no association of persons any mem morn member member ber of which shall have taken the b beI e e fit of if such sections either as an individual ual naT or as a member of any other association association tion shall enter or hold any oth other r lands lends under the provisions thereof and no DO member of any association which shall shan have taken the th benefit of such sections shall enter or hold any other lan lands B un WI under WIder der their provisions and all aU persons el claiming under section 2345 US shall fc be re rf required required to prove proe their respective rIghts and pay for the lands filed upon within one year yar from th the time tune prescribed for tor filing their respective claims and upon failure to file the proper notice or Oi to 1 par v for the land within the required the Ule same shall be subject to entry by any eny other qualified applicant SCORES OF SALT LAKERS AND OTHERS ALLOW NAMES TO BE USED IN COAL GOAL TRANSACTIONS B Robert Forrester a geologist and mining engineer with an office e at 5 Dooly block next door to the offices of the Utah Fuel Co is the director general of the field work of the coal company He enjoys the reputation of or being at the head of his class not alone as a geologist ge and engineer and andone andone one one ofle of the most dependable men in inthe Inthe Inthe the business when it comes to looking into the ground and deciding the course of a coal bearing fissure A Apart Apart Apart part of Z Mr busi bust busin n ns s for the fuel t cl company compan has e een to find coal C lands dS and to get g t j rr them To find them is easy enough In Utah to a man of his ability and aDd to secure them he has hit bit upon a scheme that up to date has worked as smoothly and with as little friction as asa asa asa a Corliss engine A lot of dummies it is believed beU ved have been procured to tIle file on the lands which he wanted anted for tor forthe forthe the fuel company By them he be was given a power of Q attorney arid and a Ml their troubles were over o r The capable engineer eni er attended to the he details Continued en on Page 6 LIGHT CAST ON METHODS I USED TO GRAB GRAB COAL LANDS Continued from Page Fuze 1 i In forty filings on coal land which ivere Iere made ma e within sixty days in the fall fal sf f 1901 Mr Forrester appeared as a the for thirty of or the each Jach ae l of thorn them thor declaring under unde that knew the mineral contents Sf Dr f the land better beter than they an a obi obvious DUS ous and indisputable fact as few of or them could find their tracts without assistance J Wih With few tew exceptions none of Sf these thee entries were ever eer completed i although Mr Ir Forrester testified under Dath that he had done development on each ach of or them and had discovered coal en n each tract The records of or the state land board board however show that much of Df the same land has bas been purchased L as agricultural a or grazing g land Some of Those Entering Land Below is te a a partial list of the entries referred to in each of which Mr For rested d is the agent and W V II Il Bird Is the attorney The addresses and occupations occupations patons appended were not a part of the record but were taken from the city ety directory director The list Ie is as follows W M 1 Stephenson mining West Fourth South street Louis E Kahn Ivahn collector W M 1 Rash Co Third East street Henry Henr Adkinson not in directory Samuel Austin Austn Whitney McCornick Co residence East Eat First South street Paul F Nolan Kolan secretary S V Der Derrah Derrah rah rh assistant general freight agent Rio Grande Railway Riwa Frank Rumel bookkeeper McCornick Co residence South First West street street James Jamea ames P Spalding bookkeeper Mc McCornick McCornick Cornick Co residence 6 Chit Clift Place George Marcus Green fireman freman R H G GW Gr GW W r Railway residence West Vest Third South street street Isaac Isac miner loll lOii 10 West et r Fifth South street Sarah Srah Potter Poter Lizzie Beattie Beatte Jessie Alexander Wilson residence Scofield Kate G Hall Hal 44 West Test First North street et Mary Ann VIncant VIncnt no address given Lizzie May lra Jones one no 10 address addres given Isaac B Hill Hm not in directory which gives Isaac Hill Hm commercial traveler 2 court Lou C Johnson secretary to Mayor R B P Morris Mabel Anderson directory director gives given Ma Mabel a abel bel bet E daughter of or James Jarges a es H An Anderson Andersn Anderson derson and Mabel P residence South Eighth East Eat street James ames Neilson only man of or this name in directory director resides at the coun county county county ty infirmary Charles Chales K r Gunny Gurl pipe man Crane CraneCo CraneCo CraneCo Co residence 1052 JO West First FIrt South street street George A Moore student IT U of or U residence Seventh Sev th East East Phyllis Vincent not in directory director Ella Ela I DavIs avis not in directory director Edward C Raymond Rymond travels for Cudahy Packing Co Henry Thomas Vincent South Fourth East street st et Owen L Davies cigar dealer Ken Kenyon Kenyon yon 01 hotel This is the case which has been protested three times Agnes Nelson Kelson Supposed to be a relative of or Harry A Nelson Neson manager maager Wasatch store which is the company 4 store of the Utah tah Fuel l company om I Edith R fi Beckner P to be re related hated to t S Beckner Becker chief ol rk in the treasurers office oice of tha th Utah Fuel Fue company Margaret Margret W Johnson 40 W West est Third South Sout street J I Iames James ames P Keate rectifier Sadler Mer Mercantile ler cantile cantlie cantle company compan Of Ot the thirty names name given gien in Ii in this list ten of them are |