| Show J j GOAL COAL iAL LAND fRAUD j GASES CASES CASESI I Go Over to April Apri to Await the Decision of Supreme Court Court 4 CIVIL CASES MORE SHOW Defense May Take Month in iii Giving Its Side of Case Ct OH t t M n t t M t t M t t H t M t i t t M t m t M t to O OT T The Tho criminal cases caes in In 4 thin Uon with tho government prose prose- f cution of or coal lands frauds yest yesterday yes- yes t culon In the he United States court cour continued until the April t were Apri f term This Includes the tho case against the Utah Uth Fuel company t tt and oth- oth t tf Forrester t with Robert nobert o t cont tt Indicted for criminal conk con- con f fera era k- k t er In hiring luring men to take taker r up lands Illegally and and thus evade nde e t the he law and the case cae of the same t tt t 1 nature brought l by the United t tf f. f 1 against Don r rf f States government f 4 C. C Robbins in Walter aller G. G the and other local t tf Filer Feeds I. I f people ier are Involved J Jf f These cases go over o er to lo await t th The o matter argued f h the tha decision on a 4 United States Supreme l' l f 4 In the I weeks ago 4 court two eck t- t cour In the Utah cases when Indictments Indict Indict- f 1 ments the were returned motions t tf f were filed to quash h the tho Indict Indict- t tf fed before Judge argued f ments f Marshall Marshal and the Indictments f 4 sustained T Tt t I In similar criminal r rf C f Lions dons in tn Colorado Ju Judge ge Lewis Lwis of oft t the tons United States Stales District court Cut 4 took a different view from Judge f ft L t Marshall a and quashed the te Io- Io t 4 ashal Tho The United States 4 government taking advantage of ot ofa ota oft t ta last SOa session a law passed at the 4 appealed to the Supreme court courtr te 4 44 States Slates r of ot the tho United Unie 4 o OH t t M t t M t M 1 t t t H t M t M t H t t M t t M t t M t tO rho civil suits brought brough by the government gov gov- I are suit still dragging on and have havo haveA stil The defense Is now been for a year a A contro controvert crt the evidence bus busy trying to e experts on the nature nature na na- na- na of the government expert ture turo of oC th the land in question Yester- Yester l lay y Dr J. J E. E Talmage was on tho the stand principal portion or of the time arid and the I l' l vas was taken up with examination of ot his f qualifications as a an nn expert expert These cases principally Involve evolve the tho h- h Gould Could Interests In Utah The Tho Utah i r- r Fuel uel company compan a New Jersey corporation corpora corpora- at great mining properties It tion owns owna Sunn Utah as well wel as a all al the the mines which formerly belonged to Pleasant Valley Coal company at al Winter Winter Win Win- Valey and As the tho ter Quarters Goulds are really the Utah Fuel comon com com- rel real defendants In Inthe the they are pany Tho the on- on cases cacs and ad the United States Slates government government go gov gov- is the complainant Under tho the Coal Lands act the amount of ot coal lands that can b be directly purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased b by u a corporation Is limited to 1340 acres Four persons associated together can un own acres and a sin single sin sin- I gb gle 10 individual can not enter upon more lore than than io acres Violating the Law Lan Reasons for tor prosecution have elsted existed exist elst- ed all over tho the Western states states during tho the nl last lat seven se en or 01 eight years Com Corn Companies engaged in lumber mining and tho railroads have been gathering to lo themselves lands known to lo be mineral and In wholesale fashion violating the laws limiting tho the amount of lands they could legitimately purchase I.-he I. When hen tho they thay round found It to In In In- creaso their holding instead of oC goIng goIng going go- go Ing into the open market and purchasing lug ing from legal owners they havo have adopted what has hns become known as a the dummy system b by which men and women omen have been hired under prior agreements to lend the use uso of their names and exhaust their rights under tho the law to take up land lad for tor tho the benefit of ot the corporations Among other suits bills bis wore were filed fied against AmonG the Utah Ulah Fuel company and j the tho Pleasant Pleasnt Valley Valey Coal com company pan Robert Forrester whose name Is I frequently frequently fre fre- connected with tho tim cases ces wa waa ono one of ot the company's compans agents agent In pursuance pur pur- of or the alleged conspiracy by bythe bythe bythe the company and Its Is officers Began Year Ago bo The taking of ot testimony was wa begun Logun a year ago before S. S B. B Lewis Lwis special a examiner yer alo in chancery Mr Lewis died In tho the Interim and Judge Marshall then appointed J. J W W. W Christie who as stenographer stenographer stenographer sten sten- had taken the testimony to continue the hearings The suits are aro divided Into two classes clase the first fut being where the tho lands were entered Entered aa as a coal lands and the dummy system Estem employed to obtain them The second class clas Is i where the tho government contends that the lands are coal lands in fact tact and known as a such but where the the agency of the was brought in and applications were made for or them as 08 agricultural lands under land grants from the state st In lu this way many of the titles obtained tte mn tho the grazing prices of 15 and SO S being paid the the state Under Under this class many persons wore were employed under prior agreements to convey the lands to the company All l the evidence In support of ot tho governments government's contention Is now in and the defense has begun the tho offering of te evidence to show that the coal lands were ere honestly purchased In the second cla class there i IB It a battle battlo balte of f experts as to lo whether these lands land can be called coal lands as a they cr were classified by the experts employed b by bythe bythe the government government The experts of or the defendant companies com corn anies are Robert Roberl Forrester Dr J J. J C. C E Talma o and Mark Marl Hopkins These Those have been in daily daly attendance at tho the sessions when the government experts testified and have bave now begun their ef efforts c- c ef- ef forts forta fort to meet the governments government's claims claims The The defense b began gan the tho to offering of oC evidence some come weeks ago and will wil OCcupy occupy occupy oc OC- oc- oc cupy some weeks weeke to come In connection with ith the tho same case the Morton Trust company of at New York Yorka a as trustee for tor the bond holders has hasa boon been on made a defendant and will wl be beI a heard heart before the tho te testimony is closed An immense immense- amount of ot testimony I has as a been taken including the depositions depositions depoi- depoi of ot witnesses In New York Washington VashI Wash Wash- Vash ington Seattle and San San Francisco mado made I c necessary by witnesses living beyond the Jurisdiction of the court who could not b bo be reached by Tho Tue Immense amounts Involved reaching Into the millions make the I cases the most Important ever tried trie In inthis this thin Jurisdiction Tho defense has haR a considerable 1 amount of le legal al talent watching the case In He its Inter Interests John M. M I Zane Y-ane ane of or 7 Chicago and a son of ot former forer Judge C. C L S. S S Zane of Salt J Lake Lako ake has been acting u as special counsel since the tho opening of the tho ho prosecution John M. M I. I Waldron of ot Denver Allison Alson Van Colt Cott Col j Young oung Snow and M M. M 1 S. S have havo also been continuously engaged engaged- kj Tho The prosecution culon has been under the direction of oC H. H B. B Booth United States district attorney and Fred Jred A A. A Maynard special counsel for tho the United States government government Stale |
