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k I iTnESERVATION GRAFTS. d Ij According to the Denver Post which I has been devoting a great deal of at o f I "-non to the matter, the opening of " 11 the Uintah reservation is going to be e I little less than a farce. The paper r 1 contends that the 100,000 acres of e I cultural lands will be alloted to I Indians, leaving nut little for the I ttler who wants a farm, whilo the - I mineral lands will bo in the posses- Jinn of two companies, which have influenced members of both houses ;' 1 nf congress, offlcers of the department "' I nf the interior, both at Washington and the reservation, for the benefit of the members thereof. EM These companies referred to above H aro the Florence Mining company, ana S H the Raven Mining company. The first H Was incorporated in the state of New H Jersey, February 28, 1890, by Thomas n T Lennon, Frank Farrell, Ernest T. f H Charles, W. S. Potwin, Charles F. o H Pflster, Leroy D. Thompson, George ii F Tlmms, T. H. Anderson, William J. ,r Word, and Chas. N. King. Pflster was ,f I tho first president. Afterwards, and presumably for tho purpose of secur '( I Ing influence with tho administration, ie I William L. Word, of the Republican H National committee, was elected as a H director; tho late Henry C. Payne, u. H postmaster-general, was elected presl- ,e Hj dent and Benjamin ii. Odoll, governor e. H of New York, was made treasurer. BJ The Raven came into existence about HI the same time and tho membership is e- flg practically tho same. ty Hj It was then, according to the Post, " IH ""a' "1G comPany began to make an if. IH effort to shut out every one else from le H the possession of the valuable claims ')' B of elaterltc, gllsonlto and asphalt il- H which aro to bo found on the reserva- ie tlon. Tho work began in 1899, when X M T. A. Byrnes, agent at White Hocks, v H discovered that parties from Salt Lake k II City, Vernal and other places had lo- b- cated claims to the extent of 3,000 h m acres, established a mining district, 1(1 Is began building roads and the erection e .1 of houses. This would never do, e- fm though Mr. Byrnes, who was a crea- r m ture of tho Florence company, accord- 111 Ing to the Post, sent William G. Swan- 13 m son, tho agency clerk, and Judge J. T. McConnell, agency farmer, to drive J! these men out. The agency police force '' I was sent with them; tho men were I driven out. and their houses destroyed, u their stakes pulled up and all trace of their locations effaced. Then houses ie were razed and tho little settlement it was effaced. Tho Post declares that i(i this action gave McConnell and Swan- son an idea of tho locations and en- l3 aoled them to afterward stake out the je claims in behalf of the Florence Min- lt. mg company. It says McConnell was If very vigilant in keeping his eyes on 4. Peoplo who came to tho reservation n " tenvard, and when a man who look- x. I ea nko a prospector showed up, he ft- I ' Ian P""0!'1 ejected, or else McCon- lit ' I jjj ma special arrangements with ' I' P!nally McConnell, according to tho I pSt sec"red tho services of W. A. ,p I tw a.sort of mining export from I Imur toA!raw "P a leaso with tho ir I men n,,About twenty f the head I ! 1 I"'!?6 s,Snel II ln Fobru- - I tho An, . Th,s lcaso was assigned to 1 comm,?' Can AsPhalt company, which 1 & B ,members believed they had I SrvHndepts of asPhalt on tho II Srv "- . Th0 elaterito was a sec i II the I L cons'deratlon with them, but II of dS ,Wh0 Perfected tho process 2 If mafini lving ll nnd worhins it into II in a It 71? BettinS out patents, and If ceivJ timo he succeeded and ro- I Srtton of af?,B1nn,ent f the elaterito I can rl th0 leaso from tho Amori- I Stfon nPfany', Hg beBan work. the I quit' In a 1?lant- otc- and was doing I eat! ton?1, 'Iien other asPhalt Inter- a I thoS VUek ln e same and had 8' I the S?n?ffi,t0 ocks stop him on I Bromia that ie had forfeited his lease, whereas ho was doing tho best no could. It was about that timo that tho Ra ven Mining company, composed of Payne, Pflster, et al., was organzed. This concern obtained a leaso from tho Indians on 200,000 acres. The In dians were taken to Chicago, given a ride in a tally-ho, fed more and bettor stuff than they had ever eaten in their lives and promised work when it should begin. They didn't get it, how over, for when they applied they were sent back without anything and on short rations at that. The Raven com pany located tho deposits of tho first prospectors, whoso houses were de stroyed, as mentioned, which com prises tho most valuablo holdings of tho concern. Now, according to tho terms of tho leaso, tho claims were to be regular size, conforming to tho laws of tho United States. But tho Raven company did not enro for tho laws, but located them any old size, one Iii particular being worthy of note, as It had an area of over 3,000 acres. It is two miles wide by throe miles long. When this was brought to tho atten tion of tho department, tho secretary declared ho would bring proceedings to annul tho lease, but ho must have forgotten it. Tho Floronco Mining company was not Idle all this timo, for in 1899 it filed an application to mako a leaso with tho Indians for all tho minernl lands on tho reservation north of I Strawberry creek. This application was signed by Payne. Tho story of this leaso, as told by tho Post, is In teresting. It is as follows: "In 1897, one Dr. Hathenbruck was around with samples of gold ore that were tho finest wo ever saw. Ho said they camo from tho reservation and ho was trying to got a permit to go there and prospect. At that timo II. P. Myton was a commissioner inter ested in tho opening of tho reserva tion. E. R. Harper was tho secretary of the commission and S. M. Miller was surveyor for tho same. They saw these samples of gold and while they were yet acting on tho commission thoy began to plan for a mineral leaso on the reservation. The result was that Myton was subsequently made agent and tho others wero to profit thereby. A plan was formed with My ton as chief assistant to obtain this lease. J. H. Mease, post-trader, at Fort DuChesno, and John McAndrows, Interpreter at Ouray, wero taken in to help tho matter along. Measo and Mc Andrews claim that thoy refused to try to influence tho Indians in this way, so thoy wero dropped out and others taken in. Myton, Miller and Harper wore still In tho lease at that time and, referring in letters hereaf ter given, it was Harper who, Myton went to seo at Denver before calling a council of commissioners. Thoy joined forces with C. F. Tlmms and accomplished their object. Mr. Measo stated that tho original leaso was drawn in tho ofllco of tho commissioner of Indian affairs and maps furnished from there also, and whilo Mr. Ryan, tho acting secretary of tho Interior department was deoply Interested In tho leaso, ho was not alono by any means." During tho timo Harper was acting on tho commission ho wrote a lottor in which ho mentioned tho fact that McDonald, tho post veterinary, was a man thoy found necessary to "got out of tho way." n0 nlso mentioned that .uyton was to bo trusted and that ho was very hopeful of results. Harper wroto another letter in which ho related that Tlmms was go ing to tho ngoncy; thnt ho had boon working with McDonnld, nnd it would bo a good thing to give tho doctor a change of base for his hcnltli. Ho admitted that Tlmms had a right to work on tho reservation, on nn appli cation filed two years before tho Kavon or Floronco companies ncqulrcil any standing nnd then said: "However, It mny bo necessary for a permit to bo given him first. In that caso It will bo necessary to knock him until ho is out of tho way; at tho timo I am a llttlo arraid of that, nnd prefer that Miller nnd you hoys go ahead, Independent of a permit and try nnd get a leaso, provided you think that best. You aro on tho ground and know best. If I nnd that tho de partment gives Tlmms n permit, I will try and have them grant tho samo to all applicants. In that caso, wo will havo to fight It out nnd tako our chances. Saturday 'I was appointed special allotlng agent. From now on I wilt have nothing to do with tho leaso publicly. However, it may bo found essential (?) thnt I nccompany Mr. Graves to tho reservation to as sist in determining which of tho pro posed ditches will bo best for tho doar Indians. Do you supposo I can judgo I tho matter correctly?" Harper, according to tho Post, ob tained his authority for changing men from ono placo to another, direct from Washington The Post asserts that tho matter of those leases wns called to tho atten tion of tho president and Hint his sus picions wero aroused, still thoy woro satisfied by Senator Kcarns who "has been during the short timo ho has been in tho senate, tho backbono of this company in robbing tho peoplo. Tho matter was laid boforo tho Tribune, but the nrticlo was novor published, nnd shortly nftorward tho paper was bought by Kcarns through Perry Hoath, to cvcntunlly boom tho lnttor In tho United States senate. Congress has passed sovcral acts at difforent times for the opening of tho reservation, but in each caso it has been postponed or tho commnnd of congress never carried out, simply tie causo theso peoplo had not as yet lo cated everything on tho reservation thoy wished." Tho action of Senator Kcarns ns re ported In his personal organs, would appear to favor an early opening of tho reservation. This, however, is not tho fact. Tho Kcarns amendments and riders when examined all mnko for delay In tho opening instead of expediting it. Avoid slang it mav sound amusing, but it Is anything but ladylike, and other peoplo know it. Avoid making unkind remarks about a person not present, as other peoplo will consider whether sho says such nasty things about thom whon thev aro also out of tho way. And, nbovo all, havo a cheerful face, although sho must avoid tho attrlbuto of tho "Cheshiro Cat" ln "Allco hi Wonderland" tho cat who was nl; smile Philadelphia Ledger. 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