New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-13
THE GREAT LIWANTOUR CLAIM N SAN
FRANCISCO

| iected Yesterday N the United states District
Court The decision is sustained BY such az array
Of eyiGeBoe that al appeal will not be thought Of
NJ d as the claim s now probably brought to the
attention Of the public fer the last time propose
10 make some record of i. in the file Of THr
TmDusE. Such record it deserves. patly on ac-
count Of the vast amount Of property involves
/ about 500 OK 900, aud Of the suit occupying an
importsn place in the history of our State, ard OF
/ it, wonderful character presenting, rs II undonbt-
edly does the most complex web of bold perjury
AID forgery recorded ia the Judicial history of
! civilized nations.
n le4I Jose y. Limantour rrenchman by
/ birth, who hsd spent some years IN Mexico 90 4
trader. came to California il little schooner Of -
or 100 tuns with sma stock 0t dry goods snd
trukets, TO b. used IN trading with the whites and
Indians GA the coast lie visited all the main ports
Of pp,r California. San Francisco smong others,
and seems 10 hate made money, for ~ l-lS he iur-
nished large supplies Of clothing 10 Gov. Michel
torrena Who was Then greatly IN want, and before
tn end Of l-i5 the total value of the clothing,
cash arms ammunition c.. furnished by him Ia The
Governor had amounted according to the ohcial
accounts to about $50 900. u has been said that
Mchctorrena acted ii honestly by paying enormous
price. 10 LimaItOUr for almost worthless goods,
bur whether this is true there - now no means oi
learning. Certain II il that Niche torrena was re-
by a rebellion of The native Caliiornians ia tbc
North Al by the mutnous disposition of his own
troops who were dissatisfied because they had not
been paid at all snd were ycry il-ied and clothed.
The sums agreed 10 boz due to Llmaniour, whether
moderate or eXoTbitant, were chiefly, II not Alto
gether, paid by drafts Oh the Custom-H House at
Ntlatan; md these drafts were subsequently, all
duly d" honored." IL -, LimantOur welt 10 the
CITY Of Mexico where b. hts since resided, III liking
occasional visits 70 San Francisco. HIS business
there was dealing in arms, b. which he rapidly III
creased his wealth. During the American INVASION
h. supplied The Mexican forces with munitions OF
W snd after the Treaty Of Guadalupe lldalgo,
when the Government Was entirely destitute of
+ money and when none of the capitalists IN the
country would advance shy funds, Limantour came
forward IL s said, with The grand cash 10 the
amount II >l5ouJO. Ia June, - the Mexcan
Government passed ,aw that no money should be
paid out IF the National Treasury for any purpose
until further order; and 10 October passed another
law that $50 900 should b. paid TO Limantour ont
of thr money then in the treasury, and If the
amount we're not sufficient, then ont oi the first
money TO be received. Dir. LIuaDtour pa'sc. now,
and hus passed during the last eight years, 10 the
CITY Of Mexico, as Il millionaire.
la the beginning of 1858. San Franeisc0 was
atonshed by the ney that Nlr. LimantOur had iled
petition before the United State. Land COinHils-
sou laying clam to 1900 acres Of land ia the
cty limits, including large portion OF the business
had never beard Of the nor Of HE claim, and ne
Has at once declared by public opinion and ny the
public press 70 BE- q svinder and fOrgeT. lie paid
no attention t. these charges, however. but went
/ On 20 produce his testimony He brought with him
letters from Don Mariana Arista, then President
/ If Mexico commendng him ssan honorable gentle
/ man 70 the Governor Oi California and 10 the
/ JUDGES Of the Land Commission. with assurances
tnat the claims which he would present Tor lands
/ IN California we're valid. Mr. LimantOur also
brought letters of introduction and eonine ndauoh
I from the Gench Minister IN Mexico 10 Mr. D!.ion,
/ frcDch Con-ul mere
! Mr.. l.. engaged for his sE.orney Gen. james
/ Wilson. formerly Of NoH- Hampshire Who hsd,
| believe, been IL Congress and nss aPp0luicd ~
/ MiDsrd il.more q member Of the Board oi Land
! Con lnssiouers OF its fret organization. Suose-
auentiy. John H. fetOn, esd, brother OF Nr. I. I.
| Felton, Greek Pr0iesso. in Harvard University.
| was associated " ith Gen. Wilson. Both are able
! laUyers and respectable gentlemen, aud Ihcr char
sctcr- and rep1,stiOns are no. such as Void be
! likely to Obtain the fycr OF persons engaged ln
! prosecuting fraudulent lawsuits.
Gen. Wilson introduced formidable array Of
evidence. H produced tie alleged origInii deed oi
, the snd made in February, l. -. signed by Gov.
! NicheltorreEa, and confirmed by The supreme
I Government 0l Mexico then exercising absolute
power. Mcletorscls was st.l alive when The
i cain vas presented. and with the graht WAS filed
! p certificate made By hm in l-,!, stating that
/ p, had made the grant. The confirmation ot the
I lrart purportsd to have been signed in 1913 by
>eior Bocanegrs, Minister Of Foreign and Interior
/ Affair; and he certified, ii-0 that the conLrnll-
| ton is genuine and valid. Manuel jimeno, who
I was Secretary 10 MicheltOrTeaa n January, lis,
/ testified that he knows LimsntOur asked, II That
/ time. 10. grant of land at ler5a Buena, but does
no. know whether il was granted, he having occa-
.ion 70 leave hs ohict soon alter Francisco Arre,
| who wss chief clerk under Jimcn0 III l-i3 testl-
Ged that in January. l-!3, ho wrote letteT to in
uu re- whether the land asked for by Lirantour was
/ public lsnd. This letter wax produced 10 Court
/ ADD had the signature of jineno, who SAID De had
/ signed H. Wm. i. Richardson, Captain ol the
/ port of San Francisco, tsstn,t that ne received
that letter In January l>l3, and that he replied to
/ :. saving the land Was pno,c properly. jose
! Abrego, memb, roi the prescn. Legi-latgre, from
! Nontery. testified that he VS. Commis.lry under
/ Nichr! .o-rers, from 1888 to -, anc that III
/ Nar,L 1913 b. wrote & cer,itcste stating that
! Iinai.our hai paiG money to Micbstorrena. IN
/ consideration whereof the hitter had made GER
| tain -ralts Of land T. tue former, incirdine
! argr irsct l- ierDd Busns; aud that Tie Pul-
/ pose ui making ths certificate was, inat ~
/ should b. Used By l.. 10 obta'n cJuhrna-
! ton Of IT, grants from the Supreme Uoseinmeat.
| Victor Pind0n Lent Colonel under Michel
| torrens. testified that BE- drew up Limantours Pc
| titon 10 the Governor for the land in January,
j-iS. sld silery ard heaid the h.ter order the
| Iced Z, be made out ictnte Pertect0 Conner,
elo was clerk under JlmenO in l-43, testified
Is. he .ecoldc. Iilantours tile III tha. year IN
| book. joss Castro, GOTer1or u California N
l-3i and 80 te.tfed that LuisIrOur told BIN IN
J. - that he had obtsired grant oi lard II ierpa
| Buaun frH MichetUrrena. juan b. Nvsrado,
! Covsrnor of California IA i-t2 testified that he