Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-12-15
Great Land CIaim Decided.

The great claim of Limantour to 5000 acres
of land in the city of San Francisco, which was
trumped up in 1853, and has since been pend
ing, has been rejected by the United States Dis
trict Court of California. 1t is stated that the
decision is sustained by such an array of evi-
denee that an appeal will not be thought Of
About $4,000 900 worth of property was in
vOIved in the case, which is most extraOrdi-
nary one.
In Is4l, Limantour, Frenchman by birth,
who had spent some years in Mexico as trader,
came to California in a little schooner with a
small stock of goods for trading with the whites
and Indians on the coast. He visited San Fran
cisco and other ports, and made money. In ls43
he furnished large supplies Of clothing to Gov.
Micheltorrena In ls45 Limantour went to the
City of Mexico where he has since resided, ma
king occasional visits to San Francisco. In
Mexico he passes for a millionaire.
In 1858 the people of San Francisco were as
tonished by the intelligence that Limantour
had filed d petition before the United States
Land Commissioners, laying claim to $4,000
acres of Iaud in the city limits, including a
large portion of the business part of the town.
The man and his claim had never been heard
of by them before, and he was pronounced a
forger and swindler. Limantour paid no atten-
ton to these charges, but employed Gen. James
Wilson, formerly of New Hampshire, as coun-
sci, and produced his testimony. He produced
J / IL, ,,1 4 I,,ffl fl,al land
made in February, Is43, signed by Gov. Mich
eltorrena, and confirmed by the Supreme Gov
eminent of Mexico then exercising absolute
power Gov NJ. was alive when the claim was
presented and with the grant was filed a GER
tifeate made in 1852, stating that he had made
the grant. Other evidence was presented, and
SO strongly cOnfrmatOry that at the end of four
wears the Land Commission decided in favor
of Limantour.
The case was appealed to the United States
District Court and contested with vigor. Great
efforts were made to hunt up testimony TO
prove the claim fraudulent The Government
paid $4,000 to two witnesses for coming from
Mexico. One of them could not testify to any
fact of interest, and the other was subsequent
" proved to be perjured. In 1856, Limantour
came up from Mexico to face his accusers- His
Clerk he brought with him was taken before the
Grand Jury, and suppOsing the tribunal was
the Vigilance Committee, he confessed that he
wrote the deeds in 1852.
Limautour was at once indicted for forgery
and perjury, but was soon released on $4,000
bail He went to Mexico, and in 1857 came
back bolder than ever to prosecute his claim
He brought with him cloud of witnesses,
among them the Clerk who confessed, who
now swore he did not write the deeds After
making out what appeared a strong case, Lii
maptour returned to Mexico, where he has since
remained.
After he had left, facts came out which made
the fraud patent. The Mexican law requiring
legal documents to be on stamped paper, and
the seals used, fixed the forgery beyond
question, as well proved that nearly all the
high officials connected with the Government
of California, in ls43, had perjured themselves
to sustain the claim. The testimony in the case
covers several thousand pages of manuscript
Limantour, though Mexican millionaire
was real land shark. He presented SIX other
claims to the Land Commissioners, covering
$4,000 acres; but that tribunal rejected these
and Limantour gave them up. Stranger than ALL
he has little education and Intelligence, knows
nothing of law; and yet under his management
the most extensive and complex scheme ofPer-
jury and fraud ever brought before court, was
concocted and nearly pushed to success!