The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-04-06

,cene llss In many cllmes, and McGarrahan,
With bis shillalah In one hand, and his claim
In the ether, seems destined to dance In the
denouemcnt Of the drama Of disunion, for |
the people Of California are In such state
about the probability Of the passage Of the |
clhim, that they threaten 10 secede from the |
Government that attempts to enforce II.
A SPANISH AMERICAN ROMANCE.
Here is q nutshell charged with the case. |
In 1885, some people In California took |
possession Of lot Of land In Fresno county, |
and proceeded to clear and cultivate. In O |
short time they developed tbs fact that be- |
meath lts surface were valuable mineral de- |
posits, notably quicksilver. They organized
themselves Into working company upon
the faith Of the deposits, and were growing
into q prosperous community, when sud
denly, like the apparition Of the Wandering
jew, Vicente Gomez appeared before them.
Vicente Gomez Is a word In California that
means "the devil" He is q lurking Mexi-
can, with the talents Of Macchlayelli, aud
the conscience Of Butler. He stands at the
head Of a cabel Of forgers Of old Mexican
land grants. He lived In California before
the American conquest, was familiar with
the history and jurisprudence ofthe Mexican
possessions, and whenever q thriving city or
mine has been established BY Anglo Saxon
enterprise, Gomez Is sure to appear with an
old copper-eolored deed for the site thereof.
Convicted Of forgery on repeated occasions,
he still exhibits so much cunning, fertility OF
resource, and originality Of action, that he
his band have kept the Pacific coast In terror
for nearly twenty years. a.
The settlers and quicksilver miners In
Fresno county were not kept long In sus-
pcnse. Gomez unrolled his ancient looking
parchment, written In Spanish, duly signed,
sealed and stamped, which he coolly stated
r.. H. a
by which q Mexican Governor, Micheltor-
ona. long dead and gone to Mexican glory,
had decreed In perpetuity to Vicente Gomez,
all the land called Panoche Grande, now oc-
cupied and made rich by the people OF
Fresno county. Said deed had been applied
for by Gomez according to the ancient docu-
ment, that she might pursue the noble occu-
patton OF agriculturalist, and save his nu.
merous and Interesting family from want |"
The first impulse Of the Fresno people, bc-
ing In temperament Anglo-saxon, and by
avocation quicksilyery, was to brain old
| Vicente Gomez on the spot. The second was
to weep and tear their hair. The third was
to look at the paper OF Vicente Gomez through
the spectacles OF lawyer. They found that
the devil-Gomez aforesaid-had no deed at
all, but only plausible looking agreement
to furnish one; that the tract Of land ho
claimed was not near the settlement; that
its extent was limited by the pretended agree
ment, but unlimited by Corners interpreta-
tion, and beyond this they knew, surer than
equity or testimony, that Gomez was scoun-
drel, and his claim, In their heart Of hearts,
cruel forgery, conceived in q robbers after
thought upon seeing their thriving, Indus
trious and happy homes.
There was nothing for them but q eight;
so, with few signs and many curses, they
raised a subscription and employed their at
torney and went into court.
THEIR DAY IN COURT.
Gomez went TO the Land Office Commits
sioner with his witnesses aud his saddle
tinted deed. He had his witnesses-yicious
half-breeds like hlmself-ready to swear away
the title Of humanity to the earth for the
price Of debauch; and they swore that the
missing deed had been stored In Monterey,
and burned up In the Mexican war by Amer
lean volunteers. They produced people to
| swear to the fire, others to swear that they
had heard Of the deed, and one that he had
seen Ii. This latter witness had frequently
been convicted OF perjury.
Now, there are two very perfect books eI-
tant OF all Mexican land grants made In 1874
and 1S45, labeled respectively, "Jimeno's
Index" and "The Toma dc Razore." Jime-
no was secretary to the Governor Michel
torona, and his name was upon Gomezi
coppor-tinted parchment, but his book con
tained no record Of the grant. 30 the Lane
Commissioner paid no attention to Gomez
beyond rejecting his claim.
The indomitable Gomez, made up OF stee
springs, and run by a locomotive, nothing
daunted, went up to the District Court, mad
over half Of his claims to supple Distric
, Attorney, one Ord, called by his infatuated
parent, Pacificus Ord, and this man, tn
, lawyer of the United States, failed to contes
nit tho Iaptl Gnmaz Sn his claim nj
: lowed. Ord, Pacihcus so.called, was ex
4 posed, and, am told, driven from Call
y fornia.
This award by default and fraud was tn
only verdict Gomez ever had from court
1t was set aside, Of course, and the people Q
] Fresno county were about congratulatln
themselves that the real devil and his imita
. tor had at last dissolved partnership, whel
, suddenly Gomez disappeared us hop
foreyerEand in his place stood up the coat
dent frontispiece Of Billy McGarrahan, -four
! ishing the papers Of Gomez, and defying tn
, peopie.of Fresno county with grander com
, blnation aud persecution than Gomez ha'
over conceived.
McGarrahan organized on the basis o
! Gomez's deed a stock company with capl
tai of ten millions. This stock was dlstrit
uted among people Of influence, and the
were assessed small amounts to pay the eI
Penses Of lighting the claim up to the snpc
rior and Supreme Courts, and, II necessary
TO Congress itself.
The scene now shifts to the great centr
: Of political interest at Washington, and "
OF the East, for the first time, are made Il
miliar with the sweet name OF McGarrahar
In the examination Of this forged title tn
, clearest legal intellect, the most learne
> acumen Of the bar were exercised. IN
! Land Office on one side was beset, on gu
other the Supreme Court. The court, rulin
! by the light Of Justice aud evidence, thre'
j out the McGarrahan claim as au unqualltc
fraud. Tho Land Commissioner refused
c title to McGarrahan, but over their head
c the Secretary of the Interior and finally II
). President was appealed to. The ProsideI
u Uincoln) at first favored the claim, bI
:, soon wearied Of 1t and threw 1t of.
u Al last a powerful lobby beset the Capito
Concentrated upon the House 1t gained owe
} through some mysterious influence, the Con
20 mittee on the Judiciary, and that committt
e reporting favorably, the monstrous CLAIM
o like many others OF like or less importanc
3 passed to the Senate.
p dot not care even to allude, let aloT
p dwell upon the influences that are said
!, have been brought to bear upon tho Jud
ID ciary Committee to make 1t override the d
= clsions Of the highest courts, after the mo
ID careful investigation. Gossip about q
Z" lODbles ana on the moor tells US TINT III
7, tlnguished member lost a seat In the Ca
10 met and a place In tho confidence Of b
friends through his connection with the cas-
IN am not called upon to consider q
a means. only give you the result to Justi
my attacks on this secret committee wor
n and the carelessness Of the House, that loo
10 TO the world like corruption.
g That you may not charge me with statii
"A the case unfairly, or Of exaggeration, ] que
from the report made to the Senate by Sc
10 ators Williams and Ferry, two OF the pure
e. men and ablest lawyers In that body;
IN "Sixty-nine California land cases ha
1, been decided by the Supreme Court.
u thlrty-six Of these cases the claims have be
+ rejected, and In thirty-three confirmed. T
al report affirms, and contradiction from Al
source Is challenged, that not one of I
thirty-six claims rejected was so weak In I
r Supreme Court as this claim OF Gomez vs.. I
a. United States, upon which Congress Is ask
IN to give to McGarrahan property worth hu
n dreds Of thousands Of dollars, made by Il
I'd labor and means Of other people.
T. "Many Of the towns and cities OF Gallo
I'd MIA, and most Of San Francisco, are cover
OF by these rejected claims, and II Congress
TX 10 readiudlcate and reverse one case upon