The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-08-10
For the Register.
The MariposaH Claim.

The Marposa* Claim.
There was one act in the career of Gen.
j. c. Fremont, which fully illustrates the
old apothegm, that "Ill-gotten gains never
prosper" and that is his fraudulent location
of the Mariposa Estate, which, though
fully sustained by the laws of the United
States, is, nevertheless, lin this peculiar
instance) contrary to all ideas of right
eousness, equity, and fair dealing
The Mariposa claim contains 1880
acres, or about 10 square miles. 1t rea-
ches II miles from east to west, and II
IL miles from north to south. 1t extends
northward from the town of Bridgeport,
to the Mercer river, which is its northern
boundary. 1t covers the towns of Qua
dalupe, Lower Aqua Fria, Upper Aqua
Fria, Princeton, Bridgeport, Mariposa,
Arkansas Flat, Mount Aphir and Bear
Valley.
The grant was purchased in 1S41, by
John G. Fremont, of Juan B. Alvarado,
to whom it was granted by the Mexican
Government, while California was yet I'M
der the dominion of Mexico. Fremont
presented his claim for the land, to the
United States Land Commissioner, and
it was confirmed to him, and the patent
dates from February, 1856. The grant
called for Gland suitable for grazing pur-
poses in the valley of the Mariposa river"
but the Mexican Government had omitted
to fix the boundaries, and the consequence
was that Fremont had the right Of loca-
ting his claim on any land within large
area.
When the grant was to be surveyed,
Fremont informed the United States
Surveyor that he wanted a long strip of
low land upon each bank of the Mariposa
river, but he was informed that the sur
vey must be in compact form. This,
Fremont must have known as well as
the surveyor, and it is undoubtedly true
that he made this feint only to cover his
nefarious design, of snatching from the
honest miners Of that section, their pro.
perty. Now the scheme was unveiled,
Fremont suddenly changed his mind in
regard to the value of grazing land in
that section of the State, and "swung his
grant round and covered the valuable
"Pine Tree" and Josephine" Mines near
the Mercede river, besides number of
others which had been in undisputed pos,
session of miners, who had long beon IA
milar with Fremont, and had never
heard the least intimation from him, that
he would, in any event, lay claim to their
works."
The unsuspecting miners were sur
prised and dumbfounded at this coup d.
etat. They could hardly be led to believe
that Fremont man whom they re-
spected and honored-could be guilty of
so base an action, and when they ascer-
tanned that it was too true, public indig-
nation was rife against him.
But here appeared kink in the claim,
under the Mexican Statute, Fremont had
no right to the minerals, and the miners
claimed that his right from the Uuited
States was not an enlargement of the
Mexican title. but merely confirmation
of it. But even this last support gave
way beneath them, for in 1859, decision
was rendered against them, and avowed
that an American patent for land. gives
the grantee the minerals with Ii,
Then came strife and bloodshed, the
minea were converted into Notifications.
Barricades were thrown up at the mouths
Of the tunnels. The miners were desper.
ate. Several men were killed, but
backed by the law-sFremont at last car
ried the day, and obtained land which the
Mexican Government did not grant. And
minerals, whose united wealth can never
buy for him the character he has lost, or
gild the name that he has furnished.
The yield of gold from the quartz
mines of this estate, averaged $4,000
per month, during the year 1860, $751;
500 in 1861, in 1862, S4S,500, and dur
ing the first five months of 1868, ST.
600, in March, 1868, the yield was sea-
600, in April, $4,000, and in May,
sl0l ,0O0 And yet, these large yields
could not save Fremont from bankruptcy,
and when it passed into the hands Of his
creditors, 1t was only to entail bankruptcy,
and ruin upon others who were unfortu-
nate enough to be allured within the
meshes Of this monstrous enterprise,
Professor Silliman, Messrs. Allen, Wal
ker and Garnett, as well as DR.. Adelberg,
all contest that the MariPOsa Claim con-