, 1870-07-20
THE DENTS.

.Sffc> 0t The aebch suburbs Of k.a-
Funttnlet-t.oust.alls Litigation 1t,r
twenty ir:sr~-t;clarr;,1 t.raassI gn-
tcfc>trtt III the shit :Na>t in ttl,.
United states supreme t'outa.
f'fum tie Il. Loni. Tf,mts. .1a'y17
or Ill lie ejectulcnt eui;r now ye,!iu: in
tEi~ county, those claiming the llveliest attet,-
ti1u are what are known a. the nent suits.
TLtse cases have tten fr2,n tt-nr to time
mentioned. but complete history Of them
canEot fail to prove most interesting.
For ntaE1y tsenty years tile question Of title
involved ii, the s,,it- claimed the attention OF
our state coults, ard it WIS thought that more
thai. ttu yesyx ago the decisions OF our s;,,-
ntene Court had put All end forever to the
controversy. IN the meantime much OF the
land sntd Tor passed into the hands OF par
vlaec1s for it, full value, who liycd on aud
cultivated their land for more tllan ten yea-s
after what had been deculttl final detetMina-
tion "f all doubts regarding their titles.
Many hunest farmer, who we're either total
etrangt1e to the early history Of their lands.
4 srae:i.ienazy item Of nc'shborhool gossip.
wee mc3e Than eta1sie1 to find this ghost
again thing OF iifc. slnlnnning them to an
swer nron what terms they held their farms.
The tracts i'll quit comprise about si1 hum
.lrtd d acres lying in the Caronaelet commons
nor7i, of the river Des leres. Since the en-
| tension Of our limits these laI1s 1uAv be cOn-
! sidtstd part Of the suburbs Of -. Ljuis.
TREAT PORTIONS arc II. high state Of crltiva-
| tion. and haze feen for more than all ordinary
| life time l'a1t Of that beautiful farm known
AZ tho HicEeTsnn nnrstry tract il within the
line II ttsc claims. and nearly tue whole OF the
little town Of New 1.nzunl5urE. The i,lforna-
| fi1n that the De1lt eits were about to be
resurr,c;e,. threw the little settlement into a
i! fever of excitement, and the people who in
| scs,c.l their d,nlinutl,e fortunes in New Lux
umbutg 1use did net rest until they had forre,l
| the original owner of the town IL purchase
| Tcact ftoM DsAt.
| 1le ouly other instance of compromise il
vi the part Of pelrhy Car!in. Now resi,lil,g ip
/ New icik. He WAS owner Of about sixty acres
AID fenced III. Carlr, no. wishing to cnater
into long s,lit. WAS induced. under the cir
cuMstancet. to part with his interest at the
rate Of onr hundred dollars au acre. This was
| paid. and deed taken in the name of Hia Ex-
| celleEcy L. $. Grant, brother-in-law Of tho
! plaiu,iI. III the ether ovne1s have banded
| together, and n.,w make one common defence.
| The plaintiff. George ". Dent. Wis tor m any
| ycars resident al tins State. but removed To
california, where. having obtained citizen.l.ip
he waH entitled TO- sue in tho United States
courts. Prior to the commencement of the
present eults, he succeeded i'll having passed
| through Congress AT act, dated MarrL ), 1859,
which authorized the issue Of patent for this
land. Tue pateut is dated May 81 Of tho same
year. and g1ants this land: subject, however.
1
The original rroprietors Of the Dent titles
were Gabriel Cerre and Sophia Bolare. The
| original proprietor, under whom the defen-
aaEts claim. was tie town of Carondelet.
lie history OF tie claim Of both plaintiff
ard defendants dated hack Elany reazs befo1c
tie territory was within The domain of the
tLised Statet. One Of the ra; e.s in cvideuce
j. a totice Of the claim Of the inhsbitanta O:
Carop.ele'. Sled with tho Ec-otaer Of Laud
Clsims fer she Tessit,.y OF Louisiana Oil
the 1th Of June, 1s0s. and ShicL reads a. fol-
! ttNs:
lirr ct tie village Of Sue i.c, the district ot
#. Ltnis, c!Ain stlr 70 f.y Q ar1.rfs Of 1n1 ST.
son f. IN Isn zcnon Trl,,irat Iica:enaa, GaSe7-
| ne: Of Upper Louls!ana, ttatet. sth Of December,
1.,s.'
The date Of the Ce1re claim is ereu e1rlet
:Lan the date Of the concession. but the g,lee-
| ticn Of title del er'd- now not upon the At
ti4utv OF either cl.im uud; r the Spanish rnl-
| Int ul'ou the priority Of grant frau. OF ron
| fi1:1,atioE CT claim tv the United states Gov
e,nnent This Of itself woutd seem to he hut
| simple matter for dascHas on. bat the con-
| st1Ict1on OF various sets VI Congress. and the
duty Of ascertaining whether certxln surveys.
which were necessar; to accompany and a~cer-
| tain and locate the grant, we're officially AG-
| proved. introduce ma1.y issues. and make tue
whole matter one appalen Of grea: com.,li-
cation.
1he frat grant Of this land by the United
| Statee Tas hy act of Congress q! jane I3. 1917
I whfn, az is t:eitned By defendants. the latda
| IN question, which Ste out par. Of al Immense
tr.ct, we're granted TO the inh1bitants Of the
nVn Il Caron6elet as commons.
.IAiH fact Was followed by another contirm.-
tory Of it dsted January =, 1881.
The inception of plaintiffs title from the
United States is an act Ut Congress. dated t.L
Of July, 1886. confirming Gabriel Cerre:
clam.
This Leaves Al apparent priority Of more than
tventS-fouE yeals In favcs Of Csronde;et, but
the rlain,in sceks to destroy thi. fy a,temnt-
| iuG to saow that there never WAS an apnroyta
survey Of thi. grant.
Defendants claisaing under Ca-oude1et an
sNer thls hy Introducing survey made br
Elias Rector in 1s17, and another tnade in 1854
| by Joseph Z. Hrowp- pursuant to an order TO
tenaee me l4nea rcn By Rector Brown making
& LIE sgtsorteF ~ found al saa stones and mark,
naae q rector eeFenteen years before: Old
beboast Aarechal. Of CaIondelet still living,
WAS cnam bearer with Brown on that survey:
N tnose esrlr days there was no regular
ststein oenned By the government Requiring
rue aPp5osA OF surveys, and under tha ntac-
tlee IL tnAt time these SURVEYS we're as fulls
approved as many that haEa mover been lnss-
n"ned. kot more tlan quarter OF century
1hey were regarded and recognized by the sur
fesnE department as approved. ana II Is quite
probable that these SURVEYS mover would have
| been questioned. sud. AZ a coa-e.l::aHee, tlt
titlG to ta:esr lands Dtyts Ealid 1i''' t'e1r II
/ yofeed in I'll, y..dIcss :lt :lao4 u.l il u.L,eu
| for tie tCrdty II tlc government itself. Sit
Eatc4 vssl:.E iL- limits CT The tract granted tc
| Cezu1.Ielet thE1e war ) small E.1.litarv p1s;.
| NOW vel: known II Jei1e1saa n::ra-ka. III
;! lsAa, seEe twerts-e!Eht gears alter the GT1.t
i T.. Carnrt'c1a:. the War neaxrtuaa.: desitetli ia
: / E.11r4 fnr H. rwn rry rn1;opra tfa r.a;rh.