Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-11-01
The Sausal Redondo Decision.

The Sausal Redondo Decision.
Our dispatches this morning an
nounce final decision by the Secre-
tary of the Interior, of the very i'm
portant land case involving the title
to about $1,000 acres of land adjoining
this city. The decision gives the set
tiers and those persons who were
associated with General Rosecrans in
the location of school lands, the lands
in controversy.
The Importance of this decision will
be better understood by brief review
Of the history of the contest of the
past five years.
The Rancho Sausal Redondo y Qua
spita was granted to Antonio Ygna-
clio Abila by the Mexican Govern
ment about 1910.
In 1858 the grant to Abila having
been confirmed by the United States,
the Rancho was surveyed by Major
Henry Hancock, Deputy United
States Surveyor General. This survey
was generally recognized until March,
1853. From 1858 to 1868 the land be-
tween Sausal Redondo and the
Rancho Tajauta was taken up by set
tiers, claiming the land under the pre-
emption and homestead laws of the
United States.
Among the early settlers were Alex
ander Nelson in 1885, E. w. Squires
in 1859, George Wright, Andrew Fo-
gal and others in 1861. 4as
In 1868 General Rosecrans came to
this county and being satisfied that
he could secure considerable land that
was unoccupied by settlers and not in
cluded in the surveys of Sausal Re-
dondo or Tajanta in 1858, made
arrangements to locate School Lieu
Land Scrip.
On further Investigation he learned
that the survey of Sausal Redondo had
never been confirmed, and he pro-
cured new survey, which reduced the
area of the ranch about 5000 acres.
This land he covered with Lieu Land
scrip locations.
Robert Burnett had purchased the
title of most of the heirs of the Origi-
nal Mexican grantee, and he also had
survey made which extended the
area of the grant about 10000 acres.
The survey made by George Hans
EN-, Deputy U. S. Surveyor General,
in 1868, and generally known as the
Rosencrans Survey, was finally con-
firmed by the Secretary of the Inte-
riOr in October, 1871.
Robert Burnett and Tomas Sanchez,
then applied in the United States
Land Office, Of this District, for the
land, that had been included in the
survey made in 1868, by Geo. H.
Thompson, Deputy United States Sur
veyor General, and excluded by the
Rosencrans survey.
The case was decided adversely to
the claimants in June 1872, by Henry
G. Austin, who was then Register of
the Land Office.
Last spring the Commissioner of the
General Land Office, gave his decision
against the claimants, and the Secre-
tary of the Interior has now given
final decision.
Some of the best estagricultural land in
the county was covered by this claim,
and the unsettled title has been
blockade to the growth Of this city
and county.
Business will now be brisk in the
United States Land Office, where the
settlers will make their proofs and Sc
cure title to their homes.
The survey made by Major Hancock
was more in accordance with the
Disef1o than either of the later sur
veys, and probably if that survey had
not been disturbed the settlers would
have had title to their homes years
ago.
Messrs. Burnett and Sanchez, in
their testimony in the United States
Land Office, stated the facts in refer
ence to their purchases fairly and hon
estly, and in several instances injured
their claim by such statements. They
no doubt believed they were entitled
considerable of the land that they
claimed.
With the settlement of this case the
land will be subdivided and settled in
small tracts. At present there are
probably eight hundred to one thou
sand people living on the land.
The number of children between five
and fifteen years of age in Green
Meadows and La Dow School Dist riots
last June was about $50, and nearly oil
of them had their homes on the dis
puted territory.
The HERAID,s machinery and its