, 1874-03-08
COLORADO.
History Of the Las Animas
Iaud-Grant.
Popular Demand for Searching lnYes'
tigation into Land-Matters.
Tue Political Upheayal-Plottinss Of tue
Riyal 0iIiceSeekcrS.
Life in Denver.
rhe r;a. Art.nus Lnnd-tsTno-'A
l,t1ca1 SgunI'b'c'

The Las Ari1nus Lnnd-e'.
AA>0 l,t1cul squnbl'c.
e,>..;o, co,r..ponle,see Of TIE caedgo 41.o - -.
epee'4N wv Dt.5v,;H, Feb. 2, 1914.
r,,a T,os knimas laud~grab, as 1t Is tel1noo!
- z,,,cn has not only convulsea 1eitlto-
s1.t;a. brt has. with its concom''an17
- ..ea considerable perturbation 81 the Na'.oN"t
Ca-a.z, nnt few OF the fac:s in the case INV
rot haen made public, and these IN tne n,o0-
~.,.,+a-v form. The story ls an 1h[e1osSAno
-od x;1l serve to show the world At laise
.os, orest deal of the land is acqui1eo III 'n7
Ta-,;torcs under the merest shadow OF la"' ano
80. ..,,c1, distortion OF fact through the la'6o
"'ln - ;,,tarestod PARTIES. Without genef-
7,,1;,,o ~ fba outset upon the pern1cous .nan-
- ~ .,hich the great bulk Of lands IN tne "e7N
That are Of great value, either nnn''ess
.-aa,active fail into the hands OF Hpcculaeo'S
~ sha,ners. either individual or Corporate t1o
LAS AS1stAs LASD-GhAB .,,.
narration, while speaking, as IL "e'e' -. o.,a
iii +end to show how much lano LII co'o |
- Nov ,,e.,co has beeu acquired, anu eei 'ou
tn enrich those who have been en:aoo"
nncetiona bic schenas Of land-graoo'ns'
~ tho heart of what is now Southern ooloia-
~ .e 49, ~ land comprising 100000 acres'
vas granted to Cornilo 'esll anu iu41'p -: Ion II
%ba
=, ~ a. f~on, the mouth Of the San Carlos hlFef
eA1e a1a., Tho Arkansas to the mouth OF the
p;oIaa Animss (now more generally caieo tne
1.,--a+o;re, thence up to the summit OF the ma
D.,oo n the headwaters OF the Charles, anu
.,.aa.. down this stream again to It's mouth
100 Grants Of this kind, made By the uo'e1n-
~ ~ +be Mexican Statcs we're quite co'nlnon
,.n,fca,t,,rv aco. After large portion OF LIE
1..-;can nossessions, through conquest anu
troatr b7came an integral portion OF TINS oo'@
.roa,+ Congress- confirmed most OF tue op"n.
;sh rronts. This one, tho Las Anmas 10 Fesn
and st. Yrain, our National Legislature
REFUSED TO CONFIRM.
claiming that it waa entirely TOO eA.o1I'o ~ aso
1onndaries for any two men, their nell7 a'u 90
s7e,s. and. further, that according I" 'ne 1a"s
~ he1ico. tint Government or ars asen'o 0o0
mt the rover to grant more than eleven s4u11o
1oarnes to any one person. consios1
inv snnealed to from time to time 1or les10a'o'
favorablo to this extensive estate IL 6opse9uen.
1r ,aRsed m act allowing these men aoo .n'n
1ernl renresentatives2 % leagues pros1o'nS, no"'
over that such parcels Us hao oeen eor'
transferred to other parties Should oe ueuu.tee
from tho amount 30 confirmed When tne ~, ~ !,
-ras fnIlv 1era,izcd it was found that more VI -
se5 haan sold by the Vegil aud St: Vraln INTEREST
w. tn.1, Ind been provided for by the spcclal ane
kindly legislation Of Congress.
SUBSEQUENT ACTS,
,,,xroxer tended to straghten out the title, am
a.rt;.s having derivative" claims we're above
r. f1e mon the lard. The entries "ele .1aa maa
nt the Pueblo Land-ofice. anu sacp a., ., .re snlf
lands not taken up thrown into tue & nars H.,
tasr1s for bomeptcaling and prc-empting Thls pa,
.or .;a,i.r troct Called the "land-stcal," wa
originally portion Of this 'esll ana D. aIe, atM
gant aud wss eoseSu claim ea It II
MY; GNtr,ct and ONCE. He had certain time
Elieh to have the justice Of h'e elam olspvss ;rn,
Of: but before the Limitation Thereon eSie' y
he withareM It, ana ana traw L into lie mark
.G.i,, nndar the terms Of the Land law. m II,
io Hnchc.' REIMBURSEMENT, several parties sue n.e
IN the land and this, as ma!1er =. sar eoare
nansa nuv adverse claims Finally tho land NJ ~
nroyed IN, and in about the same manaai sa;n ~
Observation-Disclosures of tue land IN tins sce1ion e
obtained and an application "@a n1s.oo A'A
patent That this action was
GROSSLY ILLEGAL
tbo,o ran he little or no question. Ia2I'es Z
possession Of immense tract neat LIZ o. - =,
and the same WIS decided over ~ n"lA40 ~
Perry. two laud-specuntora. ,.
T,hn Arkansas Valley Railroad Company,
branch of the Kanras Pacific, running 1ronl :,
farrnn to Las Auimas, in the meantime "as II Ia
hpproachng the old town .a o. Las s;4na t hera We
creot'y elatod, thinking that as t., the taa." "a Nv
nwued no land there large prices would DC p; pa
for lots, aud that for once, prl'ale ~ - u
would get ahead OF railway eo'o, R,t ,1,a ra1w
waiter of eDecuations in land. But !ne lal4"
con,y,snv had it's eyes orcn to business, a.
didn't let its line end at old Las Anmas, DUE
STARTED 4 RIVAL TOWN
near by, called West Las AnI1nas. :, NOW ~
tI,e sccret Of the last town: While the ra'lw a'lw%
company wero looking for slto, son,o aar ~
thnn the old town, the enterprtslng dar
snd per;g goo aIpse5eo .cse5 in n and % around vi
ia now West Las Animas, dor "a
Tie nrcc was IS per ncre; and Dave Aonat. o,l!
cash;ar of the First National Bank, OF thls G.
Tss interviewed as to his Willingness " leu ~ ~
it. Unoa the sellers giving the assurance S "a
+bo lani had been properly entered, aud cera nd =
estes to this end obtained from tne Ls Lao7G NJ.
At Tneblo. the purchase was concluded'-A
receiving it, as he alleges, no1 10 LOT the H,e KHAN
Vsl1aT Railway Company, in which both he
nclsGsto Chatree arc largely interested II
.1,aged that Mcffat made it a part OF tue cor %
ton of the eae Of this tn he cons1
+natsd at Washington. AS far as can oe use
trined. this was Mof1at's first Gonnec'ion o; ~,
tho cla;m. or "grab." Joe Chatee pellg
Washington. and being lnterestea hna ~ tnu ~ Inv
ticu. applied 10 tho land-olhce 'neae ~ Ia
natent issue as soon as possible =;
The railway company's lavlns It's ra!is III
new town Of Vest Las Animas exclted sne :. :.
dents and spectators Of tue ola to"n au!oa'
II they regarding the slight rs piesenltus
anpreciaton OF their property when tney = pa. ~
long aud so fond1y expected. It was no no. -, u
now thai they had discovered, or at least :"
known,
Some Of the Indignant parties MADE e. atuuI nntz
regarding the fragrant character ~ lue ~! Il
the land Comprising West Las Ani1nas aod IT,
then forwarded these to the ass
the Genera! Lana-o"ce ,t ~ ~ ;nyestigate
aa1 hh 10 eSne one soon oo came in the q sPe
Commissioner Robinson: Ihls was apous ~,
months ago. After brief say, and ~ fhe nas ras
report which sets forth that the land had b
f1audulently entered. aod which certa u:a
Faces Moffat in ysry. unenviable post
The report, while hacking many essen
ftcla. draws many differences; one OF which
that, fraud occurring in the entry. .subsequ
purchasers are guilty OF fraud It also contt
rro*s errors OF fact, setting forth that chs t,s
ia PARTNER 10 the banking business with Mo
md Cnafree When Moffat was elected Cas-