Weekly Arizona citizen., 1880-08-21
r FORGED AND ANTE-DATED.
Fl Paso de los Algodones Grant.

lnaLlnn UI thlS case k based, were filed m this office Dee. 9, 1879. and they with the records in relation thereto found m the archives of the Mexican State Of Sonora. disclose these facts:
 January f, 1898, Fernando Rodriguez petitioned the Treasurer General of the State "f Sonora, for a place called Fl Paso de los Algodones" near inc junction of the Colorado and GIls rivers. The terms of the petition are remarkable in some particulars. in that they are not found in the petition Of any other case within my knowl- edge. Petitioner states that he makes the registry under the conditions that the settlement and occupation of the land petltioned for shall be when the notorious condition and circumstances of the country in which tSo tr0et is situated, may permit, setting forth that the sad tract lay in a desert country, and one uninhabitable be
 cause of the hostility of the savages. It was quite as unusual for citizens of Mexico to petition for grants of land winch could not be occupied as it was for ihe Mexican authorities to grant lands without the conditions of ability ! and purpose to immediately, or with in a stated time. inhabit and cultivate or graZe the same. Early in the in ! vestigatiOn of this case. several cir cumstanCes herewith, aroused su% ! picions in my mind as to the bona Fdes l of the papers upon which title 10 said | land was based. therefore regarded sS necessary that a special and very | critical examination of the proper archives in Sonora, be made, so far as | they might affect this case, 10 the end ' that my suspicious be removed or con- l tirmed. caused such an examination to be made tin January lasO by MT. R 1 C. Hopkins, of this office, he being specially fitted for the work. The | leading facts discovered by him and reported to me, are embraced in hIs sworn testimony which is 8 part of ! the transcript of the case, and are as l follows:
 That on the same day that FernandO ! Roderiguez peti,iOned for lhe place of ! Fl Paso de los Algodones, he also ne'itionei for a place called " La ! Puu,a del SsrgeniO' situated or the i Gulf of Caliiolnla, containing ten | sqUre leagues; that the ian-uage iu ! the petitions in the two case is very l similar: that the several orders in the ! proceedings in both cases are dated on l the same days, are in the same hand 1 writings, and these handwrltiugs are | different from all the handwrItings in l the proceedings of the various grants made and recorded in 1858; that neither of said grants are registered in ' the book uf Toma de RaZOn for the year lS3S, nor in any other book ot ] record m the archives; that these two ] grants pUrpOrt Co have been made by Jose JuSto MIl!a, a. COntadoT ! fAuci.Orl of the Treasury, acting DOT 1 Nini>terio de la ley" or eX-oiiiclo, Jose 1 Ma. Mendozg being at that time ! Treasurer General; that the same l names appear in 10th eases as assist ing witnesses m the proceedings; that inc signatures of Jose Justo MIllI l where they occur "a both caSes ap ! eear to have been written with the I same ink and bear striking re semblance tu each other, and these signatures are notably different m anpearancc from tho-e Of Jose Justn Milla ss foUni in the arch ives on docUms nts of undOuated gen uiuencss of near the same date O. these grants, and that the difference especially manifest in the ruhrica T flourish attached tp the names; thai
 one of the signatures of the said Mlla as found in the original proceedings of the Paso de los AlgOdOnrs grant and now in the Mexican archives ol oonora. is written thus: Jose Jose NIlla instead of Jose JustO Milla; that the signatures ot Santos NIgarrla and Jesus TrasquIllo, whose names snnrar as assisting witnesses m the
 Droceedlngs of the two grants, are not
 ably different in appearance rom ihe same signatures, as found on genuine documents of near the same date ana now in inc archives: that the grants of paso de los AlgOdones and Ll
 punta del SarCeuto are both dateu
 Anril I2. 1858. that to the proct edlngs m hoth eases is attached a certificate
 nurDortine to be signed by Jose Justo NTilia that the purchase money was maid by inc grantee, and also one by Juan ! EncinOs, certifying that the
 petitioner. Rodriguez, possessed sum cient means to stock the lands pcti-
 tioned for. ....
 Tn view of the extraordinary facts
 boarinr on these cases as reported by Mir. Hopkins and summarized aoo' deemed it absolutely necessary to pro,
 cure photographic copies or some ol inc signatures and portions Of the doc'
 umenfs referred to as they existed Tn tLe Mexican archives in Sonora, 10 cnabIe me to fairly, clearly and inIIy
 nIsce the case before Congress, and
 sncb copies are appended hereto as
 evbibits 10 this report, so arranged and marked as to be readily un'er-
 stood. An inspection ot these photo'
 graphic exhibits shows:
 That the petitions for the grant oi
 6, Paso de los Aigodones ana Li
 pnnta del SargcntC.' were made on inc
 same day by the petitioner Rodriguez
 Tsinr almost the same language Tn
 both petitions; in the AlgouoneS ue
 scribinr the land as being con nipiele
 mente desicrto (compIetely de-eIV l
 and in the Punta del Sargento, saying
 that tbe land is" enteremenie deslerto
 Y aridO,n (cntirely desert auu 'Ii iu {
 and in both eases agreeing to occupy
 inc land when the conditions oi the
 localities might permit him 10 do so
 Nos. 1 and of photographic eAllol' l'' ''
 show the petition of Rodriguez i"l ,1
 Ii paso de los Algoiones and Nos. lu
 and n are copies of his petition iol
 La Punto del Sargento-
 That Rodriguez should on the same
 ,.i. ,,.t;,ior for two tracts of land bnndreas @ of miles apart, both deSer
 and one arid, f,r pu poses of cul'iva
 ,inn aIT to ne occupied at some future
 lime is certainly remarkable, ans
 en,newhar .,'n astonishing in view ot ih'
 isW5. Iog,5T neares l.s'. and customs of Mesiee
 nove1n,nS cnTe, nr inc granting of public lands
 Nilla the granting officer m oo'I
 rrants. are all made by ihe same hand