Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-09-03
NO. 333.
A SENSATIONAL SUIT.
An Effort Co be Made Go secure tAr Gam ceIIaliOn Of the Famous n1NWch
 Land Grant.

An Effort Co be Made Go secure thr Gam eeIIatiOn oT Inc Famous haNNeh
 Land Grant.
 Denver Tribune.
 The most important suit that has ever been commenced in this State was filed ID the Circuit Court Of the United States yesterday, by Hon. l.. l.. John son, the United States attorney for Colorado. The title of the suit is The United States vs. The Maxwell Mining Grant company. Action ls brought tO secure the cancellation of the patent for the land held by the company. The grounds for the acton are fraud, practiced by the company, and specific charges made tending to show that the bOundarles and limits of the original grant have been greatly extended by means of
 NEW AND FALSE SURVEYS.
 The manner of procedure in the frauds was to change the names Of natural objects. water courses, etc, Tn fact, change the geography of the entire country, and thus extend the lines tUr- ther north. If these charges can be proved, 1t will show a scheme deep-lald and bold, and intended Co rob the com monwealth of thousands of acres or land.
 The suit Is brought in the Lame Of the United States by the settlers of 30 portion of the grant in Colorado, and 1t involves millions of dollars and hun dreds of homesteads. The land in dis pute contains some of the best Im- proved farms in the State, and also some valuable mining properties.
 The suit wlll be of peculiar interest to Old-time ColOradOaus, many of whom reside in Denver, and it's outcome VIII be closely watched.
 HISTORY OF THE GRANT. | The land in dispute IS portion of the great Beaubien S Miranda Spanish grant made in 1S42 by Governor Armeio | of New Mexico, of which Territory Colo radO was then part. Beaublen and | Miranda were French Canadians, and | secured the grant by prOmlsIns to bring | colonies of settlers fiOm Canada and | France. This colony IS described as be-
 ing 800 miles long, and POO or 3UO miles wide-larger than the majority of the States of the Union. The grant was confirmed by the government of Old | Mexico. Shortly after thIs confirmation NIT. Charles Bent, an American, the | private secretary to Governor Amejo. | put Tn a counter claim for the land em- bodied in the grant, and after several | ears of litigation was gwen aOue-hlth interest. Meanwhile, by the treaty Of | HidalgO, in lSiS, the country known as | New Mexico was ceded to the United | States, and Bent was made Military Governor of the Territory. He was making his arrangements Co have sur- veyed bis one fifth OfIhe grant when the massacre of Taos occurred, and he was |. l.. III n cans ln the place. Thus hIs share was never staked of, and has since been iu dispute It VIII go, eventually, tO LIs l .hree children, now the step-chldrau cf MT. George W. Thomas, of Trinidad the ' wealthy cattle owner.
 Shortly after the cediug of the Tern Ory to the United States, the grant vas confirmed at Washington, and Messrs. Beaubien t Miranda gave a title to Luclen Maxwell, a sOn-lu-law of Beau jien, of the landi now known as the Maxwell grant. This Is described as Oeing bounded by the Red river on the ,Outh and west and the Spanish, now 1nown as the RatOn range of mount iins. on the north and east, the dividing lines following the channel of the river md running from peak to peak on the ange. This track contains some ,1un.- 20 acres. About this time also, a large ract, lying partly in the San Louis val ey, was deeded to Colonel St. Nraiu, his latter lying north of a portion Cr the RatOD mountains, and south of the Arkansas river. Mir. Maxwell occupied is grant, establishing trading posts and ealizing handsome profits.
 In the year lS66 or thereabOuts, ,iessrs. Jerome B. ChatTee and George NJ. Chilcott bonded the grant and short afterward sold 1t entir. to an English company of capitalists, at the bead of which was Mir. Wilson Waddineham, Of New York. After retaining possession .ome time MT. Waddingbam went Go Amsterdam, Holland, and there mort aged the grant, securing considerably yer million of dollars. The mort- gage was never raised, but on the con lrary the land was surrendered to the Dutch company which now holds pos session.
 It IS this company which has commit ted the encroachments and frauds ,harged, Although the deeds of tue riginal Maxwell grant stated most pos itiyely that the land was bounded on the north by the RatOn mountains, which for many miles form the dividing line between Colorado and New Mexico, the company, by a series of surveys, pushed theIr lines into Colorado, and Co do this changed the names of the peaks con- 5ained in the description of the grant: iry water courses were also renamed. as well as running streams. One of the peaks forming the apex of an angle m the description was called Batuu peak, but by common consent vas changed to Fishers peak. The Dutch company, or its agents rather, new clam hat Fishers peak was never known gs Raton peak, but point to peak further lOrth as the one mentioned in the de- scriptiOn, and SO 1t IS entered in their later surveys. The result Cf tbis con 4tant pushing northward of the bound try lines is seen in the fact that the Max well grant, as confirmed by Congress at a comparatively recent date, extends to within five miles of the cIty of Trinidad. At the time that this grant was con- irmed the last time the land in southern Colorado was occupied by farmers who lad improved their properties to a great sxtent, and who had filed their pre-emp- ion claims in the United States Land Office for titles. A reverse claim was at ,uce made by the Dutch company, and aA0 '" sA4E oNANANAN WATAA AN AtNN tNlN -tDIHa cancelled in order to secure their rights. These settlers reside in StoueualI vai- ley, near Trinidad, on the Purgatoirs river-One of the most beautiful valleys and finest agricultural spots m Colo -adO. The grant, as claimed by the Dutch company, also includes large coal fields, the value of which cannot aa estimated.
 The company has an agent ID the per son of Mr. Harry Wigham, who looks after the interests of his employers and makes his headquarters at Cimarrcn. New Mexico. He attempts to collect -ent from the farmers, but only few of he most timid comply with his de- mands.
 Some very distinguished gentlemen will act as witnesses, and it may be that Senators Chaffee and Chilcott will he subpenaed to testify regarding bourda- ries. Colonel Thomas BOggs, of Spring CT, New Mexico, who was Mir. MaxN,.la business agent, will also be a valuable witness.
 Applicable In all Sections.
 From the Columbus lGa.J Enquir--.
 Said a lady yesterday, q wonder how many pleasant homes wIll be made ua- happy by this election" An explana- fIon Waa aaEad and .ba a.s.f. saTF' f.-.