The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1884-10-17
Land Grant Joseph,

unconiifined land grants, and in this
time Of popular cutlery against this
species Of property no wonder that be-
wishes To 70 10 congress. IL Is con-
gress OF bust with him for a surety aud
the only subject Of regret with the
people OF the territory is that the nc
ton OF a certain republican FROM soutl..
ern New Mexico has made his chances
Tor congress So good. AZ Washington
MIR. Joseph viii proceed 10 have his
own grants confirmed and then being
In sympathy with grant owners he will
be open for bids on work of like char
acter for other parties. admitting, for
the sake of argument, that he has the
ability to accomplish 81 much. which is
improbable.
The New Mexican Review has lool-
ed up Mr.. Joseph's record on land
grant questions and fluids that his re.
cord in this respect TO be far more OBJ
Iectionable than il had supposed. 1t
now seems that there Is scarcely q man
in the territory 80 mixed up with grant
matters as Anthony Joseph. lie own.
ed a part of the Maxwell grant-seven
miles wide along The Uraca river, and
running back to an unlimited extent
10 the top Of the mountains" lie
bought a quantity of shares in the
Chama grant to speculate on, paying
almost nothing to the poor owners and
selling for a large plice TO a non-resi.
deut English purchaser. In the pur-
chases both here aud in the Ojo Ca
liente grant there seems to have ben Il
good deal of crookedness,
But by far the worst business Is as
to the Cienegnilla grant, and shows the
land shark and supporter OF doubtful
grants combined. 1t seems that early
IN 1872 Joseph commenced the buying
of shares In this grant. In order to
influence the poor and ignorant owners,
oi.e shareholder named Virgil became
a party to the transaction, receiving Il
considerable amount, said to be 800,
as the price of his periidy. The heirs
OF the grantors, over 100 in number,
were then seen, and induced by various
representations, all of which proved
false, To sign deeds to their ~intrests for
the miserable pitianee of one dollar
each. Sumo say they signed because
they thought the deed WIS only for a
right of way for "A road; others that
they expected to receive their proper
proportion afterwards. But none ever
received u cent after that time, and the
deeds We're drawn so rs to cover all the
right, title aud interests of the sellers.
only reserving their little garden patch
es. Thus over 10000 acres were obtain
ed for only s1l3 dollars. A more cruel
deception could not well be imagined.
for these heirs were poor. and through
their poverty and misplaced confidence
were induced to sell. ANY one wishing
to investigate will end these deeds re-
corded In Taos county IN books A. No.
2 and a. No. 3. There are 1l3 granters
in all besides Virgil. and each received
one dollarl Many of them are still
living mostly IN poverty, and all feel
kaenly the wrong practiced upon them.
1t may he added that this is one of the
grants founded on the slender basis of
a copy" of a grant, 1t being stated
that the origonal was lost. 1t would
pay pretty well even for a whole years
work in congress to get the title to such
a grant confirmed, and no doubt II the
land grant candidate should be elected
we will have fifty such cases presented
for confirmation within a month.