The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-05-07
THE DoRsEY-INaERsOLL RANCH IN
NEW MEXICO.


The developments In response TO
resolution Of the United States Senate,
which called upon the Interior Depart
ment, OF which Senator Teller was sec-
retary up to March 4th, are startling.
The report consists Of mass OF testi'
mony covering over 400 pagep, giving
many interesting facts relating to land
frauds, and ring operations In the terri
tory Of Now Mexico. Not the least In
terestlng portion Of this voluminous
document Ia that which relates to the
Dorsey -Ingersoll ranch. This estate is
said to cover 3,500.0O0 acres. On II Mr..
Dorsey erected q very handsome and
oommodious dwelling. After the Star
Route trialp. and the acQuittal OF Mr.
Dorsey, Colonel Ingersoll paid a visit TO
the ranch, and was surprised TO discty'
or he was possessed Of one'df|h inter-
est therein. The Colonel erected q
dwelling on II. to the peace aud quiet OF
which he could retire, when he became
wearled and fretted by his contact with
the Christian world. The land Office
shows that the tract on which Colonel
Ingersoll erected his dwelling was en-
tered 90 the homestead OF Miguel Abey-
tia. The Land Department got an I'M
preston that the Abeytla claim was
fraudulent, and II sent out an inspector
named John NJ. Dunn, to examine into
the matter. Dunn went 10 Dorsey's
home, was sumptuously entertained,
and remained as the ex.senator's guest,
with an occasional visit to Ingersoll's
domlclle, only one mile away. Dunn
took the afIldayts Of number OF Dor
sey's COW boys, and returned to Wash
ington, where he reported everything
fair and square, and the title TO the
ranch property without flaw. This did
not satisfy the Department, and Inspec-
tor Hobbs was sent out to view and In
vestigate. He found that Abeytia
had sold the land to Dorsey
for Ave hundred dollars While Abeytia
was said to have lived on II, no Improve.
ments had been made, nor any portion
Of the land cultivated, Inspector hobbs
says. liam convinced that no such per-
son az Miguel Abeytla ever lived on the
claim, or In the vicinity Of H." He was
fully convinced, on further inquiry, that
Abeytia was o fictitious person, and that
many other claims In the vicinity had
been taken by men who had no exist
ence, except on paper. Nobody In that
country had ever heard that Abeytia and
the other alleged Settlers" had ever
lived In that region.
IDgersoll's pine log dwelling is on the
Abeylia tract. What the celebrated In
ildel will do In the matter has not yet
developed. Here is q 0ne opportunity
for exhibiting that high moral princi'
ple which he holds 10 the only rule
Of action. VIII he continue to live on
n section OF land which was stolen from
the United states governments VT VIII
no become the exemplar Of his creed
and without notice or process vacate
the premlsosp VIII ho tear down or
abandon the llne log dwelling and rec
Ognize the principle Of right In lawp
VIII no have Dorsey listen to one OF his
lectures on the "higher lliep" No doubt
Colonel Iugersoll thinks Dorsey was
not guilty OF fraudulent acts In the
Star Route cases, and ho will be able TO
flnd some excuse for the land grabs OF
which the Senator stands convicted by
the Lani Department. Was Colonel
Ingersoll's trip to Europe because these
land grabs had been dlscoyoredp