Las Vegas daily gazette., 1886-04-25
LAND GRANTS.
The Piazza Blanca Grant and the
Plaza Colorado Grant, Nos.
81 and S5.

The present claimants in the fist
of these cases are Jose Maria c.
Chaves, Francisco G. Chaves and Ru-
perto de Luna, and the land is in Rio
Arriba county. The grant purports
to have been made by the governor
of this province III July, 1889, to
Manuel Bustos. The signature of
the governor comforting the grant is
believed to be genuine, and the land
asked for which is a small tract of
grain growing land, with its zen.
frances and exits, pasturage, water
and watering places" is sufficiently
described in the decree and act of pos
session by the alcalde. The evidence
shows that perso ms claiming to be de-
scendan,s of the grantee have been
in possession of the land for more
than seventy years, and common re
pute indicates that it has been held by
the grantee and those claiming under
him since the date of the grant in
1879.
There is no record evidence of the
transfer of the land by the grantee,
out the testimony satisfactorily shows
such transfer to have heen made to
Lucrecio Martinez, and that Martinez,
his heirs and assigns have been occu-
pying and claiming to own the lai d
Tor many years. The evidence further
shows a transfer of title to a
portion Of the land by some
of the descendants of Lucrecio
Martinez to portion of the present
claimants, and that some of said dt S.
cendants still reside upon and claim
to own the land, The title papers are
not shown to have been deposited in
the archives of the Spanish or Mex
lean government; but in the opinion
of the survey or general the grant was
valid one, and should be recognized
by the United States, subject to the
judicial determination of the respe6:
tive rights of the present claimants as
vested in them by legal transfer, and
reserving all minerals found in the
land to the United States. .
The land claimed in the Plaza
Colorado grant is likewise in Rio Ar
riba county, and the present claim.
ants are Jose Maria Chaves, Francisco
G. Chayes and sundry other parties
who filed their petition on the 4th of
May, 1886. The grant purports to
hase been made to Rosaio Baldea
lgnacio Baldez and Juan Lorenzo
Baldez. in 1889. An alleged copy oI
the original grant papers is presented
in support of the claim, which is
shown by the evidence to be true
copy, and to have been taken on &C.
count of the mutiiated condition OF
the originals, 1t is also shown that
the original papers were left in the
surveyor generals Office by Jose Pa.
bio Gallegos, who for years
had had possession of them. As
these papers are not now in
the surv yor general's g office, their loss
| is believed to be sufficiently shown.
1t should be further stated that in the
) case known as the Plaza Blanco Grant
No. "a, the grant in this case is re.
ferred 10, the Para Blanco being sub
sequent to the one under consider.
alton, and the two grants being made
by the same person. The evidence
shows the lands to have been occu.
pied and ownership thereof asserted
by the descendants of the original
grantees, and those claiming under
them for seventy years, and that some
OF the descendants now reside on the
land and claim an interest in it. The
grant is small one, and the land il
sufficiently described; and although
it is not shown that all those named
in the petition have an interest in 1t,
yet it is shown that number of the
descendants of the original grantees
are occupying and claiming an inter.
est in the land, some of whom are
named in the petition. The surveyor
general recommends the confirmation
of the grant, reserving any minerals
found therein to the United states.