Tombstone epitaph., 1888-03-24

'> " '"S Soet's nt tiiuC anu III SuCu order to be specified, the original papers or documents upon which any such right title, claim or grant is alleged to be founded. if the same are in possession of such petitioner or can be obtained by him; if such originals cannot be produc-. ed by such petitioner, he shall exhibit and file Tn the office of said court, within such time as the court shall direct, duly authenticated copies of all papers upon which he depends to establish his claim; whereupon if the government, by its at torney or any proper person, shall certify to said court that there is doubt as to the validity of such claim, right or grant, it shall oe the duty of the court to transmit to the Secretary Of State of the United States request that the question in con. troversy be thoroughly investigated by the representative of the United States Government in Spain or Mexico, or any of the States thereof from which it is claimed any such right, title, or grant is derived; and thereupon the Secretary of State shall authorize and direct such rep. resentatiTs to said foreign government to ascertain and report the exact facts 'in relation to and such claim. right, title, or grant as the same s . .ppea' by the
 
 records of such foreign government, ac- companied by duly authenticated copies of any documents or papers he may find ia relation to the same, upon receipt of which by ;he Secretary of State he shall transmit the same to said court, and the court shaIly duly notify the parties or their attorneys thereof, and said report and authenticated copies, if any, shall be received by the court as evidence, and shall receive such weight as the court may think proper.
 Section IS. That whenever any claimant shall produce evidence to the satisfaction of the said court of the con- tinuous occupancy and possession, by himself, his ancestors, or grantors for forty years next preceding the date of the approval of this act, of piece or parcel of land in either of said Territories or State, not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres in extent, and not included within the limits of any grant for the establishment of city, town or village, no further evidence of title or ownership shall be necessary or required from such claimant, but he shall thereupon be en- titled to confirmation of his title to such piece'or parcel of land.
 Section I9. That whenever any decis. ion of confirmation rendered by said court in any case shall become final, either by the failure of the United States to appeal therefrom or by it's affirmance by the Supreme Court, the clerk of the court shall certify that fact to the Com missioner of the General Land Office, with copy of the decree of con6rma- tion, which shall plainly state the location boundarieSaF probable area of thetract confirmed; the said Commissioner shall thereupon cause the tract so confirmed to be surveyed at the cost of the United States. When any such survey shall have been made and returned to the surveyorgeneral of the respective Terri tory or State, and the plat thereof com pleted, the surveyor general shall give notice that same has been done, by pub. lcation once week for four consecutive weeks in two newspapers, one published at the capital of the Territory or State, and the other published near the land SO surveyed, such notices to be published in both the Spanish and English languages, and the surveyor general shall retain such survey and plat in his office for public inspection for the full period of ninety days from the date of first publi- cation of notice in the newspaper pub lished at the capital of Territory or State. If at the expiration of such period no objection to such survey has been filed with him, he shall approve same and forward it to the Commissioner oi the Gene,al Land Office. If within the said period of ninety days, objections are made to such snrvey, - by any party claiming an interest Tn the con6 mat on or by any party claiming an interest in the tract embraced in th. survey or any part thereof, such objection shall be re. duced to writing, stating distinctly the interest of the objector and the grounds of his otjecton, and signed by him or his attorney, and filed with the surveyor general, with such afidavits or other proofs as he may produce in support of hls objection. At the expi, atlon of the sad ninety days the surveyor-general shall forward such survey, with the ob- jections and proofs filed in supper, of or in opposition to such objections, and hi, report thereon, to the Commissioner of the Genera: Land Office. Immediately upon receipt of such survey, with or without objections thereto, the said Commissioner shall transmit same, with all accompanying p .pers, to the court in banc for its examination of the survey