Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-09
GOVERNMENTS CLAIM.
How it is Regarded by Cit
izens Here.
CHARLES DUcoMMUN's VIEWS.
The Patents to the City from the
United States Thought to
Settle the Matter.

The Patents to the City from th,
United States Thought to
Settle the Matter.
A special telegram in the HERALD veg
terday morning relative to the claim oI
the United States Government to the
property located on the corner Of Main
and Commercial streets created consider.
| able interest on the streets yesterday,
1t will be remembered that not long ago
a demand was made upon the County
Clerk and the City Clerk for the books
OF record and papers appertaining to the
country under the Mexican Government.
The County Clerk forwarded the docu-
ments in his possession to the United
States officials, and it was from
these, in connection with the
documents in the Land Office,
at San Francisco that Surveyor General
Hammond obtained the information upon
which the claim to the land is based.
The report of Surveyor General Ham
mond alleges that in 1845 Don Pic Pico
purchased the land in question, together
with house which stood thereon. for
the Mexican government, agreeing to
pay 5000 for the whole to the owner,
Julian Williams. 1t is claimed that in
1916 the final payment of 81, ,656 was
made to Antonio Maria Lugo, the agent
of Williams, and that the building and
lot were occupied by the Mexican gov
ernment, and by the United States troops
after the American occupation. It is also
alleged that after the American troops
were removed from Los Angeles. Will
Jams, thinking that no one was aware of
the transfer to Governor Pho Pico, took
possession of the property and transferred
it to others. On the other hand it is
claimed tnat the land was never paid
for, Lugo, in an affidavit, swearing that
$500 was all that was paid of the Sc 900
for which the bargain was made, and
that the real title was never in the Mexi-
| can government.
A reporter of the HERALD. yesterday
called upon Mr.. Chas. Ducommun, one
of the present owners of the land, to
ascertain his views on the subject. 1Ir.
Ducommun said that there was notL.;; .;;ssg
in the claim, 80 far as -he could Judge
from q hasty examination of the papers
presented by General Hammond. He
had arrived in Los Angeles in 1852 and
at that time the property was occupied
by Mr.. Packard as the Bella Union
Hotel. cit was well known then that
the Government had used it as head
! quarters for short time, but they aban-
doned it, and Mr.. Julian Williams was
considered the owner. purchased q
portion of this land from the son, of Mr..
Williams, and afterwards when B. d.
Wilson sold out here in order to at
l 10 %r he c.
Gabriel, 1 bought the corner
obtained warranty deeds from
both parties, which have secured
me. The United States patent to the
city, embracing all its property within
the patent boundary, took this property
IN also, and I have quit-claim deed
from the city. Thare have in the past
thirty years been several attempts to
throw doubt upon my title, but these
have always proven unavailing because
of the strong title hold. Before
1856 there was no system in the record
ing of titles and documents in relation
thereto, and it is easy to stir up mud
die but by no means easy to prove it. l
really do not think there is anything in
it, although, should the Government
prosecute its claim, l am prepared to con-
test it,"
Ex-Mayor G.. E. Thorn was also seen
and said that he came here in 1854, and
remembered the Bella Union Hotel,
which was then kept by Abel Macy, the
father OF the present City Treasurer.
The building, which had been
occupied as military headquarters,
still bore traces of such use.
As far as he could remember Mr..
B. D. Wilson was the owner of the build.
ing and was in undisputed possession.
He did not think that the claim of the
Government would prove good.
| Mayor Workman said that he knew
enough of B. D. Wilson to say that he
would never have bought the property if
the title had not been perfectly clear. At
that time Mr.. Wilson had for his attorney
Joseph Lancaster Brent, one of the best
lawyers Of the time, now successful
sugar planter in Louisiana. Mr.. Wilson
never bought property if Brent said the
title was not good, and the fact that
Brent had passed upon the title and Will
son had bought it proved conclusively to
the Mayor that the Government claim
to the land was not well founded.
| It will be seen that one ground for con-
test will be upon the patents from
| LLl6 OulttQ OtdIcS 0VNO4u4lCuts lut
first patent was given on August 8, 1866,
and was signed by Andrew johnson,
President. This recites the grant OF
Manuel Micheltorena, the Governor of
the Department of California, and gives
or grants to the city tract Of land con-
tanning II, ,l72 acres, embracing the pres
ent limits Of the city, with the exception
Of strip on the south. Soon after this
patent was issued number of disputes
as to titles of land arose, claims being
based on Spanish or Mexican convey
ances. To settle these new patent was
applied for, the application asking that
a five-year limitation clause be in
serted. The second patent was issued
August 4th, 1875, and was signed by U.
S. Grant as President and D. d. Cone as
Secretary of the Interior. This con-
tanned the five year limitation clause and
after August 4th, 1880, it is claimed that
all disputes as to ownership were set at
rest. 1t is alleged that the patent trans
ferred all the title of the United States
to lands in this city to the city and that
a quit claim deed from the city gives the
title to the present owner of the land.
Whether this is true as regards lands set
aside for Government use is question
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