Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-10

ejectment with the best legal talent in
the country, but the patent had always
settled the matter at once, and their
cases had been thrown at once out of
court. 1t was annoying to have TO eject
so many people as appeared would
be necessary in the present instance
but there was no doubt as to the perfec-
ton of the title to the Lankershim
ranch, and he did not feel at all uneasy,
though he was sorry for the people who
were evidently deludsd into the belief
that they were going to get something
for nothing. Even if he had not been
constantly in occupation of the land his
title was 80 good under the old grant
that he could eject these persons if they
had been located on the land for years,
and compel them to abandon all their
improvements, as was done on the
Mariposa grant, where towns and mines
had been constructed by people who
were in complete ignorance OF the exist
ence of the Mexican grant.
Those people all had to go or pur-
chase under the grant, and these settlers
on the Lankershim ranch will merely
lose time and money in butting their
heads against stone wall. AS far as
he could make out from the description,
the squatters were all at least mile
and half inside the lines of the survey,
and there would be no difficulty what
ever about ejecting them.
AT THE LAND OFFICE.
Captain Seamans, of the United
States land Office, in reply to question,
said that six persons had called at his
Office that morning and attempted to
make filings on the land, but that he
had no authority to receive such. He
knew that such land, supposing that
title to it did rest in the government,
could not be filed upon unless the sur
veys and plats were in the Office of the
land register, and that was not the case.
The government had been surveying
land in the valley. but had stopped some
time ago because of a dispute arising
over the lines of the Lankershim ranch
and other property which is now in the
courts. 1t may be exceedingly doubtful
whetherxor not there is any government
land in that valley. If there is, it is
simply because the lines of the old San
Fernando Mission ranch patent do not
take in all the land in the valley. That
patent is now on file in Los Angeles; it
is patent issued by the United States
commissioner of 1858, confirming the
grant of the ranch from the Mexican
owner. F
The fact is that if there is any govern
ment land, it can best be gotten hold of
by settlers settling on it and holding
possession of it until the surveys are
made and the plats on file in the regis
ter's Office, then the squatter has the
preference, which lasts ninety days, to
come and make his entry. But he must
hold continuous possession of the land.
If he leaves it an instant, it may be
taken possession of by some other
squatter, and then his rights are all for
feited. 1t is understood there are 200
persons in pool interested in this
locating pool. '
The land has been surveyed by two
surveyors, who undertake to point out
the various sections which are the be-
longings of the government. Several
persons have been waited on and asked
to subscribe $3.50 apiece to bear the ex-
penses, in return for which they would
be shown a piece of land which they
could locate on. Some of these have
made inquiries and have declined to 60
further. The whole question hinges on
the point as to whether or not the west
boundary of the San Fernando ranch
does take up the whole of the valley
thereabouts, and this question is now in
the courts. Meanwhile settlers who may
attempt to squat are liable to be elected
by Mr.. Lankershim.