Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-10

claimed by Dill, and claims it along with
the rest. All those big grants up there
are well-deined as to their boundaries,
except the Lankershim, yettheir owners
are all planting considerable more land
than rightfuliy belongs to them.
The reporter took trip out along the
San Fernando road up as far as Tropico,
and found a steady and business-like
procession of teams proceeding north
ward. There were loads OF lumber,
household goods and groceries, and the
drivers in response to question almost
invariably replied that they were bound
for San Fernando.
1t was ascertained that twenty loads
Of lumber had gone up there during the
day, and dealer in tents said that he
had sold five tents to persons bound for
the same place, and rented several others
to persons who wanted them until they
could put up shanties.
Several men, with their families, in
farm wagons, came down the road from
the direction of Glendale. One of them
who had stopped to mend refractory
buckle, was interviewed by the reporter: :
"Yes, I'm goin' up there to locate,"
he answered deliberately. II think
those fellows have got the rights Of it,
and the and is worth $3.50 an acre. I
amt goin' to pay no SIS to no company
to locate me though. ! reckon can To-
cate myself" and he mounted to his
seat and drove away.
At the headquarters OF the company
this incident was mentioned, and the
men who belonged to the company
laughed at the old fellows idea regard
ing the SIS payments. The money, they
explain, is only in the nature of mem
bership fee. and entities the member
merely to the information possessed by
the company and to the services of the
company's lawyers in possible suits.
The representatives of the company on
the ground are acquainted with the sur
veyed lines, and merely assist those who
belong to the company to locate upon
claims that will not conflict with others,
and upon land about which there can
be no dispute as to its being government
land, according to the findings of the
company. 1t was stated that dissatis-
fed member could secure the return of
his money, or a major portion OF it,
without any trouble, prior to any legal
proceedings, and would merely place
himself in the position of lone squat
ter by SO doing.
A workman on ranch to the west OF
the land upon which the settlers are To-
eating, came into town last night and in
an interview with HERALD reporter
said that the entire tract is rapidly be-
coming dotted with tents and hastily
constructed board houses. Many of the
parties locating there had brought pro-
visions enough to last month, and new
arrivals had been coming in all day. He
said that there was plenty of room on
the tract and he had half notion to 60
up there and locate himself. He esti-
mated that about three hundred claims
had been entered upon during the past
two days. The settlers took pains to
damage no property, and were orderly
and good natured.
A great many would-be settlers visited
the land Office yesterday, but were in
formed by the register that he could not
enter their claims for them, as, so far as
he was aware, there was no land in the
valley not covered by patent. Any gov
ernment land there would be only due
to errors in the surveys, and in that
case new surveys, maps and plats
would have to be made. If
they thought that there really
was land there open to settlements, as
squatters they would have the first
chance at it when the surveys had been
made, but so far as he was concerned
ne didn't take much stock in the story
OF big land steal.
The registers wet blanket opinions
failed to damp the enthusiasm of many
of his visitors, however, and they joined
the company and departed for San Fer
nando.
One of those who departed for the
osos1 H.
took, besides good tent and furniture,
quite an assortment of surgeons tools
and medicines, which he grimly re-
shotgun eiectment. The members of
depart peaceably in case of legal pro-
ceedings, as their only idea is
to get the matter into the
courts, where they feel confident of
successful contest. There were said
to be several men who took firearms
with them, and boasted that they would
not be elected without fight; but they
were not members of the company.
A late arrival from San Fernando last
evening called at the HERALD Office and
said that when he left there at sunset
the tract was dotted with the camp fires
of the settlers, and presented very an
mated appearance.
MR.. LANKERsHnd TALKS.
Mr.. Lankershim. was again inter-
viewed by HERALD reporter last night.
He stated that he had heard nothing
about the stampede of settlers to his
ranch, and when informed of the extent
of the influx of squatters he appeared
greatly surprised:
He gave it as his opinion that some
one was making money by gulling the
people into paying fee for being en-
tered upon his ranch. He acknowl-
edged, however, that Mr.. Grove might
have caused the misunderstanding
through himself misconstiuing certain
enactments regarding old Mexican
granJs. In cases where grant had been
made without metes and boundaries
being established, when it came to the
United States confirming the grant, the
size of the tract was limited to about
10000 acres, but where well-defined
boundaries were established there was
no limit to the size and the grant was
absolute. The Maxwell grant in New
Mexico included 100000 acres, and
there were others as large. The Lam
kershim ranch included 10000 acres,
and the lines had been very carefully
surveyed, as some of them were miles in
length.
The old mission grants were the best
titles in the state, as the land had all