Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-19
He Fails to Get His Selec-
ton of Archives.
City Clerk Teed Squelched His
Pretty Little Scheme.
Considerable Excitement Around the
City Hall.
j. Alexander Forbes Finds He Does
Not Own the World-A Demand
Made on the City for valu-
able Archives.

The city clerks Office was yesterday
in something very much akin to state
of agitation. There was good reason for
this condition of things, for one most
remarkable demand was made in the
clerks office. An individual who called
himself J.. Alexander Forbes on last Sat-
urday made his appearance in Clerk
Teeds office, and displayed credentials
from the United States surveyors Office
for this state authorizing him to select
from the city archives such documents
as he might consider to belong to the
federal government, and to take charge
of such documents.
When MIR. Forbes first appeared on
the scene, Mr.. Teed who is recuperating
rom an attack OF typhoid fever, was not
IN his office. Mr.. Luckenback, low
ever, gave the stranger an opportunity
to look over the archives, and Mr.. Forbes
ected three volumes, which he
esired to take with him. The deputy
clerk objected, and the matter was de-
ferred until Yesterday, when Mr.. Teed
himself, though still weak, made his ap-
pearance in the office. Mr.. Forbes
again flashed up his instructions from
the surveyors office and demanded the
documents he had selected.
The city clerk, however, as was
proper, pointed out to the claimant that
these very documents are safeguard to
the city. They belong to the transac-
tions OF the government OF the old Span
iah ,~,,ahln nd form ~ nf fha fnnnH q
ton for some of the most valuable prop
erty-holdings in the city. If these rec
ords were to be transferred to San Fran
cisco, hardly day would pass that some
citizen or other would not be COM
PEELED to make trip to that
city in order to obtain search
and abstract of title. Mr.. Teed,
in view of these facts refused 10 give up
any document unless the due process OF
law had been resorted to, and the order
of council had been obtained. Mr..
Forbes saw fit to be highly offended at
this decision of the city clerk, and be-
came so insolent that Mr.. Teed mad to
order him out of the Office.
One of the queer features of the mat
ter was, that Forbes claimed that the
delivery of these documents had been
promised by Mr.. Teed's predecessor. 1t
surprised him, however, to find that the
city clerks office has been held since
1877 by Messrs. Robinson and Teed,
who are both still in the city hall, and
at the time were both present. Mr..
Forbes's claim were therefore nailed,
and his peculiar efforts to obtain some
OF the city's most valuable records were
at an end.
The indignant agent of the surveyors
office at once went down to Marshal
Deputy Marshal Flint refused to do any
thing during the absence OF United
States District Attorney Cole, who re-
turned from San Diego last night. The
chances are, therefore, that there will
be something OF interest in the develop
ment of this case today.
The opinion of those conversant with
the case is that the United States sur
veyor's office at San Francisco wants to
get control of these archives in order to
make money out OF them in the shape OF
fees. Once before the United States gov
ernment sent down here for such
documents, and number Of filings
were taken away. Afterward, most OF
the records were returned here, and the
ones now demanded are of them. The
city government is for once unanimous
in this case. There is not an Office in
the city hall which is not in favor OF
fighting Mr.. Forbes and his claim to the
bitter end, and of maintaining the right
OF the city to take care of its own
records, and of the records of genera
tions gone by, upon which title to lands
in this municipality is based.