The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-21


men to pass upon his claim to piece OF
mining property in California, said to be
worth several millions of dollars. TO
day the House passed the bill under
suspension, of the rules, and as it had al
ready passed the Senate, nothing is lack,
ing but the Presidents signature to send
the claim before another tribunal, the
new rowing law court, established by the
Fifty-firsl Congress. No money goes
with to-days bill, only a chance for JUS
tice, but it was joy enough The ola
man could hardly believe the good news.
He had waited so long that he had al
most lost hope. He even doubted the
evidence of his own ears when the an
nouncement was made that the bill had
passed, and was convinced beyond doubt
only when the lobbyists and other more
or less disinterested persons focked
they were and always had been his loyal
friends.
s'By reason of his long residence in
Washington and the fact that he is one
of the vast army of claimants, William
McGarrahan is picturesque figure OF
the Capitol. He is now almost seventy
years old, his hair is white. and the fire
has departed from his blue eye, but
old McGarrahan smile has never failed,
and to-day it lighted up the old mans
face until the marks of age almost dis
appeared.
he has fought his famous fight Id
Congress host of vultures have been
fed off the claimants bounty. States
men without number, some of them OF
great fame, have investigated his case
and made reports upon it. Newspaper
correspondents have filled pages with
descriptions of the claimant and his causf
and party has succeeded party in both
Houses of Congress. Any man but
ed and given up the fight long ago, but
patiently and hopefully he chung to
his cause while the years rolled by. He.
came to Washington a man of means.
To-day he has hardly the price of bed
or meal. Through all his struggle.
however, McGarrahan has kept light
heart in his breast and smooth tongue
in his head. A man of the simplest
habits, not using liquor or tobacco, ls
has been able to stand the strain tina
would have killed most men years ago
Through all the old man has maintalnef
his self-respect, and in addition to being
polite in speech he was always scruR-
ulously neat in drss. Every man he knew
was his friend, and almost every Cong
ressman who investigated his claim re
ported it favorably, but it took him
twenty-five years to succeed. Now NJ
goes before court of claims. 1t ht
wins he wins millions. If he loses bic
he can be no worse off than he is to-day
except that he would then give up the
fight and probably die of broker
heart.
los, ~, xror1
is claim for title to the property of the
New Idria Mining Company in Califor
MIA, located about 100 miles from Sar
Francisco. Although nominally carried
on between William McGarrahan on the
one side and the United States on the
other, the real contestant of McGarra-
hams title has been the New Idria Min
ing Company That company got pos
session of the New Idria quicksilver
mine about the time McGarrahan pur
chased the tract of land, and has heli
possession ever since. The main ques
ton to be decided is whether Vincent P
Gomez, under whom McGarrahan claims
had such title to the land as was pre-
tected by treaty with Mexico, commonl,
known as the treaty ofasGuadalup
Hidalgo. If he did then the faith of the
Government is pledged to it's protection.
The claim first came before Congress
during the first session of the Forfeit
Congress- and has been before every Con
gress since. Private scandals, political
jobbery. and even knock-downfights in the
Hobbies of both Houses have grown out
of it, but the vultures who waited fol
years to feed upon the old mans wealth
have nearly all left him years ago as q
picked carcass. A few of them, with
some new ones, reappeared today. They
see another chance of lining their peck
cts, and if McGarrahan ever comes into
actual possession of what he claims as
his own some of them may succeed"