Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-08-25
j. S. LAND COURT.
Confirmation Of the Sebastian de VAR
Gas and Piedra Lumbre
Land Grants.
Two Decisions of Much Local Interest
Adjournment of Court to
November ID.

In the U. s. court of private land claims
yesterday afternoon, in the matter Of
C use No. 6, the Sebastian De Vargas
grant, Louise j. Purdy, ct. al, claimants
the decision of majority of the court
was announced confirming the grant to
the extent of the claim as originally flee
in the Office of the surveyor general, that
is to say, for that portion of the lane
lying east of tho old middle road leading
to Galisteo, and between that point an6
the Pecos road. The confirmation goes
to about 1900 acres. The petition asked
for $4,000 acres and involved a large and
valuable area of valley lands east of the
Galisteo road and lying along the
Chamiso and Hondo hrroyas, just south
of the city of Santa Fe. The majority
opinion was sustained by Justices Fuller
and Stone, who were really in favor OF
confirming the whole tract petitioned for,
and these were joined by Justice Sluss.
insofar as concerns that part lying east
| Of the Galisteo road, SO that, so far as
| relates to this latter mentioned part,
title to the lard is practically perfected
by the ruling of majority of tho court.
Chief Justice Reed and Justice Murray
dlssented from the view of the majority,
the chief justice saying that undoubtedly
De Vargas possessed lands in that vicinity,
but as to whether or not such lands were
duly granted, the original papers being
lost years ago, he was unable to decide.
To- E,,no f,,, nf frt,,
the whole tract petitioned for, holding
that if the lands on the east of Galisteo
road were granted to De Vargas those on
the west were part of the same grant.
Justice Sluss went infinitely into the points
in the case in explaining his position and
said he considered the evidence conclu-
sive that De Vargas had received grant
of land lying between the Pecos and
Galisteo roads and the Chamiso arroyo
on the north and the Lorenzo Marquee
grant on the south. The Marquee grant
was made in 1885 and these grant ar
chives referred to the lands of Sebastian
De Vargas on the north. The Brito grant,
just south of Santa Fe, made in 1928, also
refers to the De Vargas grant on it's
south and speaks OF the irrigation bitches
thereon. Justice Sluss thought the title
of the De Vargas tract was such as to
warrant recognition as grant by the
Spanish government and this the United
States was bound to respect.
The middle Galisteo road referred to
has long been question of doubt, but
the court fixes it along historic trail
that runs south about ono and half
miles east of the Bernard Hanleys ranch
property.
The decision of the court il Of great
local interest because of the splendid
| body of land involved, and even if the
case should eventually go to the supreme
| court for final settlement as to the LANDS
claimed west of the Galisteo road, title to
the $4,000 acres east of that line may be
now regarded as good, and this ia worth
much to the community since the water
| company's new reservoirs will bring
much of that land under cultivation.
The court also confirmed the Piedra
Lumbre grant to the extent of the area
claimed in the original grant to Pedro
Martinez y Serrano in 1866, about AZ,
600 acres. This was victory for Hon.
T. B. Catron, Hon. Patricio Chavez and
| other claimants under Serrano. This
grant is in Rio Arriba county and covers
the Chama river placer deposits.
This forenoon the court was chiefly
occupied in routine work incident to the
| closing of the term. j. H. Purdy filed q
motion for rehearing in the case of the
De Vargas grant and also in the Domingo
Valdez grant.
The court then fixed Wednesday next as
the closing day of the term and adjourned
to meet in new term November IS.