The morning call., 1893-10-04
THE MARSH RANCH
An InterloCutory Decree
for Miss Sanford.
INTRICATE FINANCIERING.
The. Savings and Loan Society's In.
terest in the Contra Costa Prop
g.. :: erty a Resulting Trust.

: An: interlocutory decree rendered by
Judge McKenna of the United States Cir
= cult CourlI yesterday virtually decides a
controversy which has been pending set
element forever eleven years and has in
vOlYed the title to the whole of the Rancho
de" los .MeganOs, or Marsh ranch, in
=. Contra Costa County. That property was
valued as early as 1871 at considerably
over. 100000. The ultimate adjudication
of-tHe case will settle fine point in trusts.
which will be of great interest to all loan
Institutions and their patrons. Judge
McKenua's action is in favor of the plain
tiff, Josephine l.. Sanford. and the only
thing: yet wanting to have the matter
finally determined is a report BY Mr..
Heacock; masteT-in-chancery, to whom a
references is made for an accounting
This. piece of litigation has pathetic
side to it.. The suit was first brought by
Harriet a. Sanford and James T. Sanford.
but since then both those original plaintiffs
have died. James T. not long after the
actiohcwas begun, and in time Harriet A,
. who was his mother. The daughter and
. sister, Josephine, was thus leit tue ad-
.mlnistratrix and sole inheritor. The his
: tory of the case is marked by Sanford's
efforts TO save his mother and sister from
bankruptcy, although it was evident that
; he had plunged too deeply.
The Sanfords came here from New York
with some money and james, looking after
the interests Of hS mother and his sister,
put over S20O.e00 altogether into the
= Rancho de los MegaDos, going very deeply
: iti.debt. He signed notes obligating him.
. Self in. large sums of money, and pledged
himself To mortgage to secure the payment
: of them.
=: The original owners of the ranch,
Charles p. Marsh aud his sister. Alice
=: who became the wife OF William w. Cam
.rGnAmade sale OF the property. except
a:9-1QQ interest. in April. 1871, to John 4.
=: w lilamS and Clark Churchill for over
:. S300,oo0. The remaining 9-100 had been
conYtyed by John Marsh TO Horace Hawes
: In 1854. Williams and Churchill sold out
tosCaleb S. Marshall The month following
their purchase, and the latter transferred
The land TO Sanford the very next month.
: Notes were given by Sanford aggregating
S266 goo, less a few hundred dollars, and
:; were made payable To Marsh and Mrs.
Camron. Marshall being a sort OF 60
pttWeen, and to secure these notes San
fofa gave The mortgage which eventually
caused hlm all the trouble. On these
notes he paid altogether. IN principal and
interest as much as S92, 539 when fore
closure, proceedings were instituted against
'Hi.in: PITS. .Camron obtained a Judgment
. eL. Sll9, 703 and C. P. Marsh one Of SIC, ,04O.
:t9 SATISFY these claims the property was
- sold to the Judgment creditors by the Sher-
!: IN oil Contra Costa County in January,
1875. The property was redeemed, how
ever, and 1t was upon the manner in which
the:Ledemptlon was made that the con-
tI0Eersy eventually hung
i: bout two years previous to this iudg
mept Sanford. having acquired title to the
.:remaining nine one hundredth, conveyed
tile ranch to the Brentwood Coal Company
OF: New York and obtained a mortgage