Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-11-03
STEVE And TOM.
The Final Chapter in the Story of
the Juana Lopez Land
Steal.
How Candidate Catron and Boss Steve
Buncoed the Government and
Others Out Of Valuable Coal
Property-Gen. Ju-
lian's Report.

ta,ned letter from Mr.. Alfred J. Wolf,
capitalist of New York, in which he
called attention to the methods by which
Thomas B. Catron and his associate.
Stephen B. Elkins, came into possession
of the Juana Lopez grant and how east
srn capitalists were buncoed out of their
holdings in the Ortiz grant.
The NEW MEXICAN proposes to-day to
give a few extracts from the official
records in regard to Thomas B. Catron's
connection with this case and to show by
the official investigation made into the
matter that the Republican candidate for
delegate was a party to as fragrant land
grab as was ever perpetrated upon the
miners or the other class of New Mexico's
population. The
JUANA LOPEZ GRANT,
situated in the southern part of the coun-
ty, is technically known as the Mesits de
Juana Lopez. 1t has been regarded
ever since it was granted by the Spanish
government in the year 1882 as the land
upon the top of the mesa.
In the year 1870 Catron and Elkirs OBJ.
tanned from the heirs of the original
grantees, deeds to their interest in the
property, and with the "mesa," fit only
for grazing purposes, as the foundation
of their claim, it did not take these
sohemers long to extend the southern
boundary of this property to such dis
lance south as to cross the Galisteo
creek and to embrace incidentally some
of the most valuable coal lands in New
Mexico. This was done with
THE KINDLY ASSISTANCE
of title papers which had accommo dating-
ly gotten mutilated in their most ma
terial portions; and by one or two other
methods connected with the survey,
which appear hereinafter. As result OF
about that this property which could not
possibly have been more than three and
one-haif miles in length or breadth, was
extended so as to stretch six miles from
east to west and to cover eighteen miles
from north to south. These fokle bouL-
daries as extended by Messrs. Catron and
Elkins covered besides the Mesita (the
only property that could possibly under
the title papers have been honestly
held) 10000 acres of the public do
main, $4,000 of the Ortiz grant, and
in addition "a large slice of the Santo
Domingo Pueblo grant. After this fraud
ulent survey an act was carried through
congress by the same skillful hands con-
firming the grant as fraudulently sur
veyed and there the matter rests,
THE INTERPRETATIONS
being unwilling IN view of the general
character of the transaction to press it
forward by asking for patent.
tiles at Washington makes very interest
ing reading. The NEW MEXICAN quotes
below few extracts from this report as
showing ia what light the transaction was
regarded by this government authority.
Gen. Julian. in his report, refers to the
fact that John I. Elkins, brother Of
Claimant Steve, was the interpreter on
the survey, and that the whole survey
under his Republican predecessor in
office, assisted by Catron and Elkins, had
been conducted in "slip-shod and
VERY SUSPICIOUS MANNER"
He says that the claim as made by Catron
and Elkins and established BY the sus-
picious survey was absolutely irrecon-
cilab'e with the language of the original
title papers. He refers to the fact that
the title papers say not word about
Galisteo creek, which Catron's claim
crossed without conscientious scruples.
He says that 'the accuracy of the survey
is wholly unsupported by proof and It's
fraudulent character will ccnclusively ap-
pear from the evidence and the unmis-
taxable Interpretation of the language of
the writ of possession. He refers to the
fact shat by
A srRANoE OO1NorDRNoR,
or by careful training, the witnesses for
Catron and Elkins make almost exactly