The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-09
LIVING GHOSTS
Found in the Adobe Hut Of a Good
Indian"
Sad Story of Ninety-Year-Old Juan
Refugio Fremont's Freebooter
After Buried Treasure.

Sad story or Ninety ear-Old Juan
Refugio Fremont's Freebooters
After Buried Treasure.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer
Los Angeles, Cal, June I'm a little
canyon that debouches into the
San Fernando valley, about twenty
miles north of Los Angeles,
Cal, there lives Juan Refugio, a
half-crazed Indian, aged, according to his
own reckoning and historical data, about
80 years. He lives alone in a tule hut
subsisting on the cones of nut pine, roots,
herbs and fruits, as did his ancestors a
century ago, when they lived upon the
same SPOT. He has returned to nature
and TO the aboriginal ways of living af-
ter half century of civilization. The
civilized white man drove him backward
Within about one mile of this hut,
which is merely some brush thrown
upon poles and plastered with mud, is a
tumble-down adobe house, in which
Refugio and his wife lived for more than
half century. This adobe house
stands upon the lands once owned by the
San Fernando Mission Church II was
the custom
IN THE EMISSION DAYS"
For the priests to allot to the good
Indians q small tract Of land so that they
might become self-supporting In this
manner the missions became the centers
of population.
According to Refugio's story he had be-
come good Indian very early in his life
time. He was captured by the soldiers,
taken to the mission, duly logged into
submission, baptized, and then enrolled as
a neophyte Finally. he was given ten
acres Of land on the mission ranch, mar
ried one of the female neophytes, who had
been similarly converted, built him an
adobe hut on his land. and became a
rancher. Here he lived until recently,
when he was told by the pale face to
''move on" that the Indians had no
lands.
When the missions were secularized by
the Mexican government, about sixty
years ago, the property was sold at auc-
tion, generally TO favorite, instead of To
the usual highest and best" bidder. A
relative of the Mexican governor bought
this vast estate of about seven leagues of
land for 81 500. Refugio had surveyed
his ten acres, and it is to-day on file in the
Los Angeles county clerks Office. And in
the transfer his claim was recognized
duO so ne mas llNeu db LulS place QnOlS~
turhed for these long years. until re-
Gently an entcrprising money lender and
real estate Spectator succeeded in get
ting the Mexican heirs in debt when he
foreclosed the mortgage and took the
property
The principal owner, Salazar, stated to
his lawyer, Brindson. that the old Indian.
Refugio. owned the 10 acres, and that the
new deed should exclude those acres. The
shrewd lawyer replied that it was I'm
necessary that he could only sell what
he owned. But the deed as it was MADE
TO read covered the entire grant Refu-
gio's lawyer objected 10 his signing il in
that shape, but the purchaser, McGray,
assured Refugio that he would not be dis
tur0ed, and that his rights should be for
ever recognized. Previous 10 becoming a
real estate Spectator this McGray had
been a member Of the state legislature
during two campaigns for
UNITED STATES SENATOR,
And had accumulated quite a fortune on
per diem Of 81. lie had become 50 noto-