Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-09-15

attorneys have at times yielded to the SC
! ductive influences of corporations; that
railroad passes, Pullman car passes,
telegraph passes, Harvey eating house
passes and express franks have some
times persuaded officers of the peo-
pie that corporations, like kings, could do
no wrong.
These general observations may be APP
piled with singular cogency and propri-
ETY. to certain transactions concerning
taxes that
STAIN THE RECORDS OF SANTA FEE COUNTY
Preliminary to recital of the facts in
detail it should be explained that years
ago s. B. Elkins, J. B. Chaffee, T. B. Cat
ron and others, by hook or crook, OBJ.
tanned possession of extensive bodies OF
coal, copper, gold and silver producing
lands in southern Santa Fe county
known as the Ortiz mine grant and the
Mesita de Juana Lopez grant. These
grants conhicted and the records indicate
that there was some kind of conflict
among the alleged owners, for two rival
corporations seem to have grown out OF
Coal company, with R. G. Kerens, l.. M
Larson, S. B. Elkins, Antonio Ortiz y
Salazar and T.. B. Catron as incorporat-
ors, filed articles in the Office of the terri
torial secretary; and, on March II, 1884.
the Cerrlllos Coal g. Iron company, with
I. B. Catron, Antonio Ortiz y Salazar, F.
W. Clancy and H. S. Clancy uamed as in
corporators, also filed articles of moor
poration with the secretary.
NO SUCH CORPORATION
as the Cerrilos Coal & Coke company
ever appears to have had legal exist
euce in New Mexico.
The conflict noted seems to have been
settled by the following instructive in
strument, which, however, was not placed
on record until nearly year after it pre-
tends to have been executed:
QUIT CLAIM DEED.
IS. B. Chaffee and S. B. Elkins to Ger
rillos Coal & Iron company. Consider
alton $40 Quit claim deed, dated April
4, 1884. All that certain part or portion
of the Ortiz mine grant lying in Santa
Fe county, N. NJ, beginning at the n. W.
corner of the Ortiz mine grant, as es-
tablished in the survey of U. S. Deputy
Surveyor Thomas Means, Aug. 1861;
thence from said n. W. corner east and at
AZ chains and 20 links intersect the W.
boundary of the Mesita de Juana Lopez
grant at point chains north of the
9th mile corner on said west boundary
as established and corrected by U. 8.
Deputy Surveyor Rollin j. Reeves, in
Oct 1875; thence continuing east along
the north boundary of the Ortiz mine
grant to point on said boundary line
6 miles AZ chains, and % links east of the
n. W. corner of the Ortls mine grant;
thence south miles and As chains to a
point; thence west one mile to the 8. Q.
corner of the Mesita de Juana Lopez
grant; thence continuing west, following
the south boundary of the said grant five
miles to its 8. W. corner; thence continu-
ing west Al chains and 23 links to the
west boundary line of the Ortiz mine
grant, being total on the south
boundary of this tract of miles, At
chains and 20 links; thence north along
the west boundary line of the Ortiz mine
grant miles and As chains to the n. W.
corner of said grant, the place of begin
ming; said part or portion of the said
Ortiz mine grant hereby conveyed or in
tended to be conveyed containing u.s.
O26.06) acres more or less and embracing
that part of the Mesita de Juana Lopez
grant in conflict with the Ortiz mine
grant" Recorded March II, 1885.
WHAT THE RECORDS DISCLOSE.
Turning now to the records of the as
Santa Fe county, the most patient inves-
tigation fails to discover that the Ger
rillos Coal company ever was assessed or
taxed in this county, but in 1885 "the
property of the Cerrillos Coal & Coke
com pany" was assessed in the magnificent
sum of $1,000 on the sworn report of
T. B. Catron, and taxes to the amount of
500 were levied thereon. This amount
still stands charged to the collector as un-
paid.
In 1886 the same company was assessed
on land grant in precinct No. 7. The
valuation as sworn to by T. B. Catron,
agent, was $4,000. This was subseq uently
raised by the county commissioners to
$4,000 and the tax levy was $1,485. No
part of this amount is marked paid on
the books of the collector.
MARKED PAID TO TwIToHELL.
In 1887 the Cerrillos Coal d Coke
company was assessed on Glands and i'm
provements in the southwest corner of
the Juana Lopez grant" at $4,000, but
the return in the assessors office is not
signed by any one. The taxes levied on
the property that year we're 5000, and they
are marked paid to R. E. Twitchell, dis
trict attorney, and alleged to have been
paid over to the sheriff and collector on
May 26, 1893, in Twitchell's handwriting,
In 1883, the Cerrillcs Coal & Coke
company was assessed on lands at $685.
900, but the return was not signed or
verified. The property was that year
taxed at $455. This is marked paid to
R. E. Twitchell, in Twitchell's handwrit-
ing on the tax roll, but it stands charged
to the collector in the delinquent tax
book, which was prepared by Beecher
Twitchell.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH.
1t appears that sometime in 1888 the
Cerrillos Coal & Coke company, for
which I. B. Catron had acted as agent,
was permitted to die and was succeeded
by the Cerrilos Coal & Iron company,
for the records show that in 1889 the lat
ter company was assessed on Glands and
Improvements in the southwest corner of
the Juana Lopez grant" at $4,000 and
that taxes to the amount of $615 were
levied thereon. This is marked paid on
the tax roll to R. E. Twitchell in Twitch-
ellis handwriting, but is carried on the
delinquent books as unpaid with the
word "suit" Endorsed in pencil.
It may be noted in passing that, in