Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-09-18
THE LAND COURT.
The Santa Clara Grant Cut Down and
COnfirmed-COmplicatiOn of
the COchiti Cases.

The land court this morning confirmed
the Pueblo de Santa Clara grant to the
extent of the valley land from the pueblo
to the foot of the mountains, covering
some 1900 acres, while the original
claim was for $4,000 acres. The
claimants were represented by Mr.. j. H.
Crist. The property claimed lies in
Santa Fe, Bernalillo and Rio Arriba
counties.
The land court is this week passing
upon the ownership of the Cochiti dis
trict. The records of the court show a
great many conflicting claims for this
valuable mining property, and the ses-
sions of the court for the next few days
will be of interest to very large number
both here and elsewhere who are inter
ested in the future of this great section.
The first of the claims to this property
being tried is the Rito de los Frijoles
grant, which trial began yesterday morn
ing and is being continued to-day. The
tract claimed in this grant lies near the
Rio Grande and on the west extends
out to the very heart of the
Cochiti district The claimants for
this grant are George N. Fletcher
and others and their attorneys are
Messrs. J. H. Purdy and j. w. Vroom.
Mr.. Reynolds appears for the govern
ment, and Mr.. John H. Knaebel, who rep
resents the Canada de Cochiti grant,
which conflicts with the fri oles grant, is
asie %ho nae;lao Tho
attorneys just mentioned, there are pres
ent number of others who, while not in
terested directly in the trial of this case,
will be affected by the decision, as they
represent one of the several other claims
to the same property. Among these is
Mr.. Chas. H. Tool, who represents Mr..
Thos. Lowthian's mining interests. The
next claim for trial is the Borrego
springs grant, otherwise known as
the Nerio Antonio Montoya grant.
This lies, in part, south of the Canada
de Cochiti grant, but the northern
boundaries claimed run far north into
the grant last named. Two claims were
filed for the Borrego property, one by
Mr.. James H. Purdy on behalf of Amado
G. de Baca and others for $4,000 acres,
and the other by Judge Laughlin for Jose
Albino Baca and others for two leagues
square. These cases will doubtless be
heard together either to-day or to-mor-
row. A third conflicting claim is the San
Jose springs grant, lying partly upon the
Borrego grant and partly upon the Ca
NADIA de Cochti grant, to the southwest
of the latter. This claim was also brought
by two attorneys, Judge Laughlin repre-
senting Florencio Sandoval and others in
a claim for the San Jose y Santo Toribio
de Jemez property, consisting OF four
square leagues, and Mr.. Geo. Hill Howard,
of California, representing Jose Albino
Baca and others in claim for 10000
acres known as the Oh de San Jose grant.
These two cases will be heard together
and will follow the Borrego cases.
The claim which comes next thereafter
for trial is about the largest and Oldest of
those made to the Cochiti district, and in
cludes Bland and other important points.
This is the Canada de Cochiti grant, con-
sisting of 104,554.24 acres. Mr.. John H.
Knaebel, who represents Joel Parker
Whitney and others, and Judge Laughlin,
who represents Manuel Hurtado and
others, will here be the opponents of the
government, although in the trial of the
other claims they are making common
war with the United States attorney
against their confirmation.
Nor does this end the controversy.
After all the foregoing cases have been
tried the La Peralta grant of about 4OO,-
600 acres, including all of the grants
above claimed, is to be tried. Mr.. G. a.
Howard represents this grant; there is
some doubt, however, as to whether it
will be tried at this term of the court.
The difficulty which the consideration
of these conflicting interests entails upon
the attorneys has been largely obviated
by plat of the district which Mr.. W. M.
Upton, the efficient special agent for the
government, has placed upon the court
room blackboa The benefit which will
accrue to this section from a settlement
of this controversy will, however, amply
repay the time and trouble spent in the
consideration of this matter.