The record-union., 1894-12-29

OLC., StC.
That committee reported, and in the
month of November, 1892, a meeting be-
tween the landowners and myself was
nad IN the directors room of the local
oanB above referred to in this city.
After some discussion it was unani-
mously agreed that the price to be paid
me was to be $4,000, with interest from
November l. 1892, at 6 per cent. per an
mum, which was far below my asking
price and actual cost.
From that time on faithfully carried
out my part OF the agreement. L dug the
new bitches agreed upon; did, during the
four months following, all that was
necessary TO organize the district, brought
two suits 10 disorganize older organlza-
tlons that were IN the way, and paid out
some $1,000 Tor organization expenses
alone, and operated the pumping plant,
advancing all expenses.
NV hen, however, the petition was
about TO be signed, L sent the following
letter by mail 10 each of the TWO gentle
men who had agreed TO serve as trustees,
IN order to make a record of our agree
ment. and to prevent the possibilit OF a
misunderstanding. The letter is as fol-
lows:
SAN FRANCISCO, February 4, 1898.
II. II. Greene, Esq, Walnut GroUe-DEAR
SIR: L have been very busy these last six
weeks In getting the petition Tor the proposed
organization OF the Pearson Reclamation Dis
tTlct ready. l Will go up Monday or Tuesday
ana beg you to be at nome tuesday, or, If 1
don't call then, Wednesday at A. NJ. Peti-
tlon must be presented Friday next at 10 a.
NJ. This gives us two three days TO get sig
natures, ana trust that you Will then be able
to give TINS matter your undivided attention
lor those days.
''Before signing the petition myself, and in
order TO prevent any possible mistake IN the
future by reason OF possible mutual misun-
derstandIng OF verbal agreements, ana to
make u record OF our agreement, l wish 70
state that understand the agreement be-
tween q. X. Runyon, yourself and myself TO
be that by signing the petition we agree to
vote ior one another as Trustees; that as soon
as Ju0ge Adams thinks 1t can be legally done
the Trustees Will buy from me the present
pumping plant, with all its tools, coal on
hand, outhouseS, blacksmith shop, etc, with
about one acre now covered by them, and
irrigatlng pipes bridges, gates, 12x12 bum
bers, ScOWs, gauges, together with right Of
way Tor ana actual bitches now dug as fol-
lows:
North and south seep bitches, main lake
ditch continued through AXE TO post l3
Mrs. kennedy's southeast cornerj, Hattie
ditch to post Is, middle lake to post ) i, diIcn
from / Z to is, Fava ditch uake TO posts
and q Locke x LaYenson ditch, all for
$70, 900 they Will also buy, also the ditches
dug this fall at their cost price, and S1O0 per
acre lor land occupied by latter. District 10
have the right To dump earth ION side indi-
Gated by me- TOR cleaning ditch, provided it is
leveled up. 70 this price is TO be added in
tereSt on $4,000 from November l. lS92
at per cent. per annum, the pumping eX-
peuses incurred by me so far this fall with
interest thereon from time Of payment at
per cent per annum, and L am to return To
each landowner the amount paid by him for
pumping this year, together with per cent.
per annum from time OF payments. Please
consider this carefully. / write u similar
letter 10 o. K. Runyon. Yours very truly,
"P. J. VAN LoBEN Sells"
subsequently meeting between L.
ID. Greene and y. X. RunyoE aud myself
was had at the residence of the latter,
wherein they each acknowledged having
received that letter. The matters con-
tanned therein were once more fully dis
cussed and they once more promised to
act as agreed.
mot for one moment doubling the
honesty of purpose and good faith of
those at whose instance and request |
was acting, L signed the petition on the
10th day OF February, 1893, and left few
days later for Europe, where l was 10
join my family, then residing there.
Upon my return in June, 1893, l
found that the petition had been pre-
seated to and had been acted upon by
the Board of Supervisors, and that the
election of the trustees of the new dis
trict was to take place in July. Up to
few days prior to the election L had no
inkling that all was not well. The first
Indication l received was when l found
o. Il. Runyon would not serve, because,
as he said first, his lawyers would not
let him, as the ranch stood IN the name
of his wife, and afterward, because his
wife objected on account of his age and
health.
1.-The next, when u. l.. Greene felt en-
barrassed and bashful to go to his friends
and ask them to vote for him. The third
when on the day Of the election, L heard
that or the day previous caucus ofland-
owners had been held at COurtland at
tended by the sacramento banker, and
where he pointed out the need of pre-
venting the agreement made with me,
although made and even proposed by
himself from being carried out, and man
aged to induce the caucus to agree to vote
for his son and another party as trustee,
in order to be able to defeat his own agree
ment. Of all the parties who entered into
that agreement with me only ono con-
sidered his honor worth keeping, and
that one, be it said to the honor of Sacra-
mento, was a Sacramento merchant-Mr.
Lavenson, of Locke IL Lavenson.
seeing that L was helpless and that at
that meeting all, except Mr.. LavenSon,
were determined to break their pledge
and vote for trustees who would consider
ii their duty to ignore the agreement
solemnly entered into, and also believing
that l.. ID. Greene would be better fitted
to serve than one of the parties recon-
mended by the caucus, | released l.. d.
Greene personally OF any promise he
had made to me, and thereupon he, Il.
NJ. Stephenson and Alexander Brown.
who represented my interests, were
elected trustees.
Ever since that day the now trustees,
or a majority thereof, have proceeded in
manner which realized my worst fears.
The two men have practically run the
district, ignoring Mr.. Brown, or only
notifying him of their decisions after
they had been discussed and reached in
his absence.
when L asked to be reimbursed for
my costs of organization, l was told that
that could not be done; that l could not
be paid. When l requested them to pay
me for the pumping and for the new
dltcneS dug at their request since No
vem Der, 1892, amounting to some $4,000,
| was informed at their meeting by the
son of the banker that the past was past
and that L would never get it.
They, however, used the maps, which
l had caused to be made at great ex-
pense, but never reimbursed me for
them. They caused commissioners to be
appointed, who assessed a goodly portion
OF the lands of the trustees and their
friends at Sl1 per acre, while my less
valuable, less productive lands, contain
ing lake bed of 800 acres, on which L
only once in five years have succeed in
raising a crop, were uniformly assessed
at Sl9 per acre, making my assessment
S67 600.
The President caused a mile of levee
and excavation belonging 10 him to be
assessed at nothing, while my Ievees and
excavations were uniformly assessed at
the agreed price. When / asked them to
buy my pumping plant at the agreed
price they tiatly refused to live up TO the
bargain made with me, but made me va