Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-02-07

That the mills of the gods grind
slowly" was we'll demonstrated in the
claim of William McGarrahan, who
died at Washington a fortnight ago,
and who was the most famous claim
ant that congress has ever known
For thirty-siX years he fought for
rich tract of California mineral land,
and five times it was legally declared
his own. The years made him bald
I and grey and rheumatic and his
battles in the courts and in congress
dissipated his fortune, and when death
came it summoned him in a charity
ward in the Providence hospital Yet
had he what is rightfully his own he
would now be among the wealthiest
4 mine owners in the Countrywide pos
session of lands and mines worth any.
where from $50O0,000 to $50 100000
During all of these years of weary
litigation and nominally arrayed
against the United States government.
That is to say, if the title to the
Panoche Grande did not vest in him,
1t did vest IN the United States. Hence
all his actions have been brought
against the United States and his
petitions have been made to congress
Yet it has not been the United States
who really opposed him. The United
| States courts three times affirmed his
title to the land; congressional inveSti-
eating committees have declared EN-
phaticauy in his favor, and various
officials Of high degree who have pas
sed upon his claim have expressed
themselves as perfectly satisfied with
the clearneSS of his title. His OPP
ponent was a private corporation
, known as the New Idria Mining COM
pany, which Squatted upon his claim
shortly after he purchased it and has
I ever since been making enormous pro-
fits out of the rich deposits of quick
silver found beneath its surface. 1t
Is this squatting corporation that has
kept William McGarrahan out of his
rights all these years.
1T was in the days of the big
California boom, you know, and every
thing prospered," he said recently in
telling his story. Money was made
by the barrel and turned over with
shovel. l plunged into the thickest
of it and | got rich along with the
rest. l bought and sold 600 barrels
of brandy in one day. | dealt in
tobacco by the shipload. My income
was $1,000 a month. And yet | lived
simply. My wants were few and |
never married.
1t was along about that time | met
Gomez, and he wanted to sell me
some land He had got his Rancho
Panoche Grande by a grant from the
Mexican government and his title to
1t was clear. Well, it was wild
piece of land down in the wilderness
| of the southern counties of California.
but | had faith in the country and
thought it would be good thing to
buy. so | bought it and paid him
$1,000 for it. Why, $1,000 was no
more to me then, than ST is now.
After time | heard that there was
Yquicksilyer on my ranch and that some
Sspuatters had gone down there and
were making money out of it. So |
Thought l would go down and look
at my property, and there | found
them with shanty and little ma
b'hinery taking the quicksilver out of
Eny rocks. could have turned them
l'l out, bag and baggage, on the spot
had had few men, for there were
nly half dozen or so of them:
nut | let 1t go, thinking / would
ppeal to the law. SO l went back
San Francisco and my business"
Such is the beginning of the story
William McGarrahan as got from
is own lips. The story of the whole
latter, which follows, is taken from
le report of the house commtte on
4 rivate land claims which last fall
las instructed to examine into it.
his report quotes at great length
Tom the report of similar committee,
which Representative James +.
iison was the chairman, which made
exhaustive inquiry into the matter
kr the Fortieth congress In 1868. 1t
ppearS from this report that IN 1914
kanuel Micheltorena, then the Mex
governor of Upper California, ac-
frding to Mexican custom of be-
owing lands upon deserving officials,
,anted this tract Of land. which lies
Nrtly In Fresno and partly in Mon
Prey counties, to Vincent +. Gomez.
Then California was made over to
lie United States 1t was provided in
Re treaty of 1913 that property Of
ery kind belonging to Mexicans
yould be inyiolably respected, and
lat the United States should enforce
e rights of Mexicans in such proper
Thus Gomez was secure in his
le to the property when California
came an American possession. and
Ensequently he was legally empow-
ed to sell 1t as he chose. Gomez In
53 duly presented his claim to the
N1che to the board of land commits
fners appointed by the United States
vernment for the purpose Of settling
i such claims, and this board decided