Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-06-13

in the Examiner and other papers con-
corning the effect of confirmation of
this grant on holdings under United
States patents, and that he in that denial
merely stated that he did not intend to
modest the people. Upon being pushed
further, he stated that he had furnished
everything IN that famous circular, "The
Decree" except the cut at the top of it;
this he SAID was the product of the imagi
nation of some enthusiastic printer, whom
he stated, curiously enough, was not in
terested in this grant; admitted finally
that he had never written denial or re-
traction of that article or circular, and,
although direct question was asked him,
he could not explain the statement made
therein to the effect that the "Peralta
grant was open to settlement"
WHAT THE CIRCULAR WAS BASED ON.
The circular referred to is the one
based upon certified copy of the clerk
of the land court to the effect that leave
had been granted to Reavis to amend his
petition as to the boundaries, and Reavis,
as shown by his own admissions, took it
at once to San Francisco and formulated
this circular, which on it's face purports
to contain n decree of the court of private
land claims adjudlcating this property to
him and was undoubtedly written for the
purpose of deception.
He was then asked by Mr.. Reynolds:
"Have you got in your possession the
original certificates of Father Stockman
of the records of births and deaths of the
San Bernardino mission?'
In reply he said he had them but not
here; that they were in Denver with his
other papers; but that he would get them
and introduce the same in evidence.
These certificates are the ones that pur-
port to show the death of brother and
sister of the present alleged heir to the
grant, Mrs. Reayis, and also purport to
show her birth.
He further stated, in answer to ques.
tions, that he never had in his possession
the original records of San Bernardino
mission, and had never seen them in his
life.
When asked how he got these certifi-
Gates, he gave the remarkable answer,
that he got them through Mexican bar
Der in San Bernardino, and then entered
into long statement of how he came to
get barber to go after them, trying to
base the action by casting reflections on
Father Stockman.
All the way through the witness spoke
in light and disrespectful way of this
worthy curate. This, together with the
absolute righteousness of the idea that
he would select a barber whom he never
knew and whose name he could not recall,
to get the certificates, showed an evident
attempt to
HIDE THE FORGERY
of these records behind trumped up
Mexican barber.
He stated that he gave the barber IS
gold piece and remembered that he
started him after the certificates ON Sat-
urday evening, aud that he received the
didn't know either Father Stockman or
Father O'Rielly; had never seen them in
his life; yet gave as an excuse for not 60
ing personally after the certificates his
fear of them.
When questioned as to it, he said he
met his wife first on the train between
Sacramento and San Francisco, in 1877
or 1878, any way the year President Hayes
visited Sacramento.
"How came you to be attracted to herr"
"Because she was Spanish beauty and
l was young man."
At that time on the train he said she
told HIM her name was Sofia Treadwell,
and that she interested him by telling
h i,,,k hot hnr az 0Moco ~ hrt
that she was going under the assumed
name of Sofia Treadwell.
He thought at the time it must have
been mistake, and he did afterward
learn that he was correct, and that she
was "Maso," as he thought.
He entered into marriage contract with
her in 1882, and that marriage contract
was ratified and they we're married in
Spain in 1884, but, from the time they
entered into the marriage contract up to
the ratification of it in Spain, he kept
the matter secret and allowed nobody to
know it, and always passed as her
guardian.
Returning to the incident ON the train,
he said that at the time she told him her
birth place was in Mendocno county,
California, and that 1t was in some valley,
but she could state no more. Then, being
questioned further, he stated that all the
developments relative to this woman be-
ing heress to this large tract of land, he
kept strictly to himself, not divulglng it
even to his intimate friends until after
his return from Spain in 1884.
WANTED TO BRING IT TO HEAD.
At this point he was questioned by Mr..
Reynolds as to whether he had not taken
out license to marry another woman in
southern California about the same time
he entered into this secret marriage con-
tract with his present wifef
He promptly answered, ~ had"
Thereupon Mr.. Reynolds quickly asked,
what was the purpose of taking out this
icense?"
He replied, with smile on his face, ut
was to run bluff" adding that he had
been engaged to this woman (the Califor-
MO woman) and he "wanted to bring the
thing to head"
The affidavit made by Alfred E. Sher-
wood as to the genealogy of this witness
wife was next called up.
The witness was asked whether or not
he had "hypnotized" Alfred E. Sherwood
in order to get the affidavit out of him.
He replied that he had not, but, in that
he might say that he was
amazed at the ability of the United States
attorney to get SO much out of him, while
he could get 80 little.
He acknowledged that he used photo.
yraph of "Maso" which he said he had
procured at Cadiz, in Spain, with Sher.
wood, in securing the affidavit from him,
and that he told Sherwood that he had
,een the will in Spain, where she was
mentioned as being the heir to this prop.
,rty; that it was within his power to help
The girl along by making the affidavit,
md that it would not hurt anybody. He
'urther acknowledged that he then wrote