Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-06-18
The BARONESS" TESTIFIES.
Remarkable Story of a Remarkable
Woman Considering Her
Origin.
Another Contribution to the Amazing
Mass of Fictitious and Fabricated
Testimony.

The hearing of the so-called Peralta-
aeavis land grant case of Arizona, already
practically proved to be the most marvel
Jus fabrication Of the age, continued to
absorb the attention of the United States
court of private land claims yesterday
afternoon and this morning.
As previously reported in these columns,
Mrs. Peralta Reavis, the alleged wife OF
James Addison PeraltaReavis and the
pretended great granddaughter and sole
heiress of DoA Miguel de Peral-
ia de la Cordoba, baron of the Cooradoes
and Arizona, was on the witness stand
yesterday. The detailed disclosures she
undertook to make, and her general bear
ing on the stand, taken in connection
with the contradictory testimony of other
witnesses and the fact that she must nave
known that United States Attorney Rey-
nolds was thoroughly and positively lu,
formed as to her frequent and material
deviations from the truth, stamped heras
a remarkable woman and fully sustained
the wisdom of Reavis in selecting her to
pose as the "baroness" and co-clnlmant
of nearly 100000 acres of the choicest
land in Arizona.
STORY OF THE "BARoNEss."
She testified yesterday that the first
time she met her husband (Reavls) he
was looking up land grant for which
he had secured deeds from DR.. Willing
and the Peraltas; that when her husband
then ex plained to her about the grant IN
Arizona, she told him she was the owner
of it; that she went to Spain In 1875 or
1876 and discovered some OF her relatives
there; that she could always speak Span
ian since she was child and had talked
with Mrs. SNOWFALL, with whom she lived
for a time in California, in that language;
that she was with her husband in Seville,
Spain, and there they met young man
named Jose Quintana who had charge OF
the archives; that Quintana demanded
between $1,000 and $1,000 before he
would allow them to examine the records,
and told them that, if paid that amount,
they might examine and make copies of
the Perata grant records; that they were
in Madrid together and were allowed to
see the records and make copies of them
without trouble; that the records were in
large
VOLUME BOUND IN vELLUM;
that this volume was laid on table and
they had access to its contents.
Upon being shown a Photographic
copy of this volume of records, the wit
ness could not positively recognize it.
Several other photographs were shown
to her and she was asked if she recog-
n,zed them as the records she had seen
in Madrid. She thought she recognized
one of them. She also said that she
visited the City of Mexico about six
years ago.
Recurring to her early residence in
California, and cleverly attempting &c
sustain her present pretentions, she
said: 81 was living with Mrs. Bradshaw
who kept dressmaking and millinery
store, and had mentioned to her and tc
Mr.. and Mrs. Snowfall that had large
amount of property, but they never
would let me talk about my property"
Continuing she said: II had always
heard that my grandfather Miguel
Peralta, alleged son of the original
Miguel de Peralta de la Cordoba and pre-
tended baron of the Coloradoes and Arl-
IONA was an honest man, and he went to
Spain and died there"
Responding to searching questions OF
the United States attorney, she said: mo
it is not true that the first time ever
heard of this grant was through Mr.
Reavis."
Regarding the records, she said: 81
was young when they were shown me ano
DO NOT REMEMBER VERY WELL.
I recognize paper and the seal thereon
which was shown to me by my HUSBAND
before we were married, and he said that
that was the title paper upon which
claimed the grant, which was filed after
wards in the office of the surveyor gen
eral of Arizona and New Mexico, and thai
l was the granddaughter of Don Peralta
who had gone to Spain and died"
Being pressed carefully to examine ant
read some of the documents presented tt
her, she almost pathetlcally added: "Ths
plain fact of the case 1s, am not ar
educated woman, as l never went to
school in my life but three months, ant
if do not get through to-day will never
come back here again"
The witness then apparently broke
completely down and burst out crying al
naturally as any distressed woman could
This manifestation of feeling appeared
so realistic that the sympathy of many o
the spectators was awakened.
Unlisted SHE WAS NOT pERsoNATINa.
Upon being asked if she was not per
sonating the granddaughter of tn
original grantee, Don Miguel Peralta,
person who never existed, she answered
mo. it IS not true. am all l represen
myself to be-"
The witness gave her testimony in
straightforward manner, only breaking
down the one time, when she said sh
had been prosecuted all her life and coul'
not stand it any longer.
The story Of this woman gives man.
hints of the amazing mass of plausibl
yet fabricated testimony accumulated b,
Reavis, whereby he so completely mislet
and hoodwinked such learned and ex
perienced lawyer as James o. Broadhead
of st. Louis, now United States ministe
to Switzerland, that he