Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-07-23
INNOCENTS ABROAD.
Pacific Coasters Who Pretend to Be-
lieye in the Validity of the
Peralta Grant.
Baron" Peralta-R -Reavis Alleged to Be
a Prosecuted Individual-One of
His Old Backers Speaks.

of the famous Arizona grant, is an arcl
consprator in the most stupendous fraut
ever conceived and attempted to be per
petrated in this or any other country il
deemed by many persons in this city tt
be an possibility.
That he is the victim of persecution be
cause of his claim and because of the fac
that should it be allowed 12,OO0,OO0 acres
of land in Arizona, now populated by 40,
900 persons and worth $75,000,000, would
revert to him, is confidently asserted.
But whether he be conspirator or con
spired against, the story of the PeraltG
grant surpasses in interest any tale in ro
nance or real life that has held the atten
tion of the public in many long year
1t is essentially
CALIFORNIA STORY,
for though the property in question is
located In Arizona, the wife of Peralta-
Reavis, through whom he has endeavored
to establish title, is native of this state
and has relatives and acquaintances in
San Francisco. The men who first backed
the aspirant for wealth beyond the Wild
est dreams of avarice are Californians,
end much of the testimony in the case
which has recently been decided at Santa
Fe, N. NJ, adversely to the claimant, are
residents of Mendocno county. Mr.. and
Mrs. Peralta resided at the Bella Vista
hotel, in this city, and their twins, Don
Carlos Loreto Silva de Peralta- Reavis,
and Don Miguel Nervecio Silva de Per-
alta Reavis, were christened there March
%, 1898.
| When Mr.. Reavis was in this city mis-
headquarters were in the Office of DR..
Andrew T. Sherwood, in the Donohoe
building, and there are shelved many
muniments of title and volumes of testi-
mony bearing on his case. DR.. Sher-
wood has known Reavis and his wife
many years. 1t was in Sherwood valley,
Mendoclno county, that Mrs. Reavis lived
and the doctor has an intimate knowledge
of the character of the witnesses who
were called upon to prove that Mrs.
Reavis was not the daughter Of Jose
Maso, the heir to the grant, but was the
offspring of an Indian squaw and man
named John Treadway.
II consider" said DR.. Sherwood as he
sat in his Office to-day, 'that Mr.. Reavis
has perfect title to that grant. The
affidavits taken in Mendocino county to
prove that Mrs. Reavis was the
DAUGHTER OF sQUAw
we're given by squaw-men and persons
whose testimony should have no weight
in any court. One affidavit was from a
squaw who, as learn, swore that she was
present at the birth of Mrs. Reavis.
believe that she testified that Treadway
was the father. Now 1 knew Treadway.
He came out to California in the early
days with my brother. know that he
never pretended to be the father of the
girl, and in fact nobody ever supposed
that he was. We never heard Of such a
thing.
"This whole case has been tried in the
newspapers and by corruption funds, in
my opinion. Now will show you an in
stance of how facts have been perverted
and false opinion created" DR.. Sher.
wood here went into an inner Office and
returned
WITH A NEWSPAPER
in his hand. 1t was copy of great st.
Louis daily. "Here," said the doctor, sis
picture of Mrs. Rs2yis and under it is
picture of her father. They were pub.
lished together to show the remarkable
resemblance between father and daught-
er. You can see for yourself that there
is an unmistakable resemblance. Well.
in order to bolster up the theory that the
woman is the daughter of Treadway they
have put the name of John A. Treadway
under the mans picture, whereas the
likeness is really that of Jose Maso, the
woman's real father. I'll prove that to
you"
DR.. Sherwood took down book which
contained evidence in the case, and turn
ed to page which bore the picture of
Maso. 1t was an exact counterpart OF
the picture published in the newspaper
as being the counterfeit presentment of
JOHN rREADwAY.
"You see they used this picture to show
the resemblance and put the wrong name
under to create the impression that the
girls father was Treadway. What could
be more palpablef Those articles were
written for money.
CAS- for this court, can anyone tell mt
what right an American court has to &C
to Mexico to sit and decide that docu
ments that have been declared by Mex
ican courts to be genuine are frauds anG
forgeriess
''Mr. Reavis In the course of his investi
CATION was told that if he went to Mexico
he would find on file there records of thu
grant. He went, and spent three months
searching for them in the archives of the
master of records. He failed to find any
mention of them, and was in despair
He had, though, letters to many
PROMINENT MEN IN MEXICO,
and he went to these gentlemen and tolt
them his troubles. One of them told hin
that clerk in the Office of the master O
records had been there many years, was {
historian and knew more about sucl
matters perhaps than any man in Mex
leo. Mr.. Reavis went to this man anG
was promptly told that if there were any
such records as those he wanted the!
would not be IN the custody of the maste
of records. They were what were called
royal records, and we're kept in anothe
department.. keavis went to this othe
department, and found the grant and al
the documents in connection with it. Th,
volumes we're ancient and the binding o
the books stuck together. Reavis thel
petitioned the master of records for Ger
titled copies, but was informed that thu
master had no authority to issue them
but that he might 60 into court ant
secure
| WRIT OF MANDAMUs
to compel him to issue the certified
copies. This he did, and the matter cam'
up for hearing. The result was that th'
master of records was ordered to issu,
the papers, and, of course, complied, al
he d sired only the authority of court fo'
his action. Those certified copies wer'
signed by the master OF records and BY
all the officials whose signatures wer,
necessary. Now, on the top of this, thi
American court goes down there and say