The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-14
IN The EARLY F|FT|ES'
A Chapter From the Green
Controversy Found in
Pioneers Trunk.
CLAIM ON THE vIGILANTEs.
An Interesting Document Which
VIII Revive Many Dormant
Memories.


recollections of the past turned up yester-
day among the papers of pioneer who
had seen the waters come up to Montgom-
cry street. 1t was addressed to Isaac J.
Bluxome Esq, and was written by Alfred
A. Green, long since dead, who at one time
was the owner of those broad lands from
the Cliff House to the Ocean House. now
the property of Mayor Sutro.
The writing is claim upon the executive
committee of the old Committee of Vigi-
lance, and states that Mr.. Green, the writer
came to California in 1S47, after fighting
the battles of his country in the war with
Mexico. He married into Spanish fam
lily and was engaged in acquiring informa-
zion as to land titles and matters connected
Herewith.
"In moment and without warming"
says Mr.. Green, az was despoiled of all
my valuable documents and property, my
business was broken up and a stigma at
tached to my name, which has followed
me every place where my footsteps have
trod, which weighed upon me like chain of
iron and has been an incubus in my path,
which sixteen years of honorable exertion
has failed to completely dispel" Mr..
Green then goes on to state his cause of
complaint.
From the year 1851 to the year 1856 or
1857 the entire peninsula in which now
stands the city of San Francisco was
claimed by a certain clique under what
was supposed to be fraudulent Mexican
grants. The largest of these was the Boil
ton claim, which covered all the City lands
lying south from an imaginary line called
the Vallejo line, line commencing a
little south of California street and north
OF Pine street, and running thence easterly
and westerly from bay to ocean, that is to
say all the lands lying between the
northern boundary of the Sanchez and the
Buri-Buri ranch and the Vallejo line near
California street.
He then states that during the contest
for this land he had in his possession GER
tain documentary evidences which would
fully establish the existence and boundar-
les of an organized pueblo, and that he
could produce positive proof that the
adverse claim of Bolton or Santilla was
fraudulent and antedated.
'Those papers," continues Mr.. Green,
"were repeatedly offered by me to General
Mcdowell, the counsel employed by the
City, and subsequently to the Mayor, G. H.
Garrison, and the Common Council of San
Francisco, by whom I was advised to re-
tain possession of the documents until
future time.
ION May 1, 1856, addressed a public
meeting at Musical Hall and then presented
in detail evidences and laws establishing
pueblo title. This was done freely and
voluntarily, and without any conditions
AT this meeting committee of citizens,
composed of Gregory Yale and others, was
appointed to examine papers and docu-
ments in my possession, with instructions
| to report the result of their examination at
| subsequent meeting. The result of this
| was that the committee reported that the
papers submitted by me were genuine, and
that the boundary of the original pueblo
was the northern boundary of the Sanchez
| ranch, and that there are no papers from
| Governor Figueroa, under whose admins
tration the pueblo was formed. addressed
to any officer of the pueblo establishing the
Vallejo line as fixed by the commissioners.
The committee also thanked me for nv
efforts to establish their titles to their
homes The citizens on the one hand, and
the Bolton claimants on the other, were
deeply excited by the discoveries 1 had
made at those public meetings.
Mr.. Green dwells upon this bitter contest.
and states that in the silent hours of the
night the Vigilance Committees cavalry
made raid upon his homestead and car
| RED him off close prisoner to their cham
bers. He asserts that they, On behalf of
the Vigilance Committee, pledged them
selves that if he would deliver to them the
papers In question, they would imme-
diately restore him to liberty and paw him
the sum of $4,000 in gold, this sum to be
accepted by him both in consideration for
the papers and in full satisfaction for the
injury sustained by his wrongful arrest
and Imprisonment.
They further bound themselves" says
Mr.. Green, ''to pay 200 in cash as soon
as they could obtain the same from the
government of San Francisco. 1 accepted
| the terms thus offered and imposed by the
Committee of Vigilance with a single
further condition that it should furnish
me with a certificate attested nv thar eaol
that no charge had been made or sustained
against myself or any member of nv
family. To this demand the committee
acceded. Iperformed my part of the con-
tract, but the committee has yet to re-
deem its plighted honor. Under its con-
tract it paid me $12, 600, and this is all
have received"
The writer then describes his efforts in
Washington to have his claim established
and the plots of his enemies against him.
The document revives an interesting chap
ter In the early history of San Francisco