The San Francisco call., 1896-02-28
BIG GOVERNMENT SUITS.
Fraud Charged in the Surveys
of the Visitacion
Rancho.
TWO OTHER SUITS TO FOLLOW.
Thousands of Acres and Millions of
Dollars Involved in the Liti-
cation.
TWO OTHER SUITS TO FOLLOW.

The office of the United States District
Attorney is at present prolific OF sensa-
tional land suits.
Two suits, involving millions of dollars
worth OF property, are to follow that OF
| the United States VS.. the Abbey Land and
improvement Company ct al. between
now and March 3.
On the 21st inst. the United States Dis
trict Attorney filed suit In ejectment on
behalf of the United States Government,
as trustee, against the Abbey Land and
Improvement Company and la other de-
PENDANTS occupying lands in the Visitation
Rancho. The lands included within the
boundaries of this rancho are partly in
San Francisco and partly in San Mateo
County.
The complaint charges fraud. An ex-
United States District Attorney of the
name of Sharp is accused of conniving
with the surveyors, who Incorporated
within the boundaries of Visitation
Rancho large tract of land that belonged
to the Cove rnment.
This suit is the result of charges made
by two men, named Clark and Murphy.
They claim they bought land from the
Government and paid for it on receiving
their patent. After receiving their title it
i is alleged that the boundary lines of the
| Visitation Rancho, Mexican grant, was
surveyed by United States surveyors, and
| they extended the lines of the rancho to
| take in several hundred acres of land be-
! longing to this Government. In thos e
| lands thus usurped for the rancho Messrs.
| Clark aud Murphy as sert their acres are to
| be found.
| They could not bring suit in their own
| names, and their only redress was to in
woke the action of the Government. The
initial suit involves many fine points OF
| law, and between now and Monday night
millions of dollars worth of property will
| be at issue.
The complaint filed by United States
District Attorney II. s. Foote does not
mince its allegations OF fraud. In fact, ii
| is specified that without the connivance of
| the United States District Attorney, then
| Mr.. Sharp, the surveyors of the Govern
ment could not have perpetrated the
| fraud, and if the suit is won by the Gov
ernment there will be upward OF la prop
| erty-owners here and in San Mateo County
who will suffer. Ex-Mayor Ellert and
| John T. Doyle, the attorney, are at the
head of the defendant Abbey Land and
| Improvement Company.
The other two suits, which are to be filed
before March 3, are against landholders in
the Los Pulgas and Corde de Madro
| ranchoS. The former includes the city oi
Redwood, San Mateo County, and the es-
| tates of many well-known millionaires
among them Phelps, Hopkins, Robinson
| Britton, Flood and others.
The Corde de Madro Rancho grant and
| survey covers the hamlet of Belvedere,
Marin County. and many private estates.
| Fraud and inaccurate surveys will be al
legged in both cases, the same as in that o1
| the United States VS.. the Visitacion
| Rancho (Abbey Land and Improvement
Company ct al. J, and extended legal inves-
| LEGATIONS must follow.
| In speaking of the suits last night, Dis
| trict Attorney Foote said:
| Corde de Madro ranches must be brought be-
| fore the Sd of March in order to get in
| ahead of the law of limitation. Five years age
| Congress passed a bill limiting the time in
| which to reopen the Spanish land grants. The
| five years expires on the Sd of next month.
| In these two cases suits are brought 10 pro-
] tect the Government against the time limit
and future action will depend on my investi-
| cations and report to Washington. OF course
| these people interested must understand that
l am acting only under instructions from
| the United States Attorney General l men
ton tnis because there are so many persons
| who actually believe that am the sole author
| of such suits as these.
The property included in the Los Pulgos
| Rancho suit involves extensive intere SITS OF
| the Spring Valley Water Company. 1t
may be expected that developments of
| more than usual interest and importance
will folio