The herald., 1896-10-31
los ANGELES HERALD MORNING.

Stephen M White for the grant claim
ants, and by Zach Montgomery, ESQ.,, for
the sQuatters, whose cause he has cham
pioned since the early fifties This par
ticular case, like many others, Is an OUT
growth of the early Mexican grants,
with which this state has had SO much
trouble. In recent years endeavors have
been made to settle these titles and ig-
more the law, and thus quiet the fraudu-
lent claims under the guise or plea Of
''repose of titles"
ANOTHER PHASE OF THE SENSA-
TIONAL LEONIS CASE.
The San Fernando has been the
subject of litigation from the inception
of the grant, and this case is only one
of a series which have taken place with
In the past forty years. Very few of
them have ever been tried, and the
greater part are still standing upon the
docket.
The beginning of the present contro-
versy had curious origin. In 1889 Mig
uel Leonis died. leaving will. Under
this will Espiritu, an Indian woman,
was left some $4,000. Within few
years after Miguers death deed was
executed to Hon. S. M. White by Espir-
itu, and a suit brought to declare her
the widow of Miguel When the trial
came on in 1891 a large number of wit
nesses were called, and it appeared TO
them that Miguel had occupied large
tract of land which, Immediately upon
the death of Miguel, was taken possess
sion Of by the Los Angeles Farming,
and Milling company. One William r.
Caldwell was a witness, or interested
spectator, at the trial. Caldwell had
tried to buy this land from Pho Pico m
the early fifties, and the latter declined
to sell it to him, saying that 1t was not
his but government land. A lot of these
witnesses got their heads together and
decided If possible to find out who the
land really did belong to, whether 1t
was government land or private prop
erty.
An abstract was ordered from c. C..
Grove, who was supposed to know some
thing of the early titles to the lands in
California, and upon the presentation OF
the abstract to the attorneys employed
by these parties they decided that the
grant was for four leagues, or about
1900 acres of land. The petition show
ed that there was claimed in 1853 four
teen leagues, and incidentally of course,
a had been added before the four
The confirmation was for fourteen
leagues but somehow, and 1t will evsr
remain one of the mysteries of the courts
and interior department, patent came
for about twenty-six leagues, or about
116, 600 acres. The attorneys gave 1t It's
their deliberate opinion that the land in
excess of the decree of confirmation was
government land, and instructed the
parties interested to go and take pos
session. Immediately there was hub
bub, and the whole valley was filled with
"squatters' and suits were begun.
The air was lurid with threats. Grove
was denounced as subserver of vested
interests, and was arrested for threaten
ing to take forcible possession of. the
San Fernando rancho.
THE SQUATTERS' LEAGUE.
AS a matter of fact, If the controversy
over the Leonis matter had not precip-
itated the difficulty there is little reason
to suppose that there would have been
any noise or trouble whatever. AS
things were, however, a legal conflict
was inevitable. Senator White was re-
tanned to defend the claimants interest,
and after some preliminary skirmishing
the matter settled down to a dogged
fight between the "squatters" on the
one side, and the company on the other.
In order to raise the necessary funds
to carry on legal battle of such magni-
tude the "squatters' formed a league
now known as the california, Arizona
and New Mexico Settlers league" which
covers the area where such large tracts
are claimed under fraudulent Spanish
and Mexican grants, and banded them
selves together for mutual protection
and aid. They number now over twenty
thousand, and are making things quite
lively for some of the fellows who know
no law but might and money.