El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-25
Rouuuiilo Grant


was offered tt the Times in answer
to the attack on me and the Ronquillo
grant and MIR. Hart refused TO publish
my side of the story. Without asking
you to take deS in the matter in the
slig h est degree. but in the decency of
ordinary fairness in such matters,
evidently not possess d by the Times, L
ask you to give it spa e.
Since you have given so much room
to an at ok on me with regard to the
Rnnquillo grant litigation, evidently
dictat d by some ore interested in the
G boo and Pre- sidio Mining companies,
u me- the justice to publish the follow
ing:
1st.-If you have the article space. as
you claim, to protect tn people o1
Presldio, jeff Davis and Brewster
counties. you might have saved your
sill the trouble. There is not one of
them in danger. We are making no
contest against bona fide settlers, or
persons WHO have bought lands in con-
tlict W tn the grant In good faith. We
have publicly. THROUGH the columns of
The Maria New Era and privately,
in conversa' ion, offered, and still offer.
to give qu.t-claimS ito all such. freely
and without price. Our fight is against
the California mining companies known
as the Cibolo and Preside com panieS.
and the railroads corporations.
2nd-We originally brought suit,
both on the law and equity side of the
federal court. 1t being determined to
prosecute on the equity side, the law
cases were dismissed as we could not
maintain both. One case for $40 acres
only was tried and decided against US.
DID you never hear of court deciding
a case wrongly?
3rd.-Prefering hereafter to submit
aaG IN Tf ri nd a
state courts, we dismissed in the fed
eral court and began our suits again at
the very home of the grant-in Pre-.
sidio county. That is all there is in
the dismissals
4th-The Cibolo company, by it's at
torneys, tried to remove the trial of the
ase from before court and jury of
Pres dio county, and attempted to get
1t back into the federal court, We in
sisted on it's being tried at the very
place where the people" with "home-
sJeads" live and judge Maxey very
properly remanded the case to Maria
5lh-At the last term it was found
impractical to get jury in Preside
county qualified to try Tie case and SO
it was sent by agreement to Fl Paso
6tn-Judge Maxey, of the federal
court decided that the grant was, as a
Ronquillo in 1882, but that the officer
who made it was not authorized by law
at that time to make the grant. We
IL a. in tanned the officer was authorized
and we now contend thai the supreme
court of Texas in decision since our
trial has so decided. Judge Maxev
also decided that Il confirmation Of the
grant had been forged. This was dated
in 1884. We say as to this that Judge
MaXey was mistaken in his conclusion,
upon the test mOny presented t. him.
But that, a. all events, we have prOcur-
ed additional testimony, both of Mex
leans and thoroughly cred BILE Amer
leans nee The Trial, that shows posi-
lively and conclusively that the paper
is genuine.
We don't care to fight this case out
n TIE newspapers. Wait till we get
in court am We are with e to alb. de by
ii verd let of an unprejudi I'd jury, and
the decision of the courts.
1th-We brought the suits in Chic
ago because 1t Is cheaper and more
convenient for US there that here. We
are no. responsible for all the papers
saw ii to say in their write up But
that we expect d an advantage by SUI
ing there is evident or we should not
have commenced the suits.
ERNEST DALE OWEN.