The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
HE FURNISHED THE HEIR.
SUICIDE OF n GAMBLER IN ARIso-
Ma RECALLS a sTRANGB CASE.

ne Uncovered the Girl who Married James
Addison Reavis, whe Represented Her ss
the Descendant or n Favorits or the King or
Spain ana Thereby Darzied new York.
A man In the town of Nogalos, Ariz., took the
pillows and q blanket from his bed. spread them
on tho floor, lay down and fired q bullet into
his head. On q table In the room was q sheet
of paper, and written on the paper was thisi
Ihad the money. Host IL Good.by.
On tho sheet was q Mexican dollar. II was
all that was left Of size, money of tho employer
of tho suicide.
The suicide occurred q few days ago. Tho
mans name was Miguel Peralta. He was 70
years old. He had lived . strange life, even
in q country where TRANCE things happen every
day. But tho strangest Incident in his check
cred career was his connection with q case In
which an American was the principal. Two
countries, the United States and Spain; titles
musty and numerous; 49, 200. 900 acres Of land
In Arizona and New Mexico; Senator Conkling,
Col. Ingersoll. Attorney-General olnoy, .
young lawyer of New York and IAN heiress Of
the Baron Of the Colorado appear in this story.
The principal. James Addison Reavis, was
born in Missouri. Ho was q Confederate SOL
der. Aftor the war he went to st. Louis and
was q street car driver. Then he was q sales
man, thon . newspaper correspondent, after
ward q real estate agent.
Within O dozen years this man was interest
cd in o land grant. II he had succeeded he
would have boon one Of the richest men in the
United States. Involved In tho suit was tho
validity Of settlers notes to tho amount of $5.-
100000. A favorable decision for Reavis
would have established claims Of $4,000. 900
for land sold to settlers by the Government.
1t would have given him title to q strip of land
1auArtv-A -, all, ida A~I 0oR til 1Nr- t.
this strip are tho richest mineral and agricul-
tural lands Of Arizona and New Mexico. Forty
thousand people lived in this strip and near by.
On 1t also were tho territorial capital of Ari-
zona and other towns. The total valuation of
all this. at the time of tho suit, was estimated
at @75, 200, 900.
The man who made o claim to this was at
work upon his schome twenty years. He had
spent moro than o half million dollars for legal
counsel and In travel, and moro than this sum
In stock operations connected with his plans.
Uneducatod In the beginning he found that his
success depended upon something besides ras.
cality and nerve He became proficient not
only In the tongue Of his own country, but
Spanish as well. and In the classical Spanish
employed by tho court of King Ferdinand vi.
He became an expert In archaeology. and had q
perfect knowledge Of the seals and signets and
the decorations Of the court of Spain of the
eighteenth century.
This was ReaviB's claim: One of tho ancient
Kings OF Spain had given to one Of his sup
portcrs an immense grant Of land in what was
known as Spanish America This favorite Of
tho King was known, according to Reavis, as
Don Miguel Peralta do Ia Cordova, Baron Of Arr.
coma and the Colorados, Knight Of the Golden
Fleece and Baron Of the Order of Charles ILL.
Knight Of Montssa, knight Of the Colorados.
Gentleman OF the Kings Bedchamber with
entrance ut WILL. and q prandee of SDain.
1t occurred to this former street car conduc-
tor to disSoyeS tho heir to tho land and posses.
made him think Of it: One day, while no was in
81. Louis as real estate agent, a DIR. Willing
land grant In Arizona Keavis investigated
the Wiling S ! proposition; He laid I'D The facts be- =
Louis, Tho lawyer told Reavis that tho claim
of Willing was genuine. Reavis and Willing
ing His' died. Ills H afFairs were se0 left sl in the foe i'm;
81 lteavis. Among the papers was q deed Of
1h Th nsf plsn! Lang os HREs sa1is untolded gradually.
Several years sn,s elapsed ps before he fled y, with the
he set forth that he had become owner, by pur-
chase from tho legal heirs and representatives
OF the riginal.grantee. Ola certain tract Of land
accompanied BY muniments Of title in detail,
showing Io that at on ~ ! Dec e.: 20, i74s I, 2 royal decree
recting that certain lands in what is now Ari-
IONA and Now Mexico should be granted TO Mig
uel do Peralta-a list Of his titles following.
the original grantee had willed to his son, and
that tho son in 1864 had decided tho same-the
viii iIlin StiSl Aady tb des Was transfe Dr; G ,o Reoy Al;
BY the attorneys and the widow Of Willing. On
this showing, Reayis asked the Surveyor-Gcn-
aforesaid grant to him by tho United States"
A long Investigation followed. The result was
s SsSia1e 81 aots &c sfin ia shs ,e eRa RfS.tsfi sI5io. prayer
Four years later Rcavis dled an amended pc.
tition. In this he set forth that no had found
the heir to the PcralLa estate; that thereby he
was the re representative of Doha Sofia Lorcto
Micaela de Peralta-R eavis, formerly Maso y
Silva dc PeraltA de la Cardova. He commended
that she was the great-granddaughter OF the de.
ceased Don Miguel NeVuecio Silva do Peralta.
Iteavis admitted later that he had found this
heir several years before. He met her in
1879, and three years later she became his wife.
But 1t was not until she went with him to Spain
the lost heir. The marriage, which was secret.
was made public before tho American Legation
The woman was naturally attractive. OF
course ours she he was pore SO when she vas be.
turning to Spain to rest. They were received
In Madrid and entertained, She had the hon
. clever man, which he certainly was. While
feasts followed feasts, Reavis was not idle. He
was "perfeGting" his title. He secured docu-
and records from the archives of Spain. And
whom he and his wife of fascinating beauty
Aioo " alIeTlChs TlcuNlb ndu Trunks ana
boxes OF to prove the validity Of his
claim to the Arizona and New Mexico tracts.
He took up his residence in New York. He
had Bumptuous apartments at the Hoffman
House.. and his turnouts In Fifth avenue arc
yet tho talk Of many who have seen splendid
pageantry In eouipage along that thoroughfare.
I'd Stokes was induced TO invest in Reavis's
old books Of The Hoffman House showing that
4; Addison Reavis.Peralta contracted q board
bill to the amount Of $4,000.
While this was on. while people looked at tho
town talked OF this lucky fellow" former Son;
Reavis PeraltA-, II 10 said that for ono month
Mr.. Conkling devoted his entire time to this
case. At the ond of the Investigation he do
clGEed that tho title was perfect, Col. ,lnGer-
soils opinion was a. emphatic. after he had made
q study OF tho case,
Then land grant companies were formed out
West; tho Southern Pacific Railroad Company,
the Casa Grande Land and Improvement Coln.
pany and the Silver King Mining Company.
John w. Mackay and others contributed 10
tho schemes OF the former street car driver Of
81. Louis. He lived . life. all this while. which
would have satisfied the original, Peralta II
no had returned to earth with his fortune and
his titlos and had tnsisted on q good time.
The Government all this time had resisted
the Peralte claim and the trial was docketed In
Santa F6. before n United States District Court.