The herald., 1897-04-02
Claims of a Misrepresentation of
the Value
DOUBLE CELESTIAL WEDDING
MoNGoLIANs MADE HAPPY BY
JUDGE SMITH
Lorena Lampson Committed to Stock
ton - Another Water Con-
troversy - New Suits.
Court Notes

IT has been said that the members of
the Sepulveda family are never out of
court during a change of the moon. Be
that as 1t may. they have acquired con-
siderable notoriety through their con-
nection with some of the old Spanish
land suits tried at various times in this
county. The latest legal controversy
for Sepulveda to mix up in is suit
which was on trial yesterday In Judge
Smiths court. The plaintiff In this case
Is Mrs. Grizelda de Sepulveda, and she
Is suing c. A. Runels to have contract
rescinded. The case presents many in
teresting phases. Mrs. Sepulveda was
on the witness stand most of the day
yesterday, and as it was necessary TO
conduct the examination through an in
terpreter, the proceedings were some
what tedious at times.
She told an interesting story Of her
transaction with Runels. 1t seems that
last fall Mrs Sepulveda owned house
and lot on Hill street, which she valued
at $4,000, and upon which there was
mortgage of $780, She wanted to trade
this for unincumbered property and
spoke of the matter to R. L. Couts,
real estate agent. A short time after
ward Couts came to Mrs. Sepuiveda and
told her that he thought he had trade
which would suit her. The property
which he offered was tract of land,
consisting of 20 acres in the San Fer
nando valley, and belonging to c. A.
Runels She agreed to look at the land,
and in company with Couts and ]. H.
Waddingham, the secretary of the Guar
antee Trust and Collection company, Of
which Mr.. Runels is president, went out
to view the land. She was shown the
tract which it was proposed to trade for
her house and lot, but decided not TO
make the exchange.
A few days later, however, Mr.. Couts
appeared again with another PROPOSE
tion This time he offered to give the
same piece shown before and an add'-
tional twenty lying west of II for the
house, if Mrs. Sepulveda would retura
her two separate notes. secured by the
land. for 1925 each. This proposition was
accepted and a bargain struck. Runels
making over to Mrs Sepulveda desd
to lot Sc in the Lankershtm division.
The conveyance was made about the lst
of October.
"A couple OIL IIlOHtHS ldlct oCPdi-
veda decided to SOW the land to barley
and sent her son out to San Fernando
to make arrangements for having the
ground put in shape for sowing On ar
irving there he found man plowing on
the ground which his mother had sup
posed that she had traded for. He
made some inquiries, and learned that
this tract Of land was claimed by the
party as his own. He then got map of
l.. =. t. frd
lot &c. which had been sold to his mother.
over in the Tejuaga wash, and situated
as the plaintiffs claim, so thar 1t has
practically no value whatever. The
matter was reported to Mrs. Sepulveda.
and she called Couts to an accounting
for having showed her the wrong piece
of land The latter claimed, however,
that the mistake had been committed
unintentfonally. and said that he belieV-
ed he was showing her the right tract
when he had taken Mrs. Sepulveda out
to San Fernando.
In answer to the complaint, Runels
states that about December 1st Couts
came to him and said that he had shown
the wrong piece of property to Mrs. Sc
pulveda at San Fernando and had got
himself into trouble by doing so. He
wanted to know what Runels would do
to help him out. Runels says that he
felt that he had made good bargain,
and offered to assign the two mortgages
for $3.50 back to Mrs. Sepulveda, and to
deed her lot on Brooklyn Heights, in
this city, If that would settle the mat
ter. He also claims that this was actual
ly done, while on the other hand, Mrs.
Sepulveda asserts that she never receiv-
ed the mortgages nor the lot.
The case is pretty badly mixed up, and
somebody's veracity is evidently called
into question. A great mistake seems
TO have been made in showing the prop
erty, but it is hard to tell just who is 10
blame. The case was not finished yes
terday, and will be taken up again to-