El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-13
THE RONQUILLO GRANT.
The Papers Srrv-rd in a Long Delayed
Case

A dispatch from Chicago dated March
9, gives the following accouut of the
papers served on VIM. Noyes, Of
oakland, Cal, in a case that ls now
pending in the courts at Maria, Tex as,
The case is the SUIT for the R)nquillo
land grant, part Of the land laying
in FL Paso county. The dispatch says:
After waiting more than four years
Chicago and Indiana syndicate WI ch
claims toe ownership of l 800, 100 acr, 8,
of land in Texas, rich in silver and said
TO be worth over So 600 600, obtained
legal service today on an official of the
Clbolo Creek NJ. ling and Mining COM
pany, " llllam Noyes of oakland. Cal,
capital st Hnd general m inager of the
defe .oant company ;Fredei * P.Olco.t
tle New York representa- We; the
Houston and Texas Central Railroad
and Mr.. No, es are also made defend
ants. They are in possession of the
disputed land and silver mines. En-
rst Dale Owens and Seth F. Crews, Ch-
cago lawyers, who are president and
secretary respectively of the syrdicar 9
and have represented 1t in the legal
f,ht, we're anxious to obtain service in
the northern f. d raj district of 1 l.
n~1s and br ne suit away from Texas.
A similar suit is now p-ndirg in Pre-
dio county, Texas, where the greater
part OF the property is located. Just
before the l ,te Judge Gresham WAS ap-
pointed secretary OF state by ex-Presi-
dent Cleveland, d suit in eIectment Was
brought by tre syndicate in his f, der
ii di-t' let, but Judge Gresham refused
allow the case 10 be trIt because
service was not had on any officer of
tire company in linois.
Service Was obtained on Mr.. Noyes
under peculiar circumstances. He and
lis wife arrived here from Caiif, rnia
a - fnr of ho
Auditorium hotel. Mr.. Owen was at
the opera at the Audilo ~ium last
ght. While surveying the audi
ence between acts his heart almost
jumped in his mouth at sight of G-n-
ersl Manager Noyes and Mrs. Noyes.
Owen quickly changed .eats for more
secluded spot where Noyes could not
see him. and after the opera the law
yer shadowed the California capitalist
to the hotel. AS soon as possible this
morning suit in ejsctment claiming
5000, 600 damares Was filed in the
United States circuit court aud sup
pressed for service and in the state
court two suits for trespass, claim ng
81 QUO, 600 oamaRts, were fled. Dep
uty United States Marshal Allen served
the papers on Mr.. Moves.
The land was grapted in 1884 by the
Mexican government to Colonel Jose
Ignace RopquillO for service in the
army, but he never settled on it. HIS
neirs claimed the land without question
and after the annexation Of Texas by
the United States part of the land pas
SEQ into he possess on OF the Houston
and Texas Central railroad Another
p art was bought with scr p and is now
laimed by Mr. Olcot-. who leased it
O the Cibolo company. the railroad
oart WAS bought ny the same company.
Five years ago the R,nou llo grant was
bought from his heirs by the syndicate
forty prominent men At
'orney Owen said they had been offer
ed millions of dollars for their cla m
alone. Two silver mines, the Pres dio
and Cib 10. which have yielded as high
As 81 600, 900 of silver a year, are locat-
ed ON the property.