The San Francisco call., 1897-01-22
WANTS HIS MONEY
FROM THE CONSUL
E, G. Kelton of Mazatlan
Sued for Money
Deposited.
He Took $500 for Safe Keeping
and Went Through In
solvency.
The Man Who Owned Goat Island
Appears as Plaintiff in a
Strange Case.

The man who. like Robinson Crusoe on
Juan Fernandez, was once monarch OF all
he surveyed on Goat Island, was in the
Superior Court of this City and County
Tuesday afternoon as plaintiff against E.
G. Kelton, formerly United States Consul
at Mazatlan.
At one time he was the proud possessor,
the lord and master of Yerba Buena Island
In San Francisco Bay, but then it was
known by another name, that OF Sea Bird
Island, cognomen which suggested itself
to the early settlers on account OF the
number of sea fowl seen upon the barren
rocks.
So it was known when Samuel Nj oore
made his first appearance in California as
early as 1848.
The island in the middle of the bay
offered many inducements to him, but
none to the Spanish residents and officials,
who gladly gave him a grant to the sea-
girt territory. Moore Immediately took
up his a bode there with herd of goats.
which caused the name of the island to
change imperceptibly with the going of
the birds and the coming Of the herds. In
the course of years Uncle Sam determined
to possess the island. Much red tape was
measured out in course of the process OF
taking the land for Federal purposes, and
as result Moore still retains bundles of
documents showing that the Government
bought the property and paid him some
thing like 81 600, 900, which, however, he
never received. The money passed through
other hands, as the railway company had
some connection with the matter. Any
how, Moore lost island and money.
The old man declares he is one OF the
most unfortunate of men in business deal
ings with others. AS in the case of the
island he was unfortunate in transaction
with ex- United States Consul Kelton at
Mazatlan in 1888 This involves $500 which
was left with the Consul for safekeeping un-
til Moore should return. According to the
documents in the case submitted on briefs
Tuesday, Moore's attorneys, McNai- &
Somers, contend that the transaction was
in the nature of bailment in trust; that
the Consul was custodian OF the money
instead OF mere debtor, and accordingly
could not Law defense on The statute of
limitations. The defense claimed to avoid
payment under this statute, and also on
the ground that Kelton had been through
insolvency at Mazatlan. So the case rests.
Moore, it is said, may be regarded as an
eccentric and odd character. a native of
Chile, who came to the United States
when 10 years of age. That was in 1845,
and he entered the navy, in which he
served for three years, until getting his
shore legs again in California in 1S48
He then secured possession of Goat Island
and among other acquisitions got section
or portion of a section of land in Sacra-
mento, where the capitol stands to-day.
He claims some kind of titIe to half the
city of Sacramento. From here he went
to Mazatlan in the earlier days and there
he lived for some time. In 1883 he re-
turned to California to look after lawsuit
over his property, and it was then the
money was deposited in ex-Consul Kelton's
keeping. Moore holds the receipt, signed
April IA, 1888
Eleven years later, after Moore had
travelled abroad and rested alternately
near Sacramento, he made a demand
through the Bank of California for his
$500 deposited with Kelton. The draft was
returned with the information that Kel-
ton had been through insolvency. Other