New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-18
HE CLAIMS fixes FEAk.
THE REMARKABLE HOMESTEADING RE
ORD OF DIR. LEWIS, OF MANITOC.

ORD OF DR. LEWIS. OF MANITOC.
DR.. Albert G. Lewis, Mayor of Manitou, viii
20 to Washington within thirty days to lay
claim to the top Of Pixies Peak With him VIII
be a corps of the best-known land and title LAY"
yers in the country, who Will attempt TO preNaii
upon tie Supreme Court to acknowledge Lewis
as the rightful owner Of the south half or the
southwest fourth and the south half of the
southeast fourth of section I, township 1t, range
6S west in FL Paso County. Col, which land Is
and comprises the whole summit OF the Famous
mountain.
The claim. saws THE Pittsburg Dispatch" is
based upon a filing made by Lewis under date
Of February 9. 1885, when at the Pueblo Land
Office he filed an old soldiers dec.aratory state
ment upon the land in question. This filing
was made Immediately after President CleVe-
lands proclamation transferring the entire
mountain from the War Department to the De
partment of the Interior Lewis will go to
WASHINGTON loaded down with afiidavits or
prominent citizens of FL PasO County VINO VIII
testify to his having legally taken possession "i
a quarter section on the very top Of the noun
tain, and to his having lived upon IL the re-
qured length Of time and made the necessary
improvements stipulated by the law Tor the
proving UP of an old soldiers homestead. The
doctor will attempt to prove that ne setted
upOn the land in good faith While IL was YET Il
mart of the public domain. and that he had es-
tablishcd his ownership t. 100 ACRES there be-
fore the Peak was converted by the Government
into a timber reservation.
The disputed point in the controversy is as to
whether President Clevclands proclamation
actually and legally transferred the land from
the War Department to the Interior Depart
mcnt Attorney Miller, who served in the Gov
ornrnent Land Office under Harrison, he'd that
# did as have several other prominent land and
title lawyers Henry n. Copp. author of "Copp
Public Land Laws upon which the Govern
mcnt bases all decisions in land matters, after
a thorough investigation of DIR. LeWIss claims
at the General Land Office at Washington. wrote
i'm part as follows concerning the information
he had gained there: 1T was also stated that
settlers in good faith on these lands would be
protected and be permitted tn make filings or
,ntries when the land is surveyed and opened
to the public. ! would therefore advise YOU L"
continue your residence and improvements. ana
there can be little doubt Of your obtaining
title to The land you occupy. Mr. Copp Is sun
one of the LAWYERS in the case.
The story Of the Doctors usurpation of the
Peak is an interesting one and contains much
history of value concerning the entire mountain.
Iurnp the latter part of CleVelands first term
and for some time previous To the abandonment
of pixies Peak as signal station it was
known 10y the signal officers on the Peak that
the station was soon to be done away with.
Several months before its abandonment by the
Government one Of the officials in the service on
the Peak organized a society in Colorado Springs