El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-22

leagues in the name of Juan and Jaciu-
the new Fort Bliss.
| Between these grants and the Ponce
Ice Leon grant is about four miles of
country wh CHI was claimed unde Mex
lean titles and large'y possessed by set
| tiers at the close of the Mexican war.
These titles have never been recognize
ed by the sta e of Texas, and have been
| a bone of C mtentiOn ever since. Two
| of these titles have been held by our
| courts to be void because made since
| the declaration of Texan independence
in 1886
title az that early day. to these lands
was Kentu kim, Hou. James Ma
coffin, and Mi-sourian, MIR Hugh
Stevenson, the defendants of whom are
highly esteemed in this community.
Mr.. Magoffin claimed possession of the
la DIS adjoining the Ponce on the east
and extending to Coz cordia; and Mr..
Stevensons ranch extended from there
eastward. These gent emen had pur-
chased these laGds in good faith, either
from the Mexican g ctees or the Mex
can government, bat as stated their
claims were not recognized by the
state
A Texan who had visited here dur
ing the Mexican war or sooner Mr. II.
G. FOun ain. and a Kentut k an, Mr. J.
q. Cumm pgs AID uncle of DR. Cna-. T.
Race perhaps as part of the American
army of invasion, mad become ensmor-
ed with the beautiful valley of the Rio
GraDde, and when peace bad settled
down, they fled application at the land
office at San Anton O, AID had the river
front from Stanton street as far as the
Ysleta depot covered with land GER
tifcates. Messrs. Magoffin aud Stew
ensou bought out these locations ex-
ho
legal scrimmage which followed with
Mr.. Cummings, the Cummings title
was sustained in the United States
court and forms the basis of the title
of the Eas' Ell Paso Town company.
Mr.. jams Magoffin was an elegant
sou hern gentleman, whose home was
The center OF large hospitality, which
is generously sustained by
MS son Major Joseph Magoffin. Not
ew travellers, who passed through this
section have noted in their memoirs
The cordial reception rendered in this
nome Many an army officer of dis
i nctiou, including Gen. Robt. E. Lee
gentleman
Simeon Hart, who owned the land
1orth OF Ponce s ranch, and now known
Is Satterthwait. and Mundy's addi-
ion to Ell Paso, and the Hart home
te1d, first Wis ted tn section as
III SSu I1CS reg meuI III The
Mex can var. After the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed he re-
urned to Missouri, He again visited
bis country in 1S49 when he determ-
oed to settle. In the following year
lie married NJ IS Jesusita Sequieros
lister of the wife of DIR. Samanlego at
Ter home, at Santa Cruz, rear Chihua-
lua. Mr.. Hart at once chose as his
ome site the present beautiful spot,
nd taking advantage of the falls Of the
iver he erected a -four mill and neces-
try water courses. which still remain
D this dav, The mill was valued in
S54 at $50, 900, and in connection with
Mr.. Hart erected houses and made
Their extensive improvements His
ettle ments be nR IN conflict with the
'acific rail- DAD reser, alton, Judge
rospy wss rsqvest d to straig hten out
ne title, and h. af' er~ ards obtained
atrnt for Mr.. Hart. Maior Hart was
man OF fine education and scholarly
and poss ssed a rare
brary for those days. Like mNss of
i Paso's CT liens ne SIDED with the
and contributed freely of
Is means to aid tba at Cause. With the
10 e of tie var, he returned homo
re- ked in fortune, 10 end niS home in
De Pc -sess on of otbers. His last days
ere burdened with expensive litiga-
ION in trying to retain his landed in
ere-ts here Mrs. Hart died at ST.
.ouis, Mo-, on Decen Der q, 1870 and
1ajor Hart died here on January 19,
374.