The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30
PUReAro1Rr, NOT r1cKEr WIRE
A Judge Who Loved English Names Misled
by Local RECOMMENDATIONS.

n JuOBe VINO Loved Engl1An Names m1Sled
by Local RECOMMENDATIONS.
In any case In Colorado courts involving
land titles much depends on derivation Of title
from this or that Spanish grant. Sooner OF
later this brings up metes and bounds which
are as Spanish and foreign as a recent wal
map. Wise lawyers having a case involving
these particulars try to get it set for hearing
by some Judge other than Judge Hallett. for
he Is known to have a great dislike to Spanish
names and every other Spanish thing.
In territorial days, when he had but recent
ly been appointed to organize that circuit. he
had to listen to a case which involved the
ownership of nearly a quarter Of the territory.
all the land along the Arkansas Valley from
the Divide almost to the eastern boundary
line. Day after day he had to listen to q re-
cital Of the positions Of the various floating and
fixed grants included in the litigated domain.
1t had none Of the simplicity of the checker
board system Of the United States Land Office.
where TWP 3 II q Denver merid." establishes
a definite and fixed spot as to which there can
be no arguing. Instead OF this the grant line
began at Santa Maria and then trailed Off to
San Juan. then 1t cut on to SAINT Iago. and,
before 1t was finished, it had managed to in
and more than a trifie of odds.and ends of the
oloRy; AS saint succeeded saint in the pres
and more irritable; still il was Impossible to
leave ont q single saint, for broad acres and
%snf q fe oM5srs SiH5e % SfRsnd Il Ma On 9e, iI 1S,t This his
Judge had reached the swapping point OF ner-
yous tension a lucky swing OF the boundary
saints and Spanish: on this stretch it was es-
tablished by the banks and channels of the
d pieket wire River; AS E soon as Judge Hallets
seemed to take q new and livelier interest in
the case ,...
on q name like this among all this Spanish
lumber that ought to be swept off our'maps.
Y YlSle can "i Imagine ai2@ettRR Tie h namiinr out so aeeF hSrdy
p%rairies. He camps alongside the river. his
bit of wire as the next best thing. the circum-
stance fixes the place in his mind. That is
every name has some such little history; each
Is 2 andnark to be respected"
After thi: burst Of enthusiasm the bench
appeared puzzled. AS the delimitation Of the
boundary continued the Judge was seen to
be engaged in some sort OF a struggle with the
said that he was forced to ask him to point
out the Picket Wire River. which was not
lai Go down 4 on n b the map mars supplied the court; .,o
name OF the river was not pronounced as it
was spelled. and that he had employed the
$50 much the better said Judge Hallett
testify t : How it. may be With this Spanish
plain American name like This. there is only
the one way to pronounce IL. and that is the
way the plain American people pronounce 1t.
Counsel touched his pencil to the map at the
name Purgatoire River. to which he had given
the pronunciation employed on the plains.
Judge Hallett barked out. THE Court takes
c~ognizance." and the case went on.
AS the Judge had expressed himself I'm
terms of such enthusiastic appreciation Of the
name OF tho river az carrying the genuine
American ring to II. there was NOT n member
OF that bar who deemed 1t advisable to in
struct the Court as to how the name came to
The old French trappers of that region
of the Rockies had named the river after the
place which Is between heaven and hell. The
American cowboys. taking. the name by way
River. but settled on Picket Wire as the near
est approach TO the sound they heard.