Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1898-02-03
FROM SANTA FEE.
"Knox" Comes Again with Interest
ing and Inside Items.

|"T "IWr ..I
Special Correspondence Of The Optic.
SANTA FE, N. NJ, February 2nd, '98.
The newly appointed chief justice,
w. j. Mills, in response to a tele-
graphic inquiry by Mr.. Catron, states
that he will leave Washington City on
Monday next for Las Vegas. He will
probably qualify and enter upon his
duties as Judge Smiths successor on
or about Thursday next. Judge
McFie, who Is to succeed Judge
Laughlin on the bench here, is expected
tomorrow, and upon the receipt vi
his commission, which will likely
reach here Friday night, will at once
be sworn In. Naturally, therefore, the
district clerkships are again exciting
some interest. Chief Justice Mills
will he urged 10 appoint Secundo
Romero or John 3. Clark, with the
chances favorable to the latter, the
knowing politicians say. There. was
once seme talk that Wallace Reynolds
desired this job, but it appears Gov
Otero, il there is no slip In the present
program, has arranged that he shall
be taken care Of. Judge McFie's
clerk may be 4 L Bartlett or Geo.
johnson, OF Santa fa, and again it
may be A. M. Bergere, Sol Luna's
bro,her-in-law, or John r De Mier,
brother-in-law to the court, il you
please.
Since the land court opened its pres
ent session much local interest has
been felt in the trial of the fifteen
small grants, the so.called .sPurdy
grants" situate within the boundaries
of the Villa de Santa Fe grant claim
which the supreme court knocked
silly. Major Purdy has long been
absent from town. He writes to day
from Denver, notifying Chief Justice
Reed that be agrees to a dismissal oil
all these grant claims by the court,
except as to the Lucero grant, a tract
of 700 acres at the mouth of the Santa
Fe canon, and as 10 the Lobato claim
south of the CAP itcl grounds, he says be
will make an effort to have it again
brought before tho land court notwith.
standing its rejection by the tribunal
in 1894. Thus titles 10 and about
Santa Fe are being pretty we'll cleared
up. There is much talk Of asking
Delegate Ferguson to introduce in
congress a bill to quiet title as be.
tween the United States and citizens te
all lands embraced within the original
Santa Fe grant claim, but the poll
ticians and lawyers all want to get in
on the ground floor Of the deal, and il
will probably never be done unless the
Woman's board of trade takes 1t il
hand.
The Eustaquio Padilla murder trial
wherein defendant is charged will
having killed Faustin Ortiz in 1890
will probably be concluded tomorrow
Lawyer Larrnzolo, of Las Vegas, made
the speech of his life before the jury
yesterday. On all sides are heart
compliments for him to day. The
court room was packed during thu
entire five hours that he spoke.
THE OPTICS editorial demand upor
the New Me1icdn to speak out it
sentiments and inform an anxious
world whether it is for straight gold OF
free coinage of gold and silver, created
a big laugh about the capital. ThsI
query has kept the Miss Nancy journa
lodging al an awful rate for seyera
days.
P. M. Dolan, late with the Santa F,
mercantile company, has bought GU
7. d. Burns store at Chama and vii
take possession next week.
The Insurance companies tried tt
loan some OF their spare ossh on SAINTS
Fe real estate, but nobody here wantef
it at the rate of SIC, 600 a clip. Happy
community.
Capt. Chas. J.. Casper, 10Th Cavalry,
arrived from Fort Keogh, Mont, las
night, to succeed the late Capt. Chas
C. Nordstrom as U. S. agent for thu
Pueblo and Jicarilla Apache Indians
He was here in '71-2 as lieutenant a
Fort Marcy and looks "every inch {
soldier" KNOX.