Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-09-22
AN INTERESTING CASE.
Some History Of a Legal Controversy
Which Reads Like a Romance.

The case in which Doloritas Martin
de Cordova and husband and Josefita
Martin de Cordova and husband and
Isabelita Martin, minor. by Viviana
Martin, her mother, are the appellants
, and Henry Korte, administrator, ap-
pellee, has been remanded back to
the district court for rehearing from
the supreme court of the territory, to
which the case had been remanded
by the supreme court of the United
States.
The case reads like a romance.
Henry Korte was the husband of an
adopted daughter of Frank Metzger,
the daughter being an illegitimate
child of Metzger. On Metzger's death
Korte was named the administrator
of his estate.
Metzger also had three natural
children, the appellees above named.
by one Viviana Martin with whom he
lived for years, and they brought the
suit against Korte for a share of the
large estate supposed to have been
left by Metzger In administering on
the estate Korte affirmed the estate to
be valued at only $40, consisting of
couple of gold watches and some old
clothes.
When Korte died about ten years
ago his daughter and her husband
VIM. Martin, were made defendants
in the suit, and the administration of
the Henry Korte estate fell into their
hands. Naeglin administered on a few
head of live stock, four wagons, a
s,,fr T.; ,;,.1 nj g..
raj implements as personal property,
altogether valued at about 5000 and a
couple of ranches and house and lot
valued at about $4,000.
According to the transcript of re-
cord of the evidence in the case Frank
Metzger came to New Mexico in 1S49
and engaged about that time in the
business of merchandising at Mora He
prospered for years and acquired stock
and ranches, and raised live stock ex-
Itensively; also made considerable mon
ey from filling government contracts.
He was of careful saving disposition
and continued to accumulate year af-
ter year, carrying big stock of mer-
chandise and doing a good business.
About 1861 or 1862 Korte was taken in
to Metzger's employ and about 1868,
Korte married Juana, an illegitimate
child of Metzger and whom he had
adopted. Korte and Metzger con-
Quoted the business for years and. the
evidence of witnesses goes to show
that transactions as large as the sale
of 1000 head of cattle for about $60,.
900 were made and the money received
therefor; one witness had seen a
large box of bills of various denomi-
nations given by Korte to Metzger and
one witness, DR.. VIM. Gandert, who
was well acquainted stated on the wit
ness stand that once, in a game of
dominoes, some feeling arose between
Metzger and man by the name of
Green, and Green practically told
Metzger that he (Metzger) was
pauper and didn't have anything. Gan
dert went home with Metzger and
then gave the following account of
what occurred:
woilt home with Frank anu Korte
opened the door for us, and we went
Henry Korte asked: What is the
Green he insulted me. He told me
was a. pGOH. L CcAA Ouy HtLu anu lAhO
whole town here with my own cash
money, and need not take my proper
ty l can buy it with cash money"
Then he went into room and brought
out square box, one-half the size of
that table (referring to table about
three and a half feet long). 1t was
not very high; It was more like draw
er, and it was filled with gold, fifty
dollar gold pieces in it. twenty-dollar
gold pieces, ten-dollar pieces, five
dollar pieces, and they were all piled
up in this box"
1t is the impression of many people
at Mora, and this opinion was shared
by J. H. Koogler, master in the case,
that Metzger had before his death
hidden away in secret place his
money and the old house in which he
lived at Mora has been gone over and
dug around time and gain by different
people in search of the supposed hid
den wealth of the old man. Some
day perhaps, lucky laborer In dig
ging for foundation or plowing In the
field may unearth the hidden treasure.