Graham guardian., 1899-04-07
continued from second page

8 | made 1T appear that he was giN
!. en- the land because Of secret SCI
9 vice during the Mexican inquis
I tion, because it was easier simpl,
9 to specify secret service than t
e go into the details of his mythica
!, doings, and also because | wante
J. him in Mexico.
| "With this start in my work o
e forgery | further stuffed the arch
ives, and made 1T appear that
: royal necree had been issued May
ID, 1853, giving him title to tn
land and erecting monument, up
, on the face of which was etched ,
: map of the grant. This map anc
minute survey | inserted afterwarc
in the recods of four different
archives in Spain and Mexico.
They can yet be found in THEN
proper places. inserted another
forged document showing that on
the Goth of August, l778, Charles
| III issued mandatory confrma.
tory order granting absolute and
perpetual possession. And on the
second day of August, 1887, the
Baron began a suit in Chancilleria
for the establishment and perpetua
ton Of the evidence OF the legiti-
macy, nobility and primogenlture
rights Of his son, Don Jesus Miguel
Silva de Peralta, which was grant
ed and issued August 81, in Testi
monio, constituting conclusive
evidence In all matters therein
contained.
81 then inserted in the records a
will showing that Silva de Peralta
died at the age OF l07 years, and
bequeathed all his property to his
only offspring, this mythical son.
"Ihe will having been probated
May 81, 1924, the son Don Jesus
Miguel Silva de Psralta, entered
upon his estates and remained In
absolute possession until his death
April 10, 1865.
81 mads the record show that in
the winter of '61 and '62 the second
Baron was compelled to abandon
Sonora on account of the French
invasion, and thereupon set out tor
Spain VIA Los Angeles and San
Francisco. In the meantime
May |, 1852 he had married, and
to him was born u dau ghter, who
married Don Jose Ramon Carmen
Maso y Castillo, September 70,
1858. With this daughter and her
husband he set out upon his journ-
ey. rhey were delayed at the
crossing Of the Santa Ana River,
near San Bernadlno, Cal, by the
excessive hoods OF that season,
where there was born of the daugh
ter PAIR OF twins, ii girl and boy.
The latter and mother dying, were
buried 10 on, Jtfin at San Salvador.
The father proceeded enroule TO
San Francisco. This chlid survlv
ing was ehristened Sofia LoreLo
MicalIa Maso y Silva de Peralta. |
The second Baron proceeded on to |
Spain, after Maso, his pratuer re.
IN Frisco. The partner
took the child TO a ranch in Sher.
wood Valley, Mendoclno county, |
CaI., about 100 miles up the coast
from Frisco, which was owned by |
himself and Maso. Maso went on
to SPAN, ana died in CadIz, Spain,
OF "a contaglon as soon as he ar
rived, ana the second Baron died
in Madrid, April 10, 1865, after
having added q codlcil 10 his will
which he had prepared and ac-
knowledged in San Francisco be.
tore leaving there, in which his en-
tlre estate was bequeathed to his
granddaughter and sole surviving
iineai descendant. The partner
died before the child reached the
age OF months, and the parties
with whom her lot was cast palm
ed her off upon reputable Yolo
county ranchero and town pro.
prlelor as an Indian wait at the
age Of 7 IL years. No general in.
terest was manifested in the mys-
terry OF her life until she reached
the age Of 10, when | became 10.
terested in her story, We were
and accidentally l dis.
covered her ancestry.
This. reader, was the mythical
lineage l built for my Spanish
bride. You may wonder how |
was able to prove all these details
that happened Ir this generation.
wall tell you how. | had visited
towns III California in which |
'ald the early history of my wife.
talked with old settlers and found
thai there had been these incidents
IN the past, and then / built The
story OF my wife to conform with
what ! had been told. An old |
ranoher would tell me about
stranger who had gone through
that part OF the country in a Ger.
tain year. and about his wife dy
ing. | would try and fit my story
to this circumstance, and if l sue
ceeded | had II witness who woulu
90 on the stand and swear to the
facts.
"Thcn, too, 1t was not so diff
cult to change ancient records.