Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-08-29
A SWINDLB EXPOSED
Claimants to an Old Grant That
Had Been Rejected Try a
New Game.
CLAIMED 60,000,OOO ACRES
A Bold Attempt to Lease 1t to Eddy
County Cattle Men Was Frustrated
by a Number Of Carlsbad
Attorneys.

has been punctured and exposed in New
Mexico. This time it is in the south
eastern quarter of the territory. Last
week Charles Goodnight, the we'll known
Pan Handle cattleman, accompanied by
his lawyer one Alex Graves, of Kansas
City, came to Carlsbad and immediately
set tn work to lease all INC government
lands in that section OF the universe to
cowmen able to pay one cent per acre.
The first lease recorded was for 297, 900
acres from what purported to be the
Interstate Land company to the San
Simon Cattle & Canal Co. of Arizona,
the tract embracing nearly all of the
southeast corner of Eddy county. Mr..
Goodnight and his attorney claimed YER
bally that they had right to lease the
land and receive payment therefor be-
cause of a Mexican grant which they
averred was recorded in Austin, Texas,
about 1910. Iron clad leases were drawn
up for other signers, and in such a cool
and business-like manner did the prin-
cipals In the affair 90 about it that they
challenged the admiration of many.
When it became known that land in
any quantity could be leased at the low
rate of l cent per acre the rush to OBJ
tain leases was immense and several
people were employed to write leases.
The services of three firms of attorneys
were engaged by Mr.. Goodnight on
contract agreeing to pay Gatewood &
Bateman $500, Freeman & Cameron
81, 800 and G. A. Richardson, of Roswell,
81, 800. The contract was signed Mon
day afternoon and the attorneys were
supposed to commence work writing
leases at once. The first effort of Good
night and Graves, representing the So
called Interstate Land company, was to
have the attorneys sign an agreement
to oust by legal process all squatters and
nesters from all government lands in the
county, but this the attorneys refused
to attempt and it was cut out of the con-
tract. After the contract was signed
and the attorneys duly employed they
set to work to investigate the rights of
their clients to lease to people the gov
ernment lands, the first payment for
which would amount to some $40, 900.
After learning as much as possible from
Graves, who seems to be the party who
for years has been the prime mover If
not the sole remaining claimant to
shadowy and absolutely void title to an
old forfeited Mexican grant, the attor-
neys found decision In the U. s. Su-
preme Court Reporter of 1891 describing
the grant claimed by Graves and known
as the Beales and Royuela grant.
Graves appears to have brought suit
against the Maxwell grant people claim
ing that the Maxwell grant conflicted
or Tapped over ON his grant. The deci-
sion of the supreme court on the sub
iect, written by Justice Lamar. of the
U. s. supreme court, was very complete
and concise; declaring the grant void
and forfeited and fully confirming the
title of the Maxwell grant.
The claim of the Interstate Land
company rests upon an alleged grant to
John Charles Beales and Jose Manuel
Royuela, made in 1882, by the govern
ment Of Coahuila and Texas, then two
Mexican states under one provisional
administration in which was included
New Mexico and portion of Colorado
and also a portion of Texas The par
ties, Beales and Royuela, entered into
an agreement with the Mexican govern
ment to settle 200 families upon lands
selected by the colonists, each family
being entitled to one league or about
nine sections, the excess Of land within
the limits after supplying the colonists
remained to the government. The SUI
preme court declared the grant of no
value because the original conditions,
: ko
complied with. The amount claimed
was 10000, 900 acres.
When this decision was found the
attorneys Messrs Gatewood, Bateman,
Cameron, Freeman and Richardson held
a conference and decided that If they
assisted Graves, Goodnight and others
interested, that they would be aiding
and abetting a swindle of their own
friends In Eddy county. 1t was then
three o'clock Tuesday morning. Know
ing that many of the stock men had al
ready bargained for leases and had
given checks for large sums to Goodnight
and his pals, the attorneys hastened to
have payment on the checks stopped
and notified the banks at once. Be-
sides this, Mr.. Gatewood went at three
a. m., to room of the hotel where he
found the representatives of the cattle
men. There he threw up the case for
himself and associates and next morn
ing told Graves and others that he or
his associate attorneys would not be
parties to any transaction which savored
so strong of q gold brick swindle, then
and there destroying the contract. All
checks given were returned and the
promoters of the scheme gave up the
task Of fleeing Eddy county cattlemen.
Had 1t not been for the fact that Carls-
bad contained reliable attorneys, who,
having their homes and their all there,
the swindle might have been worked
and number OF most worthy and in
dustrious citizens feeced on worthless
leases.