Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-03-07
DE VARGAS GRANT
Judge McFie Makes a Decree Or
dering Its Sale In Small
Parcels,
SUCCESSFUL PARTITION SUIT
Over Four Hundred Heirs Entitled tx
Shares In the Grant-S0me of the
Interests Are Very
Small.

OAO6C IASI iC yCotCAot oLlClIlooiA
made a decree for the sale of the Sc
bastian de Vargas grant south of this
city. The owners of the grant are to be
congratulated on the promptitude with
which the proceedings to settle the title
of that grant and make partition of it
have been carried through.
The official survey Of the grant as
confirmed by the court of private land
claims was approved August 20, 1899.
On May 29, 1899, Hon. L. Bradford
Prince commenced an action to settle
the title of the portion of the grant
which still remained the property of the
heirs, part having been sold by them
to Messrs. Vanderveer, Pearce and Pur-
dy In 1887, amounting to about 5000
acres. Hon. B. M. Read appeared for
number of the heirs, with Col. R. E.
Twitchell and Hon. Charles F. Easley
for the Santa Fe railroad company,
whose station at Lamy Is situated on
the grant The case was referred to
Hon. Amado Chaves to take testimony.
This was very voluminous, as the grant
was made in 1928, and besides the gene
alogy more than 100 deeds of interests
in the grant had to be examined. On
January 81, 1900, the referee filed his re-
port which shows that the property
now belongs to over 400 different own
ers. some Of whose interests are as
small as 1-30, 240th of the premises.
Yesterday Judge McFle made an or
der Of reference to Messrs. Amado
Chaves, H. G. Kinsell and j. D. Sena to
ascertain whether the premises could
be partitioned among the owners in an
equitable manner, and upon their report
stating that 1t was impossible to make
just partition among so many owners
Of small interests, the court made the
formal decree for the sale Of the prem
ises.
The decree provides for the payment
Of the sum due the United States for
and for taxes, so that the IT,
tie given will be absolutely clear.
One feature Of the decree Is new in
this territory, and so important as to
be worthy of attention, and which re-
iounds to the credit of those in charge
If the proceedings. In previous sales Of
grants and notably in that Of the Baca
location west of Espanola, whole tracts
were sold at once, so that very few
were able to bid, and the result was
that the land brought only 1sM cents
IN acre, and the small owners who did
not unite in the purchase, got almost
nothing. To avoid this, and also to give
IN opportunity for heirs who have been
using parts of the grant to purchase
them If they wish, the decree contains
The following provisions
"That said premises be sold In tracts
not exceeding $40 acres in each; that
The parcels sold be in legal divisions of
townships according to the United
States survey, each section or fraction
al part thereof being sold separately;
and in case any party to this action, by
reason of previous occupation of any
locality, desires to bid on the same, the
referee may in his discretion offer for
sale the legal subdivision so desired not
less in area than forty acres, separate
ly."
The sale will take place April z, as
will be seen by the advertisement there
of published in another column.