Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-03-06
G0ODNIGH7'S GRAFT
TRYING to Rival Baron Reavis With
Alleged Grant That Moved from
Texas to New Mexico.
TRIES TO WORK GOVERNMENT
A Scheme to Get a Twenty Year Gratis
Lease Upon 100000 Acres
of Pasture for q Bison
Range.

The records Of Chaves county furnish
a key to the scheme to gobble a few
million of acres of land for a bison pas
ture. The a behind the job Is not
Buffalo Jones, who would be the
nominal beneficiary, but with a right to
assign his gratis twenty-year lease on
the domain. The real pusher Is Charles
Goodnight, a busted" cattle king of
the Texas plains, who once claimed to
own this proposed reserve, or a large
part of it. under a Spanish grant, v
confirmed. The alleged document grant
ing the land was flied in Lincoln
ty on March 5, 1887. Papers accompany
ing 1t seek to show that the grant as it
first showed up was to Stephen Julian
Wilson, May ~, 1926, Issued at Saltillo,
and was declared with vague bounds to
comprise land in the ancient province
of Texas, but did not extend across the
eastern boundary Of New Mexico, the
eastern line of the territory being
named as the west boundary Of the
grant, as follows: Beginning at the
land mark where the thirty-second de-
gree Of north latitude is crossed by the
meridian of 1920 degree of longitude
west from London. this point being the
southwest corner of the concession ask
ed for by Col. Reuben Ross, thence to-
ward the west, following the parallel Of
the thirty-second degree of latitude as
far as the eastern boundary of New
Mexico, thence toward the north, fol-
lowing the dividing line of the state of
Coahuila and Texas and New Mexico as
far as twenty leagues to the south Of
the Arkansas river, thence toward the
east as far as the meridian of the 1929
degree of longitude, being the western
limits of the concession asked for by
Col. Reuben Ross, thence southwark to
the point of commencement"
On the same day Stephen Julian Will
son transferred to Richard Exeter a
half interest in the grant. On March IA,
1882, Jose Manuel Royuela and DR.. John
Charles Beales applied for a grant Of
lAIN uAil ldiiSo NV IAlS Ia Nv
tons as they We're coded to Stephen Ju-
liam Wilson, the latter having died be-
fore complying with the conditions of
the grant, and their request raj grant
ed. On October II, 1882, at the City Of
Leona Vicoria, Jose Manuel Royuela.
conveyed his interest in said lands to
DR.. Charles Beales. his partner.
On December Z, 1897, the Interstate
Land Company Of Colorado, by Charles
Goodnight, president, and E. L. Car
ney, secretary, conveyed to Robert l..
Lindsay, of Jackson county. Mo. for
81, the undivided one-half interest in
the lands covered by this grant, de-
scribing them as shown in the certified
copy Of the cesslon. On the same day
Robert L. Lindsay conveyed to Charles
Goodnight the same tract with same re-
citals. On January %, 1898, George R..
Collins, trustee for the Interstate Land
Company. conveyed to Charles Gtpd-
night for 81 the following, which, 1t 1Fiil
be observed, shifted the grant into New
Mexico, while claiming to be under the
preceding transaction, as follows:
Beginning at the southwest evident
ly southeast was meant) corner Of
Chaves county, N. NJ, thence north
along its eastern boundary twenty-five
miles, thence west to the Rio Pecos
river, thence south along the middle Of
said river to southern boundary Of said.
Chaves county, thence east to the be-
ginning, containing about 1900, 900
acres. Subject to previous encumbrance
to be pro rated according to acreage, as
the acreage herein conveyed il to the
entire grant, this being a part of the
grant of Ian dmade on the 18th day of
March, 1882, by the state Of Coahuila,
Texas. to John Charles Beales and Jose
Manuel Royuela. The foregoing two
deeds were filed for record at Roswell,
March II, 1898.
The shifting grant started In Texas
without the number Of acres being stat
ed. 1t Topped over into Chaves county
and covered 1900 900 acres. Next II wal
moved SO as to begin forty-f Ave miles
northeast of the south line Of Chaves
county, and 1888. 900 acres, which would
not lie in the boundaries as set out in
either preceding deed, was transferred
as follows:
On December %, 1898, the Interstate