El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-05
MRS 6RACE'S RICH MINES
Seizure By MexicAns of Valua able
mines In Which a Syracuse No
man Was lnterested-her Long
Fight to Obtain Restitution Won
Al Last.-The Property Worth
$50 600 COO

$50 900 600
A recent decree of the Mexican APP
pellate court settling finally the owner
ship of the Vacas and San Marcos sill
yer and lead mines near Nombre de
Dios in the state of Durango, Mexico,
makes Mrs. Mary D. Grace Oh this city,
says a Syracuse dispatch, the wealth.
lest school teacher in the world. Mrs.
Grace, while conducting her fight for
millions has been employed as princi-
pal of TompkinS school on Tipperary
Hill, in the west end of Syracuse, a
district that breeds the toughest lads
in the city. And she has been as sue
cessful in her school work as in her
fight for the Mexican mines.
Mrs. Grace is a widow of somewhat
more than so. The tough lads of Tip
perary Hill like her because she has
ruled them with firmness, but gently,
and their only regret at her good for
tune is that it will take her away from
Tompkins school. She was the wife
of Patrick A. Grace. who was pitcher
of the famous old Central City ball
team away back in the seventies. He
by professional ball playing and she
by teaching had accumulated little
property, and when he was seized with
the pulmonary trouble which led to his
death they were able to seek the mild
climate of the Pacific coast.
1t was after her husbands death and
while she was a resident of San Fran
cisco that Mrs. Grace became interest
ed in the Durango mining property,
which was offered for sale in that city
in 1882. She and other eastern wo-
men were approached by the agent of
the property and after sending a min
ing expert to Mexico and receiving
most favorable report she decided to
q
mines were immensely rich in ores,
had been operated profitably after the
crude methods of the early Spaniards
and could be made much more profit
able by modern methods and machin-
cry. An unusual condition was the
presence of all the ores and f1uxeS nee
essary for the profitable operation of
smelter. a rare circumstance on any
single mining property. The natural
profits of the mines, the expert said,
would easily pay for such improve
ments as were required and the depos-
it of ore appeared to be practically
The report of the expert was borne
out in every detail. The mines were
bought and worked. A smelter was
built at the mines out of the profits
at a cost of more than $3.50 900. Stamp
mills, pumps and other machinery
were also erected, the output of the
mines paying for them. Then as the
original purchase price had been re-
paid and as no one interested in the
deal was actually dependent upon the
profits for a livelihood at that time
il was decided to turn all the profits
for a certain period back into the mine
for the sinking of deep shafts and eX-
tending long tunnels.
AS the property was developed a par
ty of MeXicans, some of whom had pre-
viously been interested in it. conceived
the idea of getting control of the mines
by lease and taking out the richest of
the ore. Mrs. Grace and the other
owners of the property met this prop
osition. as they had met other ad-
possession of the mines, with a posi- |
tive refusal. Thereupon the Mexican
SchemerS went to county Judge with |
what they represented to be articles of |
and declared that their |
was the rightful owner of the |
property, and that Mrs. Grace, really I
he chief owner, and her son, William |
]. Grace, then acting superintendent |
we're in illegal and forcible possession. |
The judge granted a dispossess order |
and directed band of rurales. the To- |
al militia, to enforce the order This |
was done and the owner of the mines |
md their employees were driven away.
For more than four years the usurp-
'rs remained in possession of the |
Mines Other stockholders. firing of |
he litigation that had begun. weaken
I'd and offered their stock for sale to
Mrs Grace, who out of the savings of
her small salary as teacher bought it
Up at low figure. determining to car
" on the fight alone if necessary and
'isk all on the outcome.
She engaged three eminent lawyers
IF the city of Mexico as her counsel. |
They were General Raigozo, Luis de la |
Barre and Francisco O'Reilly. She |
mace a personal appeal to the COVER |