The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-19
NMES ADDISON REAVIS,
GREATEST OF IMPOSTORS.
: NO Engineered the Psraa Claim Now Lives in Squaor in
New Mexico-Throush Fraud He Once Had an
Empire Almost Within His Grasp

IN OUTSKIRTS Oh AiDuquerque, n.
IL ~, where he earns a pittance
By looking after a bunch OF
.. eSonr the RIO Grande, has been
zS.xxret. most remarkable impostor the
SS~ert. and very likely the United
- - ever known. Senator Teller,
1910. said recently that this poor,
-. prematureiy old man has been
~ .-1rf extraordinary forger of modern
~ spd Robert @. Ingersoll wrote a
"A saaru ago that this same man was
80 remarkable legal fabricator he
~ heard Of.
r, 4 James Addison Reavis, or, as the
SS III this region used 10 know him,
S2sp Rsavis. Through eighteen years
eurvjstent scheming. ceaseless activity
EVER -nagging perseverance,. he built
fraudulent title to over Il, 900
~ 81 the most valuable strips OF Art
3 sn1 New Mexico. A dozen OF the
800 lawyers of America believed his
21nr 10 b. unassailable, and for a time
mued AZ II he would soon be vested
- ~ rights to the property he claim
" ~ average career in forgery IL linn
- % the utteraDcc OF a dozen or possf-
m score Of checks. drafts or negotia-
y ncfes. But here was man who
x long deeds In Spanish. inserted
fnled documents In ancient and
m11sd public records, invented royal
1911 cedulas, manufactured Wills a
n1uy and more old. FABRICATED detailed
1uAois proceedings during the eighteenth
mlxNY, altered the aicaide's records
1mtalajara, Mexico. and the old cathe-
- records, now kept at Madrid, Spain.
IT. up old and beautifully colorcd doc
G6n on parchment. showing the births
~ mpfismni records OF thlrty-threo am
11uA and altered archives At the City
No91co a. corroborative evidence. He
G1>od out Of his own imagination q line
Z 4t1eocrntic, holy and rich ancestors
~ osviIIe. Spain. in 170<, to Monterey,
11Ceo, In 1855. He gave each ancestor
~ Individuality and had q lot of tradi-
~ concerning each ancestor. In this
H. Whibited as much art ~ novelist
~ = conceiving book full OF charac-
~ And he did all this so ingeniousIy
r. = worked out the plot 80 finely that
1pyes Of national reputation believed
= ehain Of evidence was flawless.
Ioasts. nays the New York Sun, was no
t4npn lmpostor. no everyday schemer.
ND claim by inheritance to a strip
P1V.seven miles wide. reaching from 4
~ and south limo near Phoenix, Arix..
|41ward over 2ls miles 10 Silver City,
Mexico. Roughly estimated, the
|Eperty Is worth about to6. 000. 900. 1t COM
- double the area OF land that there
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode
~ ana Delaware put together, and a
|N greater than one-haif OF the state
LEV York. IL comprises gold and sill
M mines. q score OF copper mines ana
|peterH. thousands OF settlers homes
IT, ranches, q half-dozen railroads. vast
&Sntion systems, several Indian reser-
!ons, many cattle and sheep ranges,
NV military forts. mountain ranges.
sts Of pine. Alfalfa farms. fivs towns
aver 6oo0 population. and eleven towns
over s.5p people. besides n lot OF
ing anu cattle camps. The possIbiii-
80 OF American citizenship are very
psat." said President Cleveland once.
Atn was a man who had peddied with
: MEX on his back among the Missouri
hFNers. and had once beat his way on
- cars to San Francisco. with an al
- confirmed title to a nearly 100000
- estate.
me evidence OF the fmpostor's title to
domain was 80 strong that more
nan M.ooo was advanced TO him from
oefy-known lawyers and business men
l1Feughout the country for the collection
= seul more evidence and for the prose-
ssisn Of his pretended rights. When he
- brought to-triai IN the United states
a!Rlnal court In Santa Fe. he had de-
Mved such men rs Robert q. fngorsoli
- Resroe Conkiing. of New York,
1e6sy storfs. OF Chicago. Richard ker-
o. ~ Louis, and Senator Stephen n.
asins. OK West Virginia. to the extent
~ they had each advanced u.ooo' $500
ed more several times. and had bought
satks In the peralta Company. which
~ 70 manage the vast property when
Title was finally confirmed. The
sashtrn Pacific Railroad Company's at
~nsss locked into Resvisa claim to a
20 slce Of Arizona and New Mexico.
~ 'hey gave him S,0.na for a perpetual
@Hrni-wny through his alleged grant.
~ Silver Mining Company OF New
Nsxseo gave him sn0p for a release az
pteteadef claim ON their prunerty
~ Empire Copper Company's attorney
-nv cut from New York to Phoenix 10
ssm'ns into the Reavis claim on their
-ssss and gave him ses.op for release
.aere were John Addison Reavis' pros
seas days HIS wlfa testified at bis
- ~ fraud and forgery that from
WIFI iAa the Reavis family spent
w"N annually from sums collected
! sse husbands claims 60 the Barony
H.. a.sons. The family lived at the
1ssor ho,ei IN New York city Tor
'nS AZ a time. They travelled 10 Eu.
~ and lived In flne style IN Paris and
Ihey had a retinue OF servants
A. Wy splendid equipages, In Madrid.
Z - sntersaiaed the American legation
= @ssn atnprrs that are sun the talk
Me SHY In Guadaiasara. Mexico.
N heafia took hts family and ser.
4, 70 private car. whom he went 10
VIZ AHrsent records about one OF his
- $500 ancestors. he gave 81 900 for
!, 4, A'sar ciotas for the cathedral and
~ s,sn.eses he had q 81 go drinking toun.
{, " en- the plaza So the memory
4. ~. taetscated ancestor from whom
4, ~ hls wife Inherited her vast estate
sex uMe heavis had three campseteiy
ssseMasd ana established homea-on. m
II $3.50. smother IN chihuahua. Mex
~ = third In 81 r0uls.
s.sa ~ AZ ne Annals OF crime there's no
I. XVI Y THIS The ease n remarkable
s. sreaScst fraud ever attempted
es~., The government IN rs own
4 wrote Attorney General olnry
ss.,.. eH'etl report IN lSa6 Had the
- inst Reavis sot up to his little en-
49,. The heart ~ The Southwestern
sss~ef'es eeen established he would have
A'.ssessed some iS,ppN settlers ~ their
sad he Mould probably have been
~ e@nest landlord ON earth
A ~ Nesse3 states government employed
$3.50 men during several years to
49, wy the claims upon which Reavis
r~ ~ title e. the enormous land
s'Anh The long suits yeat Reavfs con-.