The San Francisco call., 1906-12-30
Action Brought to Enjoin Issuance
of Bonds by Water Companies

Forty million dollars IN bonds in
nrosuect Of issuance by the Syndicate
Water Company and the Contra Costa
Water Company, presumably through
the PEOPLES Water Company as the
holding corporation. are staggering
under q blow aimed at them yesterday
by Julia B. Galpin, acting IN her own
right and as executrix of the VIII OF
her late father, Victor Castro. Claim
ing that. as the successors Of realty
interests secured through violence and
fraud. the corporations named are
about TO dispossess her forever Of her
right to the Sobrante, or overplus lands
Of the Ranches San Antonio, San
Pablo Pinole, Valencia and Moraga-
situated in Contra Costa and Alameda
counties, Mrs. Galpin has applied to
the Superior Court OF Contra Costa
County for & perpetual injunction
restraining the issuance OF oonos tnat
might rely for security on claim Of title
to the land involved in the action and
for q decree forever quieting title 70
the land, vesting title in her and
barring all others of the world
In this suit, involving, as it does,
lands worth S4,000,000. romance and
finance are strangely intermingled; but
out OF IL all emerges as most striking
the delay OF the Federal Government
II us ODlAGdllOAAc AAOCA NAC
treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo and what
seems TO be a reputation OF the treaty
IN its entirety by the Supreme Court OF
the State Of California Admittedly en-
titled to the land involved under the
original grant, Julia B. Galpin has been
deprived Of the right Of its possession
by a decree of the Superior Court of
Contra Costa County, which held that
laches had operated to divest her of
&c =
Court Of California, ard after that the
Supreme Court of the United States
must pass, the first intermediate, the
latter inal judgment In the mean
while the bonds the corporations that
supply water TO the Alameda County
cities intended to issue must remain
IN tie corporation vaults and corpora
ton hopes must for the time wait on
the measured strides of the law.
CASTRO SECURES LAND
In the year 1s47 Victor Castro, who
was the first white child born at the
Preside in this city, his father being
the commandant at the time of his
birth, received from the Mexican Gov
ernment a grant of the Sobrante lands
involved in the present action. Being
documents Of historical interest the
petition for the grant presented by
Victor Castro and his brother Juan
Jose and the grant or the same by AL
varado, then retired from the Office
Of Governor, are hereby given:
Maritime Custom House of Monterey.
To HIS Excellency the Governor:
The citizens, Juan Jose and Victor
Castro, natives of this department and
residents within the Jurisdiction OF San
Jose de Alvarado, present ourselves be-
proper and respectful manner and rep
resent that, desirous of being finally
settled upon land Of our own for the
purpose Of devoting ourselves to the
labSrs of agriculture and the raising
of cattle, in order by these means to
obtain the very necessary means of
subsistence for our numerous increased
families, which is Of such vital i'm
portance, we beseech your Excellency
that you viii deign to grant unto US a
piece Of vacant land which is situate
on the immediate limits Gmmediaci-
ones) of San Antonio. San Pablo, Pinole,
the farm (Rancho) of Valencia, and the
farm Of Moraga, which land is the
overplus (sobrante) Of the ranches
aforesaid.
wherefore we humbly pray your Ex-
cellency to grant our petition, from
and the maintenance of our said fami-
lies making oath that this is not done
through malice, etc.
JUAN JOSE CASTRO,
VICTOR CASTRO.
MONTEREY. April %, 1Sz1.
MONTERREY. April %, 1s41.
AS the parties interested for this rep
resentation so the land OF which they