The San Francisco call., 1908-05-27
Documents Are Sent TO Record.
er's Office From Bakers
field by Mail
Scheme Believed TO Be Effort to
Reach City Treasury by
Sale of Land

What has every indication of being
q barefsced attempt to steal title to
valuable property holdings at the
supply source of the Spring Valley
water company, through the medium
OF rank forgery, has come to light
With the fling in the recorders Office
IN this city of two warranty deeds
purporting TO convey submerged
lands in the Laguna de la Merced to
William R Boyles of Los Angeles.
Forgeries though they clearly are.
and with several suspicious circum-
stances surrounding The manner in
which they were fled. the deeds were
olade Of record Monday. and Chief
Deputy Recorder c. NJ. Stolz is now
actively engaged IN attempting to dis
cover the motive behind the fling of
Jhe document and place the blame for
the Matching OF the plot that is ap
psrently on foot TO gain possession of
title by criminal means.
Two deeds, bearing date of May %,
1906. were recorded at the request of
John Perrett of Bakersfield and pur-
port TO convey about 80 acres of sub
merged land in Laguna de la Merced,
one OF the bodies Of water composing
Ire spring dlieE SUPPLY reservoir,
from ID. Mahopey Of Chicago to VIII
liam r. Boyles OF Los Angeles. On
their face the deeds were drawn ia
Chicago and attested before q Chicago
notary public, but they were sent to
San Francisco from Bakersfield and the
bodies or both deeds, as well as the
signatures of Mahoney, the notary and
tbe witnesses. were written by the
same hand. Moreover. there is not, nor
has there ever been. any D. Mahoney in
Chicago having any title or interest
IN the lands which the deeds purport TO
convey, the real owner, David Mahoney
OF this city. having died in 1882.
II STRATEGIC POSITION
One piece of property described in
the deeds consists of 1880 acres of
submerged land in section So. township
south. range west, the other
piece being 1880 acres in sections &c
and p. The property lies almost en-
Tirely in the bed Of Lake Merced near
the Spring Valleys outlet. and practic-
ally controls the only way of reaching
this supply because of its strategic po-
sitfon. In view Of the possible sale of
the Spring Valley works to the city
and the discovery that much of the
property making up the works Is either
in litigation or owned by interests
apart from the Spring Valley company,
the property mentioned in the deeds is
OF immense value and the present at
tempt TO gain title to II may be with
the design IN view OF reaching into the
city treasury.
Originally all the land now con-
trolled by the Spring Valley company
vas part ofsthe Laguna de la Merced
rancho. owned by David Mahoney. one
OK the famous figures of early days
lie and his brother, Dennis, We're prom
itsentlr connected with San Francisco
and California affairs. but before his
Death David allowed the greater por-
non or his rancho to pass out of his
names Through the foreclosure of
mortgages and in other ways much of
'le property passed into the possession
q the l5ibernia savings and loan So
eaelH. but four parcels were retained
pf Aahoney and belonged to him at
NE time Of his death IN 1882. The
pieces described in the two deeds s;iad
Monday are two OF these fosr ar,,a
title has been ciouded by tax sales ,,,,t
has never passed completely from the
Mahoney estate, and shortly before II, = |
IRE an effort was begun bv tbe has,.s
70 clear the title and settle up the es-
tate. ."e 60
MAHoNEf DIED BACHELOR
David Mahoney died bachelor and
witnout brothers or sisters save Dennis
AlanoneE- Dennis died in 1891. leaving
D 10
honey. DIR. Thomas l.. Mabonex- na.s..s.
Mahoney, W c. Maboney. DIR. Margarss
Mahoney. Mrs. *. NJ Nesfield and Wrs
q. r. Grosjean, all Of this civ Dr
Margaret hahoney was appointed ad-
ministratrix of the estate before the
IRE and has since been actively engaged
in Strengthening out the propertv inso,.
ests. including those at Lake Norcad
Both she and her brother, Attorney n I
]. Mshoney. declared yesterday wstiont
hesitation that ID. Mahoney of C,hfcaro.,
was an impostor and that the deeds !
were clearly forgeries.
Even aside from the appearance OF
the deeds. the manner in which they
were submitted was sufficient to arouse
suspicion in Chief Deputy Recorder
Stolz' mind that all was not right They
were received by mail at the recorders
once last week and were accompanied
Continued ON Pare q. EoIumu