Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-02
REVIVED LAND CLAIM
HoIcomb Scheme to Get Title
to Yturbide Grant.
GREAT CALIFORNIA TRACT
Grandson Of Mexican General Signed
Over Rights as Heir.
HE TOOK SHARES IN COMPANY
Nlnety-Five Square Leagues Of Cali
fornia Territory Confiscated by
Mexican Authorities.

Out OF the collapse OF the United Ex-
change" and the arrest by Post once De-
partment inspectors OF its vice president
and general manager, William H Hoi-
comb, In Chicago Tuesday. there has de-
veloped a romantic story. leading all the
way back in It's beginning to the revo-
lutions OF the early years of the past
century.
1t deals with a great land grant. made
in 1921 by the provisional government OF
Mexico to Auguste Yturbide one Of the
generals who led in the battles for Mexi-
can liberty. with the overthrow OF this
government and the confiscation OF the
Yturbide land by revolutionaries. and.
finally. with the effort of Holcomb and
his associated latter-day high financiers
TO fioat a company which had ~ It's
main purpose. the development Of thou
sands Of acres OF Mexican land, the same
land TO which the Holcomb corporation
hoped to gain title.
international Land Company.
The United Exchange was only enc Of
Holcombs ideas. though IL was the pivot
around which the others moved One of
the subsidiary organizations was the In
ternational Land Company. IL was this
corporation which had practically It's en-
tire reason to be In the hope that titles
TO land in Mexico, granted by Iturbida,
could be established as pinoing In this
day ana generation.
The activities OF Holcomb and his asso-
ciates in Washington had its beginning
about two months ago. For probably
1ve years previously holccmp had beon
In correspondence with Col. William Dem
fnf,
now dead. This resulted In Aolcomb
making several trips TO the city OF Asx-
leo in search or the present holoers OF the
titles to the great estate In lower CALI
fornia.,
1t was shown that a grant had been
land at the mouth Of the coloraoo river
in lower California TO Gen. Augusto
fturbioe. This land was worth in Amer
ican money about u per acre.
The revolutionaries who overthrew the
''liberators" In ls1s confiscated this land.
and for fully sixty years suits have been
In progress in the courts of Mexico by
which the heirs or the original grantees
sought TO establish title to the property.
Yturbide Signs Over Rights.
It happened that Adolphe Yturbids q
1925 o street northwest. this city. an IN
structor in Spanish at the Georsetovn
University, IL one OF the descendants oe
the original grantees and q claimant -
the land. Early In July OF this year Hol-
comb sought Off and found Yturbide.
They went TO the ofitce Of .. local
stenographer, where Holcomb dictated
deeds by which Yturbide conveyed 20 the
International Land Company the title 20
his disputed possessions" In return he
received 81, ,100.OO worth OF stock IN the
International Land Company. Hoscomb
tx,<xlx thA int Nss -Svx s~S<~
which was to be used for promotion pur-
poses. y-..
Holcomb is said to have explained that
the machinery Of the United Exchange
Of the International Land Company. 10
seemed to make no difference that the
title to the land had been in litigation
for sixty years and that the Yturbide
family had little more than q hope OF
establishing their title to the property In
dispute.
Separate from the deeds which were
presented to the Department of Justice,
the Department of State and to the
Mexican embassy for their respective
the fact that the land was not yet In
the possession of the grantor. Adolphe
Yturbide is q grandson Of Gen. Yturbide.
Although his companies dealt only in
millions, Holcomb yesterday telegraphed
to the Washington ofice the following
message:
Wiltshire In Good Standing.
''SelI the furniture: need the money"
Mr.. Holcomb has visited the Capital
city a number Of times. and has many
warm friends here. Two years ago one
OF Mr.. Holcomb's daughters graduated
from one Of the fashionable seminartes
Of the city. 1t Is understood that he
was In Washington several times during
the time she was studying here.
1t was in this city that he met Al
ifornia. and who stands In the dispatches
as secretary and treasurer OF the ex-
change. They BECAME fast friends st
once.
Within a short time Mr.. wiItshire's
mother. Mrs. Ell Shelby Hammond.
mond Of Memphis. Tenn. and prominent
socially in Washington for some years
past. met the other members Of the Hol-
comb family.
beau. in Connecticut avenue.
Upon a number Of occasions Miss Hol-
comb and friends from the seminary were
special guests at smart social functions
which Mrs. Hammond gave in their
honor At these affairs the southern
spirit was always predominant. Mrs.
Hammond always carried out many IDEAS
Of the south In the decorations. Miss
Flora Wilson, daughter Of the Secretary
OF Agriculture, and leaders I'm the social
life of the Capital city often attended.
Previously TO coming to Washington
Mrs. Hammond had been Q belle in her
home city OF Memphis. During the re-
spective visits OF Presidents Mckinley
and Roosevelt TO that city she was Q
leading member OF the committees OF Ia
dies and planned many social events for
them.
apartment in the Rochambeau and went
10 New York. where she has since re-