Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-18
TRACT Of MILLION
ACRES IS MYSTERY
Officials of Texas Seek Owners
of Property in Ell Paso
County
Especial to The Heraldl

SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Oct. 17.-Who
owns a great stretch of land large
enough to form a respectable portion
of some of the New England states,
a tract Of a million acres lying in Ell
Paso county, Texas, title to which is
bathed in mystery?
The state of Texas does not know
whether it owns it or not, and the state
government of Chihuahua, Mexico,
doesn't know whether there are any
Mexican heirs. The records have mys-
teriously disappeared, yet the king of
Spain made a grant of it by royal de-
cree more than a century and half
ago. Proposed action by the state OF
Texas promises to lead to the uncov-
ering of many claimants and possibly
famous litigation.
Land Commissioner Robinson has
filed with Governor Campbell an eX-
haustiVe report concerning the i'm
rnense La Prieta land grant in Ell Paso
county, and he urges action to estab-
lish its authenticity. He raises the
question:
GRANTS VALIDITY AT ISSUE
'Ts this a valid grant? If it is not,
that should be known. If it is, its
validity should be established. There
the archives of this department. 1t
embraces 325 leagues or 1,4S9,10O acres
in Ell Paso county and covers school
land, university land end private land.
letter addressed to the governor OF
Chihuahua, Mexico, brought reply
that no record of this grant was found
among the archives at Chihuahua. In
an abstract of title now in circulation
the boundaries of this grant are given
F0IIo Imam
Cruz thirty leagues to Ell Captain de
Guadalupe, thence to Sima la Masa,
thence west thirteen leagues to Sierra
blanca and Alzuz Alma along the
land of Don lose LerIna, eight leagues
to the Rio Bravo del Norte, thence up
the river to place OF beginning,
''The abstract represents that 1t was
granted by the king Of Spain by royal
decree to the inhabitants of the towns
of Socorro, San Elizario and Ysleta
on March 13, 1851; that this was again
acted on by the state of Chihuahua
August 12, 1928; again on May is, 1882,
and September "a, 1884.
OLD TRANSFERS ON RECORDS
aI went to Mexico in the early part
of the summer of 1909. The authorities
of our sister republic extended every
courtesy and rendered much assistance
to the investigation. The cities of
Juarez, Chihuahua, Durango, CITY OF
Mexico, Guadalajara, Torreon and Ia
cetacas were visited and records ex-
amined. Nothing was found which
related to this grant. At Guadalajara
one book was found of the old auden-
cia. 1t covered the period from 1908
to 1876. This audencia was the per-
sonaI representative of the crown of
Spain. NO one at any place visited
knew anything of such book in use at
any subsequent time. 1 was informed
that no one other than an official of
the government was permitted to ex-
anime any of the congressional records
including the dates referred to In the
foregoing statement taken from the
abstract of title.
"However, Governor Enrique Creel
of Chihuahua promised to have a full
examination made for me. Subse-
quently he wrote saying nothing had
been found. The matter has been
called to the attention of the attorney
generals department time and again.
/ am not advised of any action by that
department If it is a good title it
ought to be established. If there is no
title, that fact should be known, and
those dealing with it should be stopped
from placing additional clouds upon
the state school land and university
land"