El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-27

I Kingdom OF "RurlLaula mas q II
val IN the kingdom OF Reavia IN
Arizona, only the Arizona kingdom has
one the best OF It because It was at
one time IN actual operation, and its
ruler is stiu living IN the new state
and stin claiming his title and declar-
ing that he was robbed OF his rights
By an unsympathetic. unjust supreme
! court OF the United States. The king
dom OF Reavia mad its royal court ana
its king Of the blood. ali IN the 1lesni
and, while the splendOr that attaches
TO royal courts OF fiction and reallly
did not exist, the court did exist with
all the seriousness
Land titles were probably never so
tangled in any state in the union as IN
Arizona and New Mexico in the early
DAYS OF the two territories There were
vast areas that had been decided or
granted" by various spanish and
Mexican Vlceroys 10 1ayorltes Tor
these, as they were handed down
through generation after generation.
brought about such a condition that
at one time practically all the land
OF any real value in the two states
was in litigation. Most OF the litigation
has been settled after having been
taken TO the supreme court Of the
United States, but a few OF these
claims are still pending.
Practically all the picturesque claim
ants Of the early days-many OF them
G4h ELLALEcs many OLLAELa L-ahAlB LAcAA
claims In the best Of faith under delu-
sions or through fraudulent sale made
TO them by OtherS-tlave disappeared,
but Arizona stiu has one OF these an
client claimants and who not only
aspired to own some Of the richest land
In the territory, but had dreams Of an
empire and at one time set up his 1T
tie monarchy In the heart Of the new
princes and dukes and counts to sur
round his court with all the splendor
lin titles 81 not in dress-of the Eu-
ropean and Asiatic dynasties- This
man is James Addison Reavfs, who be-
neved aud still believes, that be has
a rightful title to all the orange groves
that surround the state ca1itat and
even the land on which the capitol it,
built
The United States was forced to es-
tablish a court OF private land claims
largely for the purpose Of acting on
the claims from these two states and
for several generations this court has
1een reading briefs and testimony
Irainlcads Of documents have been
prepared On the fights for the posses
sion OF these lands that were given
away BY kings and their viCerOys-
When the territory now embraced
within the state Of Arizona was taken
over from Mexico IL included q pri-
Tate land grants. the owners of which
ment or the Spanish crown. These II
grants t0taled 12.97S.211 acres. There
were probably more Of these grants IN
New Mexico.
The Spanish land grants greatly re-
tarded the growth and development Of
the states From the first it was NOR
were not good but no one liked to set
ne on and improve land claimed BY the
grantees or their descendants. No one
vas certain that he could secure title
One Of the most famous Of all the /
claims embraced several million acres I
~ central Arizona and western New I
Mexico. It was known as the Peralta /
grant and James Addison Reavis. who Z
married woman who claimed 20 be
descended from the original Peralta. /
maze hard tight lasting many Years.
20 establish her alleged rights The I
matter went through an the courts Of .
Arizona and was carried to the SUI
preme court OF the United states be- /
keavis, by the court Of private land &
congress-.
Reaves claimed the entire salt Rirer
valley and large section Of the east
ern part OF Arizona. embracing the
great copper mines of the Clifton 40
renei and Globe districts The prop
eLtg, Wllcu ne held TO be his private
empire IS today worth incalculable ]
Wiluons- OF all this vast area. Reavis
Grained to be owner. At one time he
estao -lshed his capital a Casa Grande.
.,-7l lcson- his children were dressed
as princes and attended by indian
Z ants with grand titles and he Gre
slled counts and dukes galore among
At one time the people OF the salt
tlVer valley feared that ne would win /
lls tight and were prepared To- resist az
aI cost any attempt to take their
bones from them
Finally the court OF private land
claims was established and it spent
several years Investigating the grants
of Arizona. Several sessions were held
n Tucson in the early nineties. The
teavis claim was among the first to
BE declared Invalid Even then Reavis
lid not give I'D. He Is still living. an
1ld man. apparently VITA an intense