Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-22
Relates Story Of
Old Lund Fraud
By Frederic J. Hdsktn.

pdiiOi Ci4dl duco, diiu Ille LOulSldIld fur-
chase seem somewhat commonplace, was
recently found in the files of the United
States General Land Office 1t is the tale
of the Peralta grant-a scheme promot-
ed to near success by Middle Western
streetcar conductor and court clerk with
dreams of great fortune
Capt. William Anterior Du Puy, once
assistant to the Secretary of the Interior
and in that capacity having access to
the files of the General Land Office,
found the old story of this fraud and
brought it to light. The manner in
which the scheme was planned, and the
further manner in which Land Office
inspector upset the calculations of the
archswindler and saved their hard-won
ranches and mining claims for Arizona
pioneers, might be referred to as the
original work of Oman.
Many lessons may be drawn from the
story, and one Of them is that buried in
the musty files of Federal Government
departments in Washington are tales
which would form the plots of many good
novels.
3IlC vi lllC SlOIN NdS GAINES
Addison Reavis, born on Missouri farm.
who travelled to South America as a
youth, became ST Louis streetcar con-
ductor at %, and later clerk of the court
at Santa Fe, N. Mex The hero was
William S. Upton. special agent of the
General Land Office. There was a girl
in the story to make it complete.
Reavis learned Spanish in South Amer
lea. His duties at the Santa Fe court
house showed him that there was much
litigation over early Spanish land grants
The entire Southwest territory before
American sovereignty had been Mexican
and before that Spanish AS usual in
such cases of transfer of national SOW
ereignty the new Government recognized
and guaranteed, after fashion, private
land titles. If a person could prove a
title from Mexico or from the King Of
Spain, that title was good under the
American flag. 1t was that situation in
the Southwest which gave Reavis his
vision of riches.
One day Reavis went to his chief. the
surveyor general, and asked what he
knew of the Peralta grant. The surveyor
general had never heard of it and could
contribute no information, but neither
could he think of any reason in view Of
past experience why such a grant should
not exist.
So Reavis set out on one of the most
extraordinary careers in history. He re-
signed his post and began extended trav-
els visiting old missions in the Southwest
and in California. He went to the old
provincial capital of Guadalajara in
Mexico and. finally, to Seville and Madrid
in Spain.
Years passed and one day hoIseman
appeared at the ranch Of John Slaughter
in the Dragon Mountains of Arizona.
The ranchman invited the rider to re-
main for dinner and was surprised when
the visitor inquired if there lived at the
ranch a young girl named Carmelita.
Slaughter stated that such girl lived
there as helper to his wife She was
an orphan and had been given a home
by the Slaughters.
After dinner the caller told a story.
He Informed his host that his name was
James Addison Reavis and that he was
in search of Carmelita-the heiress to
the greatest fortune in America-and
told how the Peralta grant was 80 miles
in breadth and $50 miles in length. en-
bracing much Of the richest ranch farm
and mineral lands of the ella and Salt
River Valleys of Arizona.
Reavis told how the King of Spain in
1748 had granted this domain to one
Senior Don Miguel de Peralta de la Cor
doba, his cousin in blood There had
been wars. deaths and difficulties. but at
length train of descent had been estab-
lished and the girl Carmelta was the
heiress of all this wealth.
Now the story moves apace. With the
enthusiastic consent of the ranchman
and his wife, Reavis placed Carmelita in
a convent where she was educated in the
arts and graces appropriate to such an
heiress. In due time Reavis, as her
guardian, took her to New York where
he maintained her in state, for already
he had begun to reap large rewards for
his work. He had published the pur-
ported facts of his claim. It looked 50
sound that the Southern Pacific Railway
gave him $4,000 for permission to cross
his claim. He also collected from mines
and landholders. He married the girl
and changed his name to Reavis-Peralta.
Rancllers. miners and other claimants
who held deeds to land within the Peralta
grant became alarmed. So did the Fed
eral Government. At one stage the Sec
rotary Of the Interior tentatively offered
the claimant s25 900 900 for a quit claim,
but this offer was rejected. Reavis-
Peralta thought his grant worth $780,
100000, or many times the amounts paid
for the Louisiana Purchase and the
GadSden Purchase combined.
4 **
At the suggestion of Special Agent Tip
ton the matter was held in allegiance. At
length, in 1895, the Federal Government
set up a Special Court of Private Land
Claims, and this body, consisting of dis
tinguished jurists, sat at Santa Fe.
Reavis-Peralta, through an array of dis
tinguished counsel, submitted proof of
his claim. Upton appeared last, just as
the court was about to allow the claim.
The young special agent then told how
he had suspected the claim from the first
because it was too perfect. He had fol-
lowed it through every stage. He had
found how ReaviS had cleverly faxed on