Letter to the Governor Manuel Armijo, regarding an official
document.
I citizen, Miguel Garcia, resident of the jurisdiction of
Taos and at present residing in this city appear before you; I state that for
six days, by order of the Alcalde of the jurisdiction of my neighborhood, I
have been at this capital.
I shall say, first asking permission, that the cause of my
detention is very harmful to me. In the
time that the retired Ensign, Juan de Dios Peña, also a resident of this city
was Alcalde of that jurisdiction, by his order I brought to this capital a
document dividing an estate in that district, property of the Señores Romero’s,
also of that jurisdiction, which I placed at the disposal of the Colonel
Melgares, and I do not know what this sir did with it; and because I brought
it, I still have charge of said document and with this object in view I came to
this capital to render the blind obedience which I have always been pleased to
exercise in these cases with the legally constituted authorities.
The damages that have been caused me have been inexpressible
and I place them before Your Excellency and I charge and hold the said Alcalde
responsible for all those that have originated and that may originate. I hope the integrity of Your Excellency will
clarify the doubt which confronts us; whether I am responsible for said
document, so that if I am I say present my resignation and if I am not, that the
said Alcalde pay me the damages to which I have referred.
Therefore, I ask Your Excellency for the justice that may
assist me in this matter, I sign and whatever necessary, etc., Miguel Garcia
(rubric)
Taos, June 25, 1827
In order to comply… That Miguel Garcia by my order went to
copy the said document which is very necessary to the owners of the land, who
are sanctioned by Garcia in his petition.
Inasmuch as I do not remember the number of varas of land that said
document states they are entitled to, and since on the other hand a lawsuit is
instituted over another tract contiguous to this and formerly donated in which
the lands fall short, by which they seek to be admitted to the tract of those
owners of the document and which they do not want to give up, the only way to
decide with certainty is by examining the document itself. They would not allow him to see it and until
he obtained it from some other individual who allowed him to see it and he kept
it until it went to the government archives, as I have been informed, and which
has not been ignored by this party, despite that they were negligent in
demanding it; and said petitioner Garcia, freely offered in the month of May of
the current year to go and make a copy, with the joint consent of the parties,
believing that it would be easy to obtain; and then the time came to execute
it, he wanted the Alcalde to five him an official letter to Governor so he
could obtain it without any expense, which he was not able to allow. This, I believe is the objection felt by the
petitioner, and the reason he wants and official letter. Signed Manuel Martines (rubric)
…Garcia is obliged to present it (document), granted the
document is necessary and you will cause said Garcia to come personally and
copy the said document from the archive, advising him to bring money so that he
may pay the corresponding fees for the same.
God and Liberty, Santa Fe, July 17, 1827
References: Spanish
Archives of New Mexico, Twitchell #390, Series I, Reel 2, Frame 1228-
©Henrietta M. Christmas
No comments:
Post a Comment