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Decisions in Taos Cases Associate Justice John R. McFie, of the First Judicial District court, has handed down the following decisions in cases from Taos county: In the case of the Territory of New Mexico versus the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, for the payment of tax levies made by the board of county commissioners of Taos county; decision was rendered in favor of the plaintiff, and the defendant ordered to pay to the county of Taos the sum of $314.43. In the case of D. Velarde versus F. Trujillo, et al., in which land claimed by the plaintiff as his property, was sold at public auction by the defendants, the court ordered that the defendants pay to the plaintiff the sum of $394, money received for said property, and the costs of the suit, the property to remain in the posession of the plaintiff. The case of John E. Lanning, receiver of the Monmouth Trust and Safe Deposit company, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, and John W. Schofield, receiver of the First National bank, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, versus the Fraser Mountain Copper company, William Fraser, Albert C. Twining, First National bank of Santa Fe and John R. Wheeler, Jr., and all known heirs of John R. Wheeler, deceased, involved a great many points. The plaintiffs claim that the defendant had acquired no title to the mining "property known as the Fraser Mountain group of mining claims, situate in eastern Taos county, and comprising a large number of lode mining claims and mill sites. The court found that title to the property in question was in the names of the defendants and that their legal right to give this property as security was unquestionable. There was also litigation between the defendant parties, as transfers of portions of said property had been made from one to the other. These contests were satisfactorily settled to the parties concerned, so that the titles to the property were made secure. J. E. Lanning, as receiver of the Monmouth Trust and Safe Deposit company, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, had on February 13, 1904, recovered judgment in the First Judicial court for Taos county against the Fraser Mountain Copper company for $21,100.08 and $18.20 costs, and on June 9, 1905, for $11,404.91 and $12.85 costs, a total of $35,505.39 and costs to the amount of $31.05, which he asked to be paid. J. W. Schofield, as receiver of the First National bank of Asbury Park, New Jersey, also appeared with a judgment recovered on February 13, 1904, for $10,571.58 and $17.10 costs, asking that this judgment be paid. Judge McFie, after hearing all the evidence and carefully going over the proceedings, ordered that the property of the defendants be sold at public auction to the highest bidder, the purchaser to have at least 10 per cent of the purchase price on the premises at the time of sale. W. B. Childers, of Albuquerque, appeared for the plaintiffs, and N. B. Laughlin and A. B. Renehan, of Santa Fe, for the defendants.
