The land commissioners found these grants perfect. Not a flaw
or defect could be discovered in either of them, and they were confirmed
by the board, under the provisions of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo."
"The squatter interest then appealed to the United States District Court
for the Northern District of California. This court confirmed the
decision of the land commissioners. Extraordinary as it may appear, the
squatter interest then appealed both cases to the Supreme Court of the
United States at Washington, and still more extraordinary to relate,
that court, though it confirmed the eleven-league grant, decided that of
the Sobrante - twenty-two leagues - in favor of the squatters. The court
acknowledged that the grant was a "genuine and meritorious" one, and
then decided in favor of the squatter interest on purely technical
grounds."
"Sutter's ruin was complete, and its method may be thus stated: He had
been subjected to a very great outlay of money in the maintenance of his
title, the occupancy and the improvement of the grant of New Helvetia.
From a mass of interesting documents which I have been permitted to
examine, I obtained the following statement relative to the expenses
incurred on that grant:
Expenses in money, and services which formed the original
consideration of the grant $50,000
Surveys and taxes on the same 50,000
Cost of litigation extending through ten years, including
fees to eminent counsel, witness fees, traveling
expenses, etc.
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