To Possess The Land: A Biography Of Arthur Rochford Manby

by Frank Waters

Ambitious and only twenty-four years old, Arthur Manby arrived from England to the Territory of New Mexico in 1883 and saw in its wilderness an empire that he believed himself destined to rule. For his kingdom, he chose a vast Spanish land grant near Taos, a wild 100,000 acres whose title was beyond question. Obsessed, he poured more than twenty years into his dream of glory, and schemed, stole, lied, cajoled, begged, and bribed to take the vast grant from its rightful owners. With great mastery, Waters draws us into this obsession, and the intense drama of these years is at once psychological and historical. In May 1913, Manby came at last to possess the grant, but within three years it had slipped again from his grasp. The story does not end there, and perhaps only Frank Waters could have portrayed the strange disintegration of Manby’s personality as he aged, his frantic but ingenious efforts to regain “his” land. Among these was the creation of a secret society which terrorized whole towns and villages, becoming so powerful that even Manby no longer knew all its members and workings. At the same time he turned deeper inward, locked and bolted his gates against the outside world which hated and feared him more than ever. On July 3, 1929, a swollen, headless body was discovered in Manby’s Taos home. Some said it was murder; others swore the body was not Manby’s; still others reported seeing him alive afterward. The story blazed into national headlines and an official inquiry followed. Step by step, Waters takes us into the web of strange clues, evidence, more murders and complications—an investigation which the New Mexican government inexplicably called to a halt. The case remains one of the West’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

295 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Frank Waters was an American novelist, essayist, and cultural historian best known for his profound explorations of the American Southwest and Native American spirituality. Deeply influenced by his Cheyenne heritage and early experiences on the Navajo Reservation, Waters wove themes of indigenous identity, mysticism, and the clash between tradition and modernity into much of his work. His celebrated novel The Man Who Killed the Deer (1942) is considered a cornerstone of Southwestern literature, offering a powerful portrayal of a Pueblo man’s internal struggle with cultural dislocation. Over the decades, Waters produced an impressive body of work, including both fiction and non-fiction, such as Book of the Hopi, Mexico Mystique, and The Colorado, which blended mythology, history, and esoteric thought. A strong advocate for the arts, he held various editorial and academic positions and was honored with several awards. His legacy lives on through the Frank Waters Foundation, which supports writers and artists in the spirit of his creative vision.

Reviews

[River James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book! New Mexico is truly a unique land with deep culture and history. I have read quite a few books about the area both while living there and the 20 years since and this is one of the best. The other I would strongly recommend is River of Traps: A Village Life by Willaim Debuys. I spent a year living in the Cerrillos/Madrid area and it had a profound and deep impact that has kept me fascinated with the land of enchantment. As an example of the insular tendencies of the people in northern New Mexico, I can relate first hand being shot at for rafting parts of the Rio Grande as well as seeing the river access points set on fire in order to convey the appreciation the locals had for those of us visiting. That was 1995 but I would still be very thoughtful of where I park my car with out of state plates. Just saying. Much respect to both the Native people and the Spanish descendants. This book will give the reader some historical context for local distrust of outsiders.

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was interesting about New Mexico and the land being taken from the Indians, Heather would be a good book for you, will send it to you

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crazy true story and a great glimpse into a unique period of American history.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing book about Englishman Arthur Manby and his pursuit of Spanish land grant lands in the Taos area of New Mexico in the late 1800's. A man of few scruples, he took advantage of almost everyone he met in every way possible. He begged, borrowed, swindled, and possibly even killed to get the land he wanted so badly, only to have it slip thru his fingers in the end. He ended up a mean, "eccentric" pauper, all alone in the world. Manby's murder remains one of New Mexico's biggest mysteries...that is if the headless body found in his home in 1929 was actually his. I found that following the complicated land grant history was a bit hard to keep track of, but overall this book was an enjoyable look back in time..

[Mike Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book, but it is about some English guy who lived in Taos at the turn of the century. When we went white water rafting down the Rio Grande, we traveled by a hot spring that he owned. He was murdered and had his head chopped off (and chewed up by the dog).