Document text
Marie Carter
1500 words
MAR 29 1957
Anthony,
blew Mexico
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Old Timers Dietion.ary
in
Letail
was on my way home from Las Cruces, or the crosses, to
Anthony, aew mexico„ driving, over U.S. Hiehway dO. Upon
arriving at the town of Benno I decided to stop and call on
a friend waom I had not seen for some time. When 1 drove ap
she was standine on the front poech of her charming little ranch
house.
Won't you come in and visit awhile' sae asked, in her
low cultured voice.
That is my Intention," I assured her, to visit and to
chat."
A* soon as we were comfortauly seate4 in aer sunny living
room, I said:
Won't you tell me something about the early days of the
Rio Grande valleyV4
Certainly," was the gracious reply. "'or I love to talk
about the early dais. Also to recall how thrilled I was when I
Nlartitrom.2
first saw this Great Southwest. But, then, I W&8 Only thirteen
The world looits pretty rosy at that
Indeed it dal's," I agreed. 4 what year was that?"
Tie year or ida!)," she replled.
'1 We lived in II Faso
for a few months; then we came up the valley. y father was
a eattlemaa. And my little mother, who was ooneldered quite a
beauty at that time, was the first soaool teaoher oetween
iaso and Las Cruces."
0*44-4**
dad your motner ever taught school before?" I inquired.
:.)n, no she said. 4. N. Fleet, wao was one of the
school directors, asked little motaer to teach."
gra. darkey' he said, 'I wish you'd take that school
up taar at derrin's Jtation.'
lipAt r. look,' I nave never taugat schoolY little
mother said.
'That don't make no difference,' he drawled. 'Acoordini
to rulea an' regulations, of you teach for three mantas with-
out pay, the school's yours. You're so eoldarn purty though
that I'm afearad them boys will spend most of their time lookins
at you instead of their bo,ks.'
344*
ottier accepted tue sonool, but when Nr. Fleck offered
to drive her up tau valley in als buckboard, sae declined. Tao
buckboard was all rigat, but she was afraid of his bronco.'
They rared and pitched so muea that he could uardly oontrol thee.
30 little mother decided to ride on tae traln."
Garter -3
Tne present town of beano, whore kre. z. V. Gardner
lives, used to be identified as Linden." And the place where
her little mother had the nonor of being the first sohool
teaeher was known as derrin'a 3tation." Not only grade school
but 3unday sonool and ohuroh were held in one of the rooms of
derrin's nome.
L think bona Ana :;ounty has some very inbarestind history,"
I Said, by way of proceedind with our oouversation.
It was," my friend replied. ine olu West is a nevertordotten epoch in my lire. lo be absolutely frank i don't
want to fordet it, for I waa very happy. ins old 4eat was
spectacular, but dicturesque. my early impree.31ons of cowboys
with lindlind spure, anu Aexicans with day carapes are etill very
vivid."
$4.***i*
And how about horse -back i said.
,11, we all rode in the old days, but i rarely ever rode
the ranee ponies," sue replied. I ad my own norse, a blue roan
from Kentucky stock. 444 father had atak snipped out from our old
home in alasouri. brou6nt our rand piano slonc., too. ak3ther
tuouejat it quite amusind for us to have a piano and to live in
jacal, or „exican shack. 4e all enjoyed MU310. .otatar and I
played the piano, sister the euitar and fattier flute. .)ometimes
he played the flat cornet.
Carter-. -4
I suppose you know quite a bit about Anthony, also,"
.1111.1***ININswg
I ventured.
Oh, yes," was the qui.* response. "I have been to easy
a pioneer party in your community."
0004" I exolaiaed, "you're the very person I've been
looking for. How many houses did Anthony boast of in Itsaw
Three," ens said. "&xactly throe. One was an express
*Moe, the second was a store owned by the Uarshalls, and the
third was the Hagan House,' a place where people stoppedeate
and danced. One of the parties I attended, and which I enjoy
rowelling, was elven by Charley 74111er."
Oh, yes," I said, "Yrs. Itory as told me about him, 44o
was her neighbor, and ran the Valley Aereentile store."
Yes, taat was Ctiarlay,1 sne said. in Lose days he was
oonsidered wealtay--he had twenty thousand dollars.* re calef
diversion of our parties was danaine. That evening our Christmas
party was interrupted by a loud exploalon. Thta .zirls were
fl htened, but the men rushed outside to see wiiat it was. ',Tome
of the boys dad found some powder and set it off as a praotioal
Joke."
4***
A friend of yours told me that you know Kit Carson, is
that true?" I asked.
True: It must be, for Kit was my second cousin. Ne were
Irery proud of dim until he eot married —oh, you itow aow it is
he married ti:ie wrong person."
Col. ';hristopher Carson, famous Indian scout waa sent
to iort Stanton October I?, 1362, to pacify the i4escalero Apache.
th £363 he invaded the Aavano country. ne continued campaign
till 1364, and finally forced the Navano tribe to surrender by
distroying their food aupply and starving them out. 4any of tne
old Timers knewit Carson and honored him for two part he played
in conquering the Indians and placing them on reservations.
'A-******
Mrs. Gardner," I said, What you have told me about
two early settlers ba the Rio Grande valley is very interesting,
but I'm afraid that I am going to impose upon your generosity
a wee bit more, i.o you happen to know any Indian stories associated
with this locality?"
lee. TheWorseskull L ne. It is a story that was told to
se by an old-timer, long dead, a member of the Oasau family of
Canutillo. Ihe Casads are fins people. Aumboldt Oasad OSA tell
you more about the Brasito rant taan any one else in the valley.
For at one time his family owned a larg0 P004440, of it." she said.
'Minks a lot. rhat's the very information I've been
seeking. but how about the aorseskull mine" I inquired.
ft******
3h, yes. grall, a certain old-timer oy name Frank W.rch,
waS alone in his cabin. It was ni6hts and rather late, when
two Indians knocked at his door. A.reh knew the radians so In-
vited them in !and save them sloe wine. ;;aortly the wine influenced
the Indians to talk, and I suppose they felt that they owed the
wait* man sometning for nis hospitality, so they toll aim that
Carter -6
they would repay him by leading him to theOriorseskull mine.'
Concealing his eagerness to be gone at once, birch, gave the
Indians all the wine they could drink, telling tnem that he would
be packed and ready to start by daybreak.
"The snores of the two drunken Indians, wrapped in taeir
blankets on the cabin floor, was the only tat broke the
midnight stillness of the roma. '21rca was still up, but sitting
quietly in a chairothinking, of the horseakull mine, whose
location no white man. knew. The Indians had guarded their secret
well.
*4*****
True to his word, Birch had his mules packed, ai.14: ready
to leave by daybreak. The Indians, however, were not quite so
drunk, and not overly -anxious to eo. For during the night it had
rained, and the morning was dark and misly."
Which way did tney go?" I inquired.
bue south, then west; *hey were headed toward t. Riley
north of El Paso. Their progress was slow, for the roads were
rough, and tae weather had onanged. In fact it was so cold that
they taought tae would freeze before reacning their destination.
And the Indians, altaough still in the lead, had grown sullen
and reticent, aad by the time they maenad tne mine nad obanged
their minda, uadding not to betray their tribe by divulging taeir
secret of tae saorseskull' to the white man.
si.f**A-A*
Then wrist nappened?" I asked.
Carte r-..7
Well, to begin, they camped for the night, but
suffered from the extreme cold weather. And the following
morning, when Birch awoke, he made a dreadful discovery. The
pack mules with all of their provisions were gone; also one
of the Indians, whom he had grave reasons to suspect had out
the ropes, released the mules, then beat.* nasty retreat back to
town. Taking tne other Indian with him, Birch went in search
of the mules, and brought them baok to camp. But exposure and
lack of food had weakened nim to such an extent that the Indian
grew alarmed, and offered to return to town for nelp.
f.-******
Of course he suoceeded I observed.
Yes. The Indian found Birohs' partner, who took a
party of men and set out to rescue his friend. Upon arriving
in camp, however, they found Birch almost beyond the help of man;
and the males, rebelling, had flawed their own ropes and strayed
away again.
it**4-A
if
4as birch revived' I inquired.
yes, to such an extent that as too 4 all of te
except his partner, anti wont in search of the run -away -mules."
4 Did they find them?" was my next question.
yes. But upon returning to camp they found something
else."
The iioreeskull Mine:" I exclaimed.
No The dead body of the man they had left in camp."
Sinac time unknown, man have lost their lives, searchling
for E..f)ld. From birth the Indian 'MR a ferret, ever looking and
findina, treasures overlooked by the whits man, :)ome of the
old-time:1 in this vicinity, firmly believe, that there is many
a buried treasure in taa cavea of our mountains,waltine to be
unearthee, by
There are current stories about cold hidden by the early
Spanish Explorers; sold hidden by outlaws, and by Indians.
We all know thrA tt,se story of n find is very much like a *nein
letter. 'no more it oiroulatos the lareer it erows, until finally
,we beeln to question it s verity.
Take A. 2/cacti°, or Vinson° Peak for instance. T see it
0,0minsowesemmem
tuis moment from my north window, clearly etched aeainst the blue
of ttiti sky. cyt, so very lone ago, two young, men wale exploring
?leach°, unearthed a brass pet filled with coins. Zly the time
the discovery had been relayed from one person to another,the money
found„had become -a fortune. bten I asked one old-timer if the
cache, 3r treasure was very lame, no exclaimed:
Largo'. I'll say it was. The sheriff had to pretest it
with an armed zuard till the truck arrived."
Yi-#0.01.144
7. Jardner: Born In ',Iolumbia.!Issouri, arah 15.
1372; movea with parents to El .erso Texns.; remained in 11 i'aso
eighteen lonths; moved lap the 4J.o Jrrnde valley in 1385; located
at Linden, New lexico (now Serino) New Mexico). iatber was L.C.
Markey, eattleaan; mother was Eleanor Arsine darkey„ first school
toolbar between a Paso and Las Cruolos.