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Edith L. Crawford,
Carrizozo I' N. Mex.
PIONEER STORY
Ambro s io Chavez
Carrizozo, N. M.
Words 1036
AUG 291938
I was born in 1866, in Valencia County, at Manzano, New
Mexico. In 1879 my mother and father moved from Manzano to
Lincoln, Lincoln County, New Mexico. I was rteen years old
then and I remember that we moved in two wago dram by oxen.
We had no trouble with the Indians on Once when we
camped for the night a dog came aro e o was trying
to get into things and I took my gun and shot the dog.
I thought I was a very big boy to my father's pun.
My father farmed at Linoo ht wagons from Lincoln
and Fort Stanton to La He used oxen to haul
with. It took over tit ke the round trip and if the
weather was be wagons cane and went by way
of white Oaks Nogal. Once when my father was hauling freight
we started fro cola ing across the Patos Mountains and by
way of White 0 way to Las Vegas. My father was
riding horseback and I was driving one of the freight wagons
drawn by oxen. A man named Stevens was going to Las Vegas for
freight too and left Lincoln about the same time that we did.
He was driving mules to his freight wagon and traveled faster
than we did. On account of the Indians the freight wagons
camped together at night when they could. Mr. Stevens told my
father that he would wait for us at a lake that was just across
the Patos Mountains on the flats, and about eight or nine miles
from ahite Oaks. ae had planned to camp there the first night.
Late in the afternoon my father rode on ahead of our wagons to
the lake. When he got there he found that the Indians had kill-
Edith L. Crawford, 2.
CarrL.Jzo, N. Max. Words 1038
ad Stevens and robbed and burned his wagons and run off all
his mules. Father hurried back to us and told us not to go
to the lake and told us what had happened to Mr. Stevens. We
had to make a dry camp that night and keep a sharp lookout for
the Indians but none of them came around o camp. I remember
how soared I was when we passed the lake next day and saw
the remains of the burned wagons an yens grave. In all of
our freighting my father never with the Indians.
'!;c1 were living in Lincoln wh the Kid B there but I
did not know him very well. killed 011inger and Bell
and made his escape I the Henry Farmer ranch near
Lincoln. I can re t happened once when I
was on a visit to ousin, .tin Chavez in Pioacho.
Billy the K and often stayed with him at
his house. eople were traveling through the country in
covered oamped near Picaoho. They had a fast
horse that d to raoe against a mare tWat my cousin
Martin had. The Texas people bet three fat beeves that their
horse oould out run Martin's mare. They had the race between
the two horses and Martin's nal, WOU the race so far ahead of
the horse that the Texas people had that they got awful mad
about it and would not pay the bet. Soon after the race was
run Billy the Kid came by and stopped at Martin's place.
Martin told him about the race and that the Texas people would
not pay their belt. Billy asked Martin if he wanted those beeves,
and of course Martin said that he did. Billy said that he would
collect the bet for him then. The women at Martin's ranch just
begged Billy not to go to collect the bet as they were afraid
Edith L. Crawford, 3.
Carrizozo, N. Mex. Words 1036
that there would be trouble over it and that Billy might get
killed, but Billy just laughed at them. He wore two guns and
had on two belts of cartridges. He went out to the camp of the
Texans and rode into the herd of cattle that they had with
them and shot and killed three of their b beeves and told
Martin to send after his beef. The Texans re so scared when
they found out that he was Billy t t they broke camp
and left right away.
I lived at Lincoln until 19 I move to Capiten and
worked for the Titeworth C mpan a twenty-five years. I
was married to Cecel ut We never had any
children of our own bt we ado. d and raised three children,
all of wham 1 o. my wife and I live here
with our i dren and or the past five years.
I have ii- d in Linoo County for fifty-nine years.
Narrator: Ambrosio Chavez, Carrizazo, New Mexico, Aged 72 years.