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Edith L. Creeford,
Carrizozo, N. Max.
PIONEER STORY
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I 'ides born in 1880 at Las Chozos New Mexico, which is located
Elerdo Chavez,
iords 1512
JUL 7 1938
seven miles southeast of the town of Lincoln and have lived all my
life in Lincoln County. ley father Cleto Chavez was born April 26,
1845, in Socorro Texas which was just below Franklin Texas (which
is now known as El Paso Texas.) His father died when he was six
months old and his mother when he was twelve ye era old. He was
left to rake his own way early in life. He went to Franklin Texas
and earned his living es best he could doing odd jobs. One day he
met a ern by the name of George Neblett who owned, and operated a
see mill on the Lescelere Indian Reservation. He had freighted
some lumber to Franklin by ox teams. He offered Father a job to
work around the mill aet ten dollars per month and his keep. He
also taught him to speak English. This was in 1870. Father went
back to Mescalero with Mr. Neblett, traveling by cx team. They were
always on the lookout for Indians in those days as they were always
going on the war pe th. At night when they stopped to camp they form-
ed E. circle with the wagons and put the oxen inside the circle. The
men folks slept inside the circle and one or more of the in kept
watch during the night. Father said that they did not see an Indian
on the whole trip back to Mescelero. One day after arriving at the
mill Mr. Neblett put Father on a. horse and told him to ride just as
test as he could to Tularose New Mexico end warn the settlers that
the Indians had gone on the 'AY r path and were heeded for Tularosa.
Father said that he rode es:. fast as the horse could zo all the way.
Just before he got to Tulerosa he net Marino Ruiz riding horseback.
He was going, up on the mcuntein side to cut some rood. Father told
Edith L. Crawford, 2.
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
Words 1512
him that the Indians were coming and to turn book. Ba paid no atten-
tion to him but went on up the road. About the time Father reached
Tularosa he heard the Indiana giving their war whoop and he knew
that they had killed Marino Ruiz and sure enough they found his body
the next day. On this same trip Father saw Benito Montoya coming
on horseback but he was too far away to be warned. Benito heard
the Indians eaming tho' and he rode into some Tule grass which grew
awfully rank and was tall enough to hide him and his horse and the
Indians passed his by. Benito told me this same story years after
it happened and he remembered seeing my father on his way to Tula
rose. (This same Benito Montoya was one of the Jurors when Billy
the Kid was tried at Magnin New Mexico for the killing of Sheriff
Brady.) The people of Tularosa had built barricades to protect
themselves from the Indians. They dug deep trenches end would fight
from these trenohes. They fought the Indians off on this occasion
without much loss. When the Indians went on the war path they al-
ways left the reservation. Mr. Neblett was a fine upright man and
never had any trouble with the Indians. He sold his saw mill to
A. N. Blazer in 1873 and it was later celled Blazer's Mill.
Mr. Neblett,his wife and son were killed on the east side of the
Organ Mountains. They were on their way to Old Mesilla to locate.
They all three had been shot and their bodies left where they fell.
The only thing missing was the teem and until this day no one has
over known who murdered the Neblett family. Father had left the
employ at Mt. Neblett in March 1872 and moved to Ficacho, New Mexico
where he worked on the farm of William Casey and tended the horses
and cattle. In October 1872 he left Casey and went to work for
Jack Price who owned a farm at Pioacho. In October 1874 Father
Edith L. Crawford, 3.
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
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married Prudencia Miranda and they moved to Las Chozos, where
Father took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty sores. He
farmed and raised cattle and horses. He was living at Las Chozos
during the Lincoln County War but he took no part in it. He and
Jose Miranda his father in law used to laugh and say that when
they were with Murphy end Dolan they were for them and when they
were with MOSween they were for MtSween but they never were in-
volved in any way in the war. My Mother was born May 10, 1855
in a small town called Acecio in Socorro County and came to Lin-
coln County with her parents in 1882. They cane in a wagon drawn
by oxen by way of the Gallinas Mountains and while crossing the
mountains they net a band of Indians. It was just about night
and at this time there were about fifteen wagons in the train,
as each day other wagons met and traveled on with the Mirandas.
When they sighted the Indians the wagon train stopped and made
camp for the night. They formed a circle with the wagons and
put the families and all the stock inside the circle, and prepar-
ed to give the Indians a be The Indians had stopped on the
mountain side and were watohing the people in the wagons. They
did not attack at once and there was a fellow in the crowd by
the name of Zuan Luoero who could understand and speak some Indian,
so he went out to within hollering distance of the Indians and
asked them if they were ready to fight and the Indian chief re-
plied that they did not want to fight then but would be back the
next day at noon to fight. The wagon train laid over in this camp
for four days waiting for the Indians to come back but they never
did show up, so the wagon train went on their way to Lincoln New
Mexico. They traveled very slowly and some of the men folks rode
Edith L. Crawford, 4.
Oarrizozo, N. Yet.
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ahead of the wagons and some behind, to protect the train from the
Indians in case they were in the mountains waiting for them. They
never saw any more Indians and arrived safe and sound in Lincoln.
It took about two weeks to make this trip by ox team from Socorro
to Lincoln New Mexico. Jose Miranda and his family went on to
Las Chozos, seven miles east of Lincoln and took up a homestead.
Be went to farming and raised horses and cattle, but during 1865
the Indians got so bad they would ooze into the fields where Jose
was plowing with oxen and unyoke the oxen and drive them away, and
they stole all of his horses and cattle. After the Indians were
quieted down the Government paid Jose Miranda (my grandfather)
for all of the horses and cattle that the Indians had stolen from
him. These incidents were told to me by my father and mother. I
was a very small boy at the time.
Jack Gillman and David Warner were drinking and they went to a
house of ill fame and were raising a rough house. Some one went to
Juan Martinez who was the constable at that time, and tdild him to
go to this house and stop the rough stuff. BA walked up to the door
and called Jack Gillman who Came to the door. Juan told him he was
under arrest for disturbing the peace. Gillman said," All right
;elan, any thing you say is all right with me." About this time
David iiarner came up and said to Gillman, "Don't you surrender to
him, you don't have to obey any orders from him." ;Ilan Martinez
reached for his gun sad so did David Warner. Both fired at the same
time and both fell to the floor mortally wounded and died in a few
minutes. Gillman was so soared at the out oone that he made a dash
for the river and hid in some brush. The people of the town were
so mad about the killing of the two men that they formed a posse
and went to hunt for Gillman and when they found him some one
Bath L. Crawford,
Carrizozo, N. Max. 5.
Words -1512
in the posse shot him on sight. Later they found that Martinez had
shot .,,arner and Warner had shot Martinez and that they had killed
an innocent man when they shot Gillman but it was too late then.
My father died in Carrizozo New Mexico, November 1, 1932 at the
age of eighty seven years. My mother is eighty three years old
and is living with one of her grand daughters in San Francisco
California.
I have served as Probate Sudge in Lincoln County for eight years
and have been :ustice of the Peace in Oarrizozo for four years.
Narrator: Elerdo Chavez, Carrizozo, New Mexico. Aged 58 years.