Document text
Aith L. Cr if'
Cerrizozo, E. Mex.
PIONEER STORY.
Charles D. lir,ays r
Carrisoso, N. vex.
words 1.152
JUL 91938
I hale lived in Lincoln Oounty New kexico for (If ty-four years.
1 was born in New Tork state and grow up in the state of Ohio. I
left Ohio when I wee twenty one years old and oars by train to Las
Vegas New }feriae in the latter pert of 1885. Soon after arriving
in Las Vegas I heard of the White Oaks gold mines so left Las
Vegas for hite Oaks. I went by rail from Las Vegas to San Antonio
New Mexico end from the re to white Oaks by freight wagons as the re
wa s a tra in of wagons freighting into 4ihite Oaks Lit that time.
The se wa gons were drawn by mule s and horses and it took e bout a
week to sake the trip. 1 errived in ?ihite Cake in the early part
of January 1884, end it as very cold weather. There were not very
army buildings in the town at thst time and whet few there were
were built of logs. I opened up a blacksmith shop and did work
for the Liners end also shod horses, mulea and oxen for the freight-
ers and for the farmers in the surrounding country. I ran my
blacksmith shop for twelve years g sold out in 1890 and went into
ths general merchandise business there in ',;;hite Oaks. After the
mines closed down in Atite Oaks I roved to Carrisozo end put in a
general marelaandise and grocery store whioh I ran until my health
failed, end 1 retired frost business in 1929.
When I first cane to Lincoln County it we taro hundred and fifty
miles from east to west and one hundred and fifty miles from north
to south, making it one of the largest counties in the state.
First Eddy and Chaves eounties were cut off from Lincoln County,
then Otero end the last one cut off •geis Torrence, and still Lin-
coln is a t I ir sized oouintr.
In the year 1886 I,6 -es sppointed deputy sheriff for the alite Cake
Edith L. :::rwi.ford
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
t•;+
Charles D. :layers
Carrizozo, N. ilex.
Words 1152
district. My first man hunt as deputy was for a man named George
Musgrave who killed a fellow by the name of George Parker at a
round up oamp Parke r a nd kusgrave had be en Artier& in the ca
tle business with headquarters about thirty miles eest of Roswell.
They were caught with some cattle that did not belong to them end
Parker went before the grand jury and had Musgrove indicted for
illegally branding those cattle. In some way Musgrave was tipped
off that the law was looking for him and he skipped out to krizona.
There he met a Rea celled "Black Jack" and the two went into the
cattle business in the Haohite mountains in Arizona. This man
Bleck jack would never tell where he wee from or who his parents
were. They told cn him that he
as his rifle, and a good prayer
up in a christien home as a boy.
could offer up a prayer as long
too, so he must have been brought
Lfter these men had worked to-
gether for e while Musgrave told Black Jack that there was a man
in New Mexico that he wanted to go beck and kill and asked Black
Jack if he wanted to go with him and help do the job. They set
out for Lincoln County and came by the stage coach road. At the
head of the Mal Pais they held up and robbed the ,ihite Oaks stage
coach. They went on to Lincoln and inquired if there were any
round ups going on in the county. They were informed there was
one going on up on the Mesa above Picea.° New Mexico. The two
ir.en left at once for the round up end arrived at the chick wagon
just before dinner. Musgrave knew all the cattlemen and the country
real well. hen they got to the *chuck wagon Musgrave asked the
cook if George i arbor was with the outfit. The cook replied that
he wee and would be in for dinner in e short while. Musgrave, Black
;sok end several cowboys were eating dinner when one of the cowboys
Edith L. Crawford,
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
Words 1152
pointed to e rider coming in and said, "there comes Parker now".
Musgrave turned to the cowboys and said, "Boys, I have traveled
one thousand miles to kill that fellow and I guess I will do it
now." Musgrave end Black Jack rose and picked up their rifles.
Black- Jack said to the cowboys, "Now this is our fight and I
will kill the first man that interferes." Musgrave walked out
to meet Parker and told his to get off of his horse. Just as
Parker hit the ground Musgrave fired and Parker fellosortally
wounded. Parker wetsriding a brand new saddle and Musgrave
took his old saddle off his horse and put Parker's new saddle
on it and the two men, Musgrave and Black jack, rode away to-
ward the Diamond A ranch, near Roswell. Andy Neighbauer was
for of the Diemen A outfit at that time and these two men
stopped there at the ranch and exchanged their tired and worn
out horses for two nice fat fresh horses and vrent on their way.
They took the sum route back to Arizona the t they had traveled
coming in to Lincoln ootuity and again robbed the ithit. Oaks
stage coach at the head of the Mal Pais, at the very same place
as before. I was in Roswell at the time and as I was the dep-
uty sheriff I was asked by the sheriff,George Curry,to forii a
posse and follow these two men. I went to thite Cala; and piok-
ec3 five good men, Sam :Jells, Frank Crumb, Charlie Altos, Earnest
Ooten and a fellow by the nem of Zutes. I:e was from Lentucky
and a brave man. I never knew his first name, we always just
called him"2,utes.") tte started to follow Musgraves end Black
jack. e crossed the an Andres mountains and came out on the
jornado Flats and on to the Rio Grande river. /then we got to
the river it was on a rampage and running bank full of muddy
water. ,e stopped and cabeted as to how we could get across
Edith L. Crnwford, 4. ifords 1152
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
without losing too much time. There were lots of whirl pools
in the river and we were afraid of getting into one of these,
but finally decided to take off our clothes and put them in a
tcw sack and tie them on our saddles. I jumped my horse off in
the river and caught hold of his tail and swam across safely.
I watched each man cross in the same way, then we all put on
our clothes and headed due west. 4e traveled for two days and
when we got to within about one mile of Fairview, Now Yexico,
we stopped to rest our horses and decide what to do next. We
deetied that I Should go on into Fairview and see what I could
find out. I went to the post office and met the postmester and
told him my mission. He avid he was also a deputy sheriff and
would do anything he could to help me. He pointed to a an lean-
ing against the hitching post and said," See that men there, he
owns 9 ranch in the Mogollon mountains and it is headquarters
for all the cattle and horse thieves and you are going into a
vary dangerous and rough country for these men." He advised very
strongly that we turn back. I went back and talked it over with
my posse and it was decided that we would not go on any farther.
live came back through the Black Range by way of Magadelena, SocorrO,
and Sam Antonio New Dexico, where the Suite re i.1Jroad had built
a bridge acrocs the Rio Grande river and we crossed safely on that.
4e arrived holm tired and worn and had failed to get our man.
Under the 'Jaws of New Lexie° we were not entitled to any mileage
or fees as we had made no arrests, but 6heriff Geor#e Curry went
before the County Commisaioners and asked them to allow me my
actual expenses which we around i80.00, which they did.
On one of the first passenger trains run on the El Paso North-
eastern railroad, a cow boy got on the train at Corona New Lexie°.
Edith L. (rawford,
Carrizczo, N. Mex.
rds 11b2
1,hen the conductor came around and said,"Tioket, Please," the
cowboy replied,"Hell, I have no ticket, but if you will stop
thie trtin I will go beck to Corona end get one." The conduc-
tor told him that he could not do that but the next stop would
be Carrizozo and he could get e ticket there and asked,"diere
do ycu went to go?" The cowboy replied,"To Hell." The conduc-
tor smiled and said,"Well Carrizozo is as near es we can get
you," so the cowboy utuyed in Carrizozo.
NAiZIG,TOR: Charles 1). kayer, Carrizozo, New Mexico. Aged 79 years.