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Georgia B. Niotflioll 11.4.11.46
Roswell, Bev Mexiso Norte
Stbjelitillihneer Story
bouree of Infatuation:
Given in Interview with
Ars, ohuroh,
OCT 3 1938
101 AKILIA (BuLTON) CBUhUit
..aeleoted by a 4.4nnittes of .4avee County Arshaeologioal
and Historleal 600loily as one of the four Outstanding
Pioneer Builders of Roswell and aoutheast Sew Agate°,
Ars. Amelia (Bolton) Church daughter ef John Belton, who
was head of the -quartermaster Department stationed with army of..
floors at Port .5tanton, New Noxico, for protection of the early
settlers from Indians, and wife of the late J. Po cilinrohs a pi0.•
user builder øf Roswell has lived in Bantheast New Mexiee for
sixty-seven years.
Native of Wexford Ireland
Mrs. auroh was born in Y;exford Ireland Only 3, 1862. In
1871 mho oame from Ireland to America with her mother, Alla (DeyeL)
Bolton, and a brother and younger sister, who is lire. Ala (Belton)
Savideon. lie. Bolton and her children, on landing in Mew York,
traveled by train as far as the rallrorld waL built, and that by
&ray ambulance ant covered wagons, cuarded by an army escort seat
i'rom Fort tanton, by whom they were oonduetod 004117 tbroueh hoa
tile Indian infested plains to what WW1 to be their new home in the
wild newly settled oountry of New ilexioo.
Adobe Home at klort stanton
kr. Bolton had preeeded his wife and ahildren in eoming to
America. After they joined him at Port Stanton he built for them
a new adobe home. Bore ahureh lived happily with her parents
and brother and sister the three first of her many continuous years
of refAcZence in New li4exico.
Old Linooln Town
ust
In 18T3 John Bolton moved his family to the hietorle old town
of Linooln. hew Maxie*, whorls he was mode poetmacter. Mere his
daughters, *molls and lala grew to young girlhood, constantly 'war-
roundod by danger, net only from Indiana of whoa they had live"
in terror at /fort Utanton, but from the rough element of sottlers
of the now town, made up of oattlo thieves1 ganblors and. Llardarorn,
and the n.battles of the two factions of the bloody feudal eon.
fliete, known ae the Lineoln County war. The true etories of sOno
of those beta's of whisk Mrs. Church is one of the few living
eye.witnessos AM the traditions of the many hiFtorlo place of
intereot in Linaeln County are desired by the Chaves County Arabi's*.
logioal and Ristorleal Zooloty for preservation in the hoewell
Museum. 1V1i WI'At%111kevrrio L44
1"1"% tv4-4AZA4YN
ing of Linsoln County *sr
The kill Ale of John 11. %natal on robruary 1
111p4,0, et/ft
Lj 44/
1978 wog the
;real beginning of the Lineoln County War. Tunstall who was a
popular young anglishaan had established a ranch on the icio
and etooked it with cattle and heroes. willian Bonney, who became
known afterwards ao "Billy the Xlit. ant as a bloodthirsty man.killer
and outlaw". WAB employed by 5.Unstall to arftiet with the osook on
the ranoh. They beoaas fast friends. The youthful outlaw made a
resolve, while .1,tanding over the grmve f his. friend, that is would
never let up until he 1111164 the laxt man who helped to kill Atn.
etalls Tunstall was shot down by Ifftotals of the law, wh..1 wove
sent to take ?metallic mettle and propertz boosuce of his partner-
ship with Mowoen in the meroantilo business in Linsoln, Zheriff
brady was toup-,osoil to have been 1.416,,onalble for the attashment
a
Issued against tanstallos propertWe uhloh 310041tt ix his
ia
0
ratty
well. naid ;sirs. '.hush during an
low a* her hone in Roswell in .iitytenber, 193E.
Me was theriff of Lincoln Conn* when he wee killed. I
saw hiu so.r. he and another man, deputy aheriff 44,0rie Zindman. lay
Lead in the street, shot down, as they were JALaing, 14 Billy the
Kid and his gang, who lay hidden behind an adobe yell. lajor Brady
was killed instantly. George Hindman fell when ht. VAS shot, and
Ike 5toekton who was standing near, on sating he was still alive,
ran to him and gave him water that he broucht from ditch in his
het. However nothing eould revive his for he was mortally weemilled
and died in u l'ew adnextes. Tht third an, Billy hathows, wil,- was
\\6, lith kajor .drculy when the shooting boom, made hiu 'sew by run.
nine into 412 adobe house new- It
Old Lincoln aunty Court House
"Up stairs in the old Curt !loupe at Sineoln iu the room Ass*
illy the Kid was confined welting hia trial for the killing of
hajor Brady. There have been many untrue rtorie told f_1" the Kidfo
sensational ',seeps aftta killing his tro -,ima:dx Dell and alinger.
I remember all the ftl0t:! in connecti vlth that escape," said hrs.
Church
'i3tlly the Kid, wa lsyint. ste:(1:3 1.th Bell, while ,illinger,
him other guard, wat at dillner aorosu the stletts he new his ethane*
and grabbetl -4111;4 gun. -411 darted eLoWL the indite gtairway, but
Billy the Lid W6.4 too quiok for him, he fired i.nd :Aall fell deft,:, at
't, the bottom of the stai,zs.
Billy the Kid then walkcd, ualc4 to a
winclow rind. saht;t linger d‘iwn es he ammo sunning when he heard the
4
,shooting. The Mid" then threw the gun on Mincer who lay tying
and told 001,8, the jail cook, to mine a horee that was feeding
in an alfalfa field near by. The oo,A helped eet the shtoklee off
the Xid's hands but, booms* they were welded, on he couldn't get
them off his legs that is why ho was thrown from the horse beeause
of having to ride side«wise on aesount of the ehaekles. Re rode
mil. and a half west before they tere removed by a Mexioan man,
who afterwards gave the ehCkles to George Tits!orth, who lived at
Capitan, and. possessed an intereeting collection at that place."
"ft* Olt CoUrt House is now in rooese of reoonditioning and.
stmwthening It is to servo ow a lel to the pioneers alter
iis reitoration."
El Torreon $tone Tower
In 1935, Mrs. Churth worked untiringly with the Chavee County
Archaeologleal and Historical Iseiety in the seauring and restore'
tion of 11 Torreon the old round stone tower, built by Mexican mit«
tiers around 1840 or 1850, at La Plaelta later named Ltneoln. The
tower was firmt built to be used as a look out and looteotion against
b,}4-4.---2.2. 4-04 /2-&-ot z----t-
tgttd=ilaws red as a refugl during the Lincoln County War.
"I VW interested in savine the old tower that wee fart orumb-
ling into mine," saiekrs. Uhuroh, gbeeause we felt safer all thraUgh
those dangerous years of outlawry just kniwin there was always a
place of safety to be found Wand its 7roteoting walls. It helped
keep us brve ut times when we needed courace."
NY sister aloe and my mother and I were the only white persons
of twenty aeven the rert were all liexioans who (Tent the night
crowded together in El Torreon fter we had been warned to seek
safetr in the tower, for tht dreaeod Harrell brother, ut1aW
purdorere, were Ati their w- to wipe ant the t
441c144
n eeven of the Hoyeell )1.,•o here. Two had been killel at a
A
lile ((Lamm) tee- the younger ene of the brothers hu4 tarted
a quarrel over a eanih enorite. This threatenod invaelot was
su:jpeee to be f..5.7° the eurpore ef carrying out their threat to kill
every man, woman and ohild in revenge for the ahoetine of their
bethore. We spent the night in fear and trembling, ol,Ise by the
ride of our ,other, tut mornin,e tAind ue euite safe in the old tower.
The liorrelle had accepted rome kind of a truce offered by a friend.
They were nollif el for the time being ane no one at all wan harmed*.
I know now," said irs, Church, *that our nother who possested
a brave dauntles trit and never emelained during those tan.
roue times cruet have often. lanced for the peaceful seeurity of
her ci
Ireland
The First Jail. Built in 7,inooln
oh remembers the building of the ftrt je in Liaeoln,
oolupant f which was Billy the KUL
"I watohed the men ae they -,orked on the jil. .aid. L4rs. talents
lug a square pit ebut rine lett deep, then they lowered to
rui7h oloeet like cell wi0out any doors or wlndows. On top
of the rund, over the oell they built two room adobe houee for
the jailer. I saw them lower Billy the Kid through a trap door' in
the to; to the cell below. There was a diteh runnine full of water
close Fy. I was Lorrified When I heard one of the men who lowered.
the 'Kid" ni1e;-ey: IlietIr turn the water of that ditch into the
cell and. drown him like t,,/
Knew Billy the Kid sad Mobwoome
Whilst many harrowing exPeriemeis and murderinge War. iniell-
ably impressed upon tho young mini of Mrs. Churehe
man7 pleasant Postal oeoacions during the yearn she lived in Linooln.
There were musicale parties and dancing.
-eiad-uos-sp-gootlk--dmneory,-Mw-*IML-gL-M*tsQa•-8NHI04--M-aef--4NV-
(dal Qt_eba-40vmt-si She often visited in the he
of Mrs and bra, xeDween. Mr. Me8wooh though he never carried agNO,
was one of tho faction leeldore of the Linsoln County war. she re-
members Mrs. NoSwoon as beine a woman of refinement and culture. $he
w:41 a good musician and (mod a fine piano of whieh she was Very
proud. It waJ burned in her home, the night her husband was killed
in the final tattle that practioally ended the Lineeln Gem* war
which took plow, in JulY 1876.
Married to Joshua P. Charlet
Mrs. Church was married July 18, 1891 to Joshua I'. Chursh then
of Roswoll who had been a resident of 6outhoast Mew Untie gime the
spring of 1880. ahildren born to this unl,n were oPhis (Mrs. 11.16.
Oehampeugh, who live in }Almon) Joshua (a son, who lives in Denims,
Jew Xex100) Afloat' (Mrs. Langfort Math, who lives in Eoewoll) and
Xlinor (Mrs. Richard M. Harri,on, who lives in Novato. Arizona).
Old Pauly Notiol
The tfrst home ovoupled by Mr. and Mrs. Churoh, after their
marriago, was the old Pauly Hotel which Vita the first real hotel
built in Ioswoll. They purohaEled the IIIterevt end holdings in the
building from Mrs Aileen O'Neal who had oonduoted the hot1 for the
fir,A six onths after it oonntruction in 1890.
4fter living in the hotel four years Mr. and Mrs. Churdk built
the home where Xrn.
210 ::,uth Kentucky
in 1917.
Wes.ahuroh is lre of th
7
Churoh 1vem f4t the present time at what Is now
enue, and tohtTe the tkath of tr. ureh oecnrret
lenAerr of the noolal life it
holonce to the Mrisoormltan Church, mne te a menhir of
the "onwel Woman'sClub, f the liouthwerterm Hirtory Laub, ant
Clawson County .Nrohlter,
.114.. nintorloal ooletr to whit& she ham
otmtributel rudh of her TOnstle time In th buildine of the Roswell
V.usleun And the ,roeress of its eultw.o.1 Pr, opmcnt thst in proving
invaluble to the 7tople of "'orvelle The beautiful Pueblo style
deafened by rrank elanthardt 71)tverell arohltolt, wDelleatell
to tht !Pounders mn4 BuIlleri of ”Onwell* is the culmination of the
ilkeap of Xrs, 0. D. Inner. col,
thluehto of but line a suitable
l)Ø3 tolleetior owned by the
2rojoot ir
In the, reletion of Mrr, Chnroh, by a eawittee of the soeisIY,
as one of the flor -eat UMW laGnmer buildere of oitheet Xew
1?exfoo, of whom t bust wee to be :eoul7ttred for ttle 7otwell mueeum,
he vs, :!vatly lInnore 01 the ilnnr. o trtbntorn to the
tir,WAne. and meranlement if "me an nyll!erelo led new seetIon of
the er-ftl sem yeti
like hemd moaeleA
11
r.. Chnroh, Who first emtertninst the
foe tl bonne the rnlerdid areheees.
A,niety. It ime; onm7leted aE 5114
chnroh, John Zhflum, CliptAin
Joeeh C. Lea tout Kale J. 7acorman th work of Jahr iisym,Nnd Tir.
kin a ,T,nta teal:Ito? e &,ne unJer the W. I. Feeernl art
iroject of now Nextee. They htve been niseed in ninher. trpeofallq
&!..NUTee. f then Zilt.e.litc, in the' 1 tr,t-ne-n of the foyer
of the =arum. ere tbey will be safe 0J.I1B serve to nerpetuate the
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memory of, not only MT3. Church, but all the 14oneer wives and nether,
for whom elle wtan&s, ana not only of the three pioneer win, assoli-
ated with Nre. Ohurch as builders, but all those pioneers for whom
their sculptured heade stand an ,ymbole, who were contributors in
the dtvelopl4ent and cultural advaneewent of a new oivilisation in
the ovantry of 'ocuthcast New Mexico.
rn Church h&c ever been intereted tn, the welfare of the
poorer clal,s of people and has worked oeaselesvly through the years
to improve and broaden the lives of those less fortunate in alum.
tional ,AdvalAezie and beautiful curroundings. Gardening is her hobby.
Lhe is wide,' howubecauF;o of her CiTiO pride and achievements in
developing beauty -spot- in which treee and lovely lawns and flowers
row flourish, where in the early days rho saw only at grass, atm-
uite and weedsAgrow in profusion.
aureh and her family are apreolated an ctn.nd. high in
the regard of the onwell peoples