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,Mrs s.d Pennington age 84
f
Aig.1.1938
'Frances 3.Tetty words 7,ito
AUG, 193Li
Zarly Nis around Deming
In the spring of 1883 we left Little-"ock, Arkansas and came
to as /*rag where we only stayed a shirt time.M husband core to Lae
Verne in January and when he sent for me in the sprinr he wrote and said
".r Pod sake trine sore table ol ther, for all they know out here is
oil cloth and I had rather run my hand ever a snake than feel,of them.
I brourht only a few pieces of silver and dishes and these table elethes.
We had been in Las Vernet only a short time and deeided that
the climate wae not gotnr to de is any good as wee were both lugors ry km
hurtend decided to come to Deringinnd as he was a newspaper mnn he bourht
at the Headlirht,and late- the Deminr Tribune and Hiadlirht
cm-bined them all three into are paper..
The Indians under Geranime had been cat:mine-the
of trouble stealinr herees end killing people that were not
The people of Deming united and began to drill to wi e out
they were tired of the dewdations and raids.General Cooke
a chance to catch the Indians as htts men rode 'erre estuary
Democrat and
settlers a lot
around tewn.
the Indians as
never did have
torsos and
the snail pintos of the indiento seen loft the ioIdiars behind, end if they
were pushed to hard the warriors took to the hill afoot.
The peenle had been train*ng and drilling for around ten months when they
doolded it was time to take thing in their hand and wipe out the Indians
word reuehed ilashington of their preparations. and 6enoral Gooks 'as called
to Washington and 'loners' Miles sent out to take his place. General
milec had Geranime in less than two mentts. It took severk1 speeib1
Extras besides the soldiers to koet the people from mobbing the Apaches
as they were bein0 'Wren to Fort sill.
2
When my husband came to _ening ke said that he though Las
V0,113 was the end of civilization, but God help thif co' ntry.
7hen we arrived here he had rentec, us a room with i lento
for thirty dollars a month, and we had to carry water three blocks.
have some pietares taken of the Indians on the war path
with their bodie-; panted and the trousers that the governrcent had gi
given them,cit off.absve the knees. In the day time we would watch
them on the mountains with the field glasses and at night could seer
theft fires.
When my testand left the 11011PC, he always locked me an the MCI-
dron and told us to not got opt. It wasn't only the Indians that he
'was afraid of but as there were always fights on the street he was al—
ways afraid that we vr,ould be hurt. One night the people in town became t.
tired of the crowd that was always sheot:ng up the town and killed
seven and left them lying en the steps of the stc'tion.
By the year of 3285 it was safe for a woman to go anywhere,' have
ridden tie range mere than one aay hunting cattle and our horse.'
owned one of the two Arabian horses in this country, and was not eteas
afraid to ge any where. I had a friend that rode with a lot and
we would go to anyone. ranch and stop, and take a meal and go en our we
People were living in all kind of make shift houses when we came in
here One family up on the kill was living under a piece of ail cloth
stretched ever twspoles with a hole eat in the oil cloth to put the
stove pipe through. This family lived in this place for over a year.