Document text
Frances E. Totty
Related by Otho Allen
Age 54.
"CALn.,LAA1
Feb. 25, 1938.
1350 words.
Early days in the southwest.
My father, J. W. Allen and mother came to Deming in 1882 the
year before I was born. There wasn't a doctor in Deming at the
time my people came to town. Dr. Stoval came to Deming in 1884
just before I was born.
He was just a lad and my mother would not have him as a doc-
tor, because she said he hadn't had any experience, and she would
rather have an older woman take care of her. Dr. Stoval is prac-
ticing over on the mimbres River at the present time.
In 1884 my father moved to Whiterater, where two regiments
of soldiers were stationed. He didn't have a job or any money
and killed antelopes for the soldiers. He later bought a tent
and started a saloon where he made enough money to get a start.
He moved to White Signal in 1885 and took squatters rights
on a niece of land. Our first livestock were hogs and we slow-
ly accuired a few cattle. My father was very conservative arid
was trying to get ahead. He saved a few 2O gold pieces,r=hich
I found and dropped through 8 crack in the floor. The story
got out about me pushing the gold pieces through the floor, and
people got the impression that my father was rich and hoarding
gold.
One night a knock was heard at the door. When we called
"who is it?" The answer was: "Its me." My father was away from
home and mother wouldn't open the door. The man tried to get
in the house, and hung around for a couple of hours and finally
went away. The next morninz we found two large rocks and a
heliv green club by the door. After that my father was very
carennnbout his money.
Cearar Brock killed the last mouhtain sheep killed in the
Burro Mountains. I was a youngster at the time, and could on—
ly reach half way around his horn with both hands.
The first time I saw Mr. Brock I was riding behind my fath—
er to camp. Father said "Son, here comes some one with a large
gun." It was in the winter, and was very cold. Father asked
Mr. Brock to return to camp with us, which he did. He had been
to our camp, but left as we didn't return to camp early. Mr.
Brock said: "I killed a deer up here and you can have it if you
will Fo get it as it is too far for me to carry to my camp. "The
next morning we went with Mr. Brock to where the deer was, and a
wildcat had been there. Mr. Brock remarked that he just as well
have his skin ns anyone else, and left. That afternoon father
and I were cleaning out a slue when one of us happened to look
up and saw Mr. Brock standing on one of the highest peaks with
the skin tied around his waist. Mr. Brock came off the side of
that cliff as fleet as a deer.
'Tr. Brock was raised around the Indians, and to many is
very queer. One never knew when to expect him at their elbow
laughing, because he scared them. At dawn he might be at your
camp some five or ten miles from his camp, and at dusk thirty
miles away, and he was always a foot.
He has a gun that is marked T. S. V. which is generally
believed to belong to the Adams party. The Gold Gulch country
must be where the Adams Diggings are located for Mr. Brock
found the gun in a cave in the Gulch. The land markings suit
the Adams discription. The mountain that resembles a womans
breast can be seen. I have found several 45-70 Rim Fire shells
in the Gulch, and several cradles that were made with pegs for
nails. Mr. Brock used to come in with some nice nuggets and
told us that he thought the Gulch was where the Adams Diggings
were. He 1, --ter showed us the gun that he had found with the
initials carved on it.
There is a hole in the Gulch formed by water falling from
a cliff in rainy weather. In this hole one can see a heart
with an arrow through it and turkey tracks in the rocks. How
the Indians got in the hole to carve signs is a miracle to me.
The sides of the hole are slick and curve slightly. There are
many cliff dwellings around the Gulch, and Pit dwellings are
found all along the range of mountains.
John Cummings told me the first time he saw Billie the
Kid Was in Cochise. The Kid came into town and went to
loon and said he was hunting work. The boy saw some lien gamb-
ling and was soon in the game, he was a stranger in the country,
and as he seemed to have all the luck and was taking all of the
money, one of the men made a nasty remark. The Kid drew his gun
and killed two of the men around the table and injured another.
He walked out of the saloon as he had just been in the place for
a drink, and walked over to his horse as unconcerned; looked
back, and then jumped on and rode away. The men at the saloon
had thought of him as a mere lad and were taken back when they
found him quick on the draw. The boy left Cochise and was never
seen there again.
In 1905 John MacMullen brought the first two cylinder car
to Silver City. We all knew that a car would never go to Mogol-
lon. Everyone thought Mr. McMullens was rich as he had a car.
We had always gone horseback and thought a horse would be the
only successful way of travel. We rode horses for fifteen
cents apiece or two for twenty-five.
One night Mr. Brock came
to camp and asked me to ride one of his horses, I replied,
Brock we are charging to ride horses now."
"How much?" Mr. Brock asked."
"Fifteen cents for one horse."
"I'd Day fifteen cents to see anyone ride my horse for he
has throwed more than one."
"All right bring him over any time you have him up and
I'll ride him."
Mr. Brock left and about nine that night he came to camp
leading a large black horse. He said, "Lets see you ride him."
I got my fifteen cents. Took off his Montgomery saddle with
one stirrup shorter than the other, and put my saddle on the
horse. The boys that were in bed didn't get up while I was
saddling the horse but did when I got on him. That horse jump-
ed through one of the tents, and the chuck wagon. We rode
"Mr.
through the camp and tore up things in general. In the early
days when you rode a wild horse he was wild, but it was all
in the game tor we needed the money. We never minded a few
hard falls, expected them. We didn't mind sleeping out we
had our old cowboy songs to sing and square dances to pass
the time, so life wasn't so dull.
Otho Adams.