Document text
,.7.2es E. Totty
inted by J. IL Erock
Ai7e "577) 75.
Feb. 16,197g. '%-ords 2190.
Early Days in the Southwest.
"y neorle came to the Mesilla Valley in the early days.
They lived at Fort Seldon when they first came to the valley.
They had a meet market and run the ferry across the river.
'7e stayed nt the Fort a short time then moved to Mesilla or
the present Old Mesilla.
In 1877 the worst cold sell came to the Mesilla Valley
that was ever known in history; there has never been such a
snell since in the valley. The stock froze; grane vines that
had been in the volley for more than a hundred years were kill-
ed. !'y father didn't sell any meat for days and days as he
crildn't cut it as after a beef as killed it froze so hard a
knife was of no use what ever.
any of the families decided to lenve the "esille Valley
and go to Las Mimbres. Some twelve families left Old Mesilla
in their cantos, which were two wheeled carts, the only mode
of travel that the people had at that time. The narty settled
on the Mimbres River at the rresent site of Old Town tirty_
five miles northeast of silver City beyond Faywood Hotsrringr.
The families cleared off riots of ground for cultivation.
They were making n success of farming and rejoicing that they
had come to The Mimbres Rio. The Anaches were waiting for the
time to get some good horses and to slaughter their unexnect-
ing victims. Victoria deciding that his tribe needed some new
mounts raided the colony drove off ell the cattle and horsee
and killed every member of the settlement. Old Town for some
time was vacant, but later other settlers came into town.
News soon reached the small torn of Mesilla of the dis-
aster that had befallen their relativer and friends. There
were many who had nlanned on going to the "imbrer, still in
"esille that were reloicing that they -ere still alive, and
many were sorrowing for thore that were gone.
"y father in 1.75 decided to come to this district of
the southwest he settled at "Erns Enrings," the present Burro
rings, so called by the Fnanirh neople because the black
tail deer came to the snrings for water.
When we came here there wasn't any Lordsburg or Deming.
Pilver City was n small village of around two hundred neonle,
nnd Ralston, the nresent Shakesnepre, -as n stooping nlace.
Burro orings was the only meter in the immediate territory,
and was a storming niece for men, beast, and the devil him-
self on his way to rogollons. We sold water, food surmliee,
mining sunnlies, and kept rooms for the travelers.
We looked on the desneredo tyne as protection in those
days. Curly Bill and other such characters were always wel-
come to such outlaying nieces as when these men were staying
at the place we never expected any trouble and we felt that
we were cafe from the Indians, for the Indians resnected these
sunnosed to be gunmen.
Curly Bill was a handsome man his reputation might have
been bad, but he had his good noints -s well. The bad man
of the yesterday was not bad by nature as a rule. They were
victims of circumstances. In most cases they were men that
were mistreated and abused by some party until they were cor-
nered, and forced to kill to rave their life or nroperty.
Rather than let the law be their judge they would hide out,
and sooner or later be forced to kill again, then it wouldn't
be long until they would be an outcast from society, and a
desperado.
Curly Bill as we knew him was ouiet and when he came to
the Spring s stayed off to himself. He was called Curly from
the fact that he wore long hair. He never did us any harm, but
always seemed to be our friend. As to whether he was connected
with the "San Simon Ganz" I very seriously have my doubts? but
I do know that he worked for Harvey Whitehill, and was loyal to
the man.
Curly Fill was at our nlace one time lust after we had re-
turned from koache Telo with some of our cattle that had been
stolen.
We had recovered all of our stock, but five cors,Curl:,
it listening to
The newt morning
came in with our
our misfortune shaking and nodding his head.
Curly left the Springs and five days later
five cows, and that is the way the surnosed to
be bad man did his friend a favor, there
wasn't any talking to
be done they believed in action and talking later.
When Curly left thir cart of the southwest in
succored to have gone into Arizona and gotten into
killed, but this is false for I rold cattle to him
World Iar.
lRF5
he as
trouble and
after the
kfter the war we couldn't find buyers for our stock
and buyers were begged to buy, and were enticed in every
way nossible to look at our stock. A group of buyers were
over at the corrals, by the l'cGomas Tree, looking at our
cattle, I noticed one of the buyers from California loked
familiar to me. We eyed one another for some time, finally
the fellow came over to me and said: "id you know Harvey
7hitehill?"
I ouickly renlied "I did and I know you." "He smiled
and nodded his head. He had been able to start life over
after he was reported killed, and he wasn't the only bad man
th2t was killed to become leaders of the country. The coun-
try was so spalaely settled that they could go into a new
place and Ftart a new life.
Russian Bill_ and King that were hung at Ralston were
not desperados, but bully they would c7o into town and get
drunk and shoot up the town. One tile while shooting up
the torn King was shot through the back of the neck. Rus-
sian Bill used the old Indian method of nutting salt on the
wound and nouring whiskey on over the salt. The first ann-
lication burned like the devil, but later the whiskey dead-
ened the nain.
King finally cane to after Bill had kept hot rock all
around him for several days, and kent up the use of salt and
whiskey. After Kins- omnletelir recovered the two men decid-
ed to give the town of Ralston n. day to remember.
The two men went to town and got drunk Pandy King pick-
ed a quarrel with Harry Mess, a clerk in the Carol Brothers
store and shot his finger off. King was arrested and guard-
ed by Jack Rutland behind the saloon. Russian Bill stole a.
horse and went to Deming here he as arrested and returned
to Ralston. Both these bullies rere now prisoners for Jack
to guard. One night Russian Bill was singing "Climbing Those
Golden tairs," and the men decided that when Jack brought
his Prisoners in with their blankets they would give the men
a chance to see Saint Peter, and sing "Climbing Those Golden
Stairs" to him for they were tired of their Pranks.
The men took the blankets that the two men slept on and
threw them over the heads of Russian Bill and Sandy King.
They took the two men dorr to the old hotel and hung them.
These men weren't men that were respected as outlaws, but men
that tried to run over neonle. The weren't rustlers or kill-
ers as so many of the men that male the frontier a safe place,
but a modern bully.
When we settled at Burro Pnrings the road that you just
came over in Gold Gulch was between twenty and thirty feet
deener than it is today. We travel now down the bed of the
creek in an hours time, Fifty years ago the bed was made up
of willows and cottonwood trees. It took a day to travel down
the bank Ps one never could get in the bed as it was deep with
vertical banks. Gold was plentiful in nugget form. There is
some gold today but it is s starvation for a living 11017, as
the nuggets are all small. The gold here from all probability
is meter gold and a mother lobe will never be found. The coun-
try has been nrornected in for over one hundred years and a vein
has never been found yet. People till come to the valley to
Placer mine and nen the gold in the creek bed. You can see
their cave dwellings along the bank of the gulch.
Since I have come to Grant County I have had to learn to
sneak the English language. In the old torn of 7,Tesills there
were only three white children, and the rest were of a Spanish
and Indian descent. SPanish was snoken altogether. Donna -____T
the pottery maker of the town, WRS our nearest neighbor. She
didn't have any children and she was my teacher until we left
the valley. I sno'ce the language ac a native and English was
difficult to learn. Today I use some Spanish Phrases RP I
can't find an English phrase to express my meaning.
Geronimo and I have had a few friendly exchange of shots.
I was never in a real battle with him, but one time as he came
across our pasture he too a -Pew shots at re and I returned the
volley.
In lP172 the soldiers found an Indian baby left to die be-
side the trail. The Indians had been in a combat with a wagon
train and the party had all been killed. The baby was the only
one of the group that escaped. The soldiers picked un the In-
dian child and took him in with them to the 'timbres. There the
John family took the child to raise. The boy Droved to
be an intelligent child, but cruel. When he was twelve years
he was caught in the act of dashing the brains in of one of the
7iller children with a hatchet. The child was at once returned
to the San Carlos reservation, after having been with an Ameri-
can family for eleven years.
There were many things happened in the early days, life
was uncertain, but they were good old days. People hnd much
respect for others and were ready to heln those in need.
C. J. Brock
iather than let the law ,e they aold hide
uut, and sooner or later 1.e or
-oe long until they would a_ ou7,:et fro 6ociet) and a desperado.
to i 11 rtyme-e-fre----e4-5-e then it wouldn't