A TRIP TO THE RIO GRANDE ON A MULE.
About the time we were getting out of patience waiting, the two boys,
East and Emory, arrived with the good news that Stuart would be along in
a few days, he having to remain over to get their part of the reward,
etc.
Stuart arrived finally; he came in a buggy with a gentleman from
"Vegas." His orders to Roberson and Torry's men were: "Boys, you fellows
pull right back to the ranch, as I have got some important business to
look after in 'Vegas.' We can come back after those cattle in the
spring," etc.
The boys who had helped capture the "Kid" and outfit rounded him up for
their part of the reward, but he said it was already spent. Oh no, they
wasn't mad! Some of them swore that he would be a corpse before morning.
But luckily for him he pulled for "Vegas" that night. I am not certain
whether he was aware of his danger or not, but there is one thing I am
certain of and that is, it wouldn't have been healthy for him to remain
in that locality very long. "Bob" had even consented to the crowd
hanging him. I was the only one who protested, for the simple reason
that I do not believe in mob law. Of course I thought it very wrong in
swindling the boys out of equal share of the reward, after they had
shared equally in the danger and hardships.
"Bob" was in a bad fix, in debt, no money and ordered home, by one whose
orders his boss had told him to obey. The question was, how to stand his
creditors off and get grub, corn, etc. enough to last him home.
I finally came to his rescue. As I intended remaining, I went to the
merchants and told them his fix and guaranteed that he would send the
money he owed as soon as he got home, or else I would let them take it
out of my four mules and wagon, which were worth a thousand dollars at
least.
They let him off; also let him have grub, corn, etc. enough to last him
home, which would take fifteen days to make the trip.
As some of my boys became homesick, on seeing Roberson's outfit getting
ready to pull back and as I was anxious to cut down expenses, knowing
that I would have to lay there the rest of the winter, waiting for
money to pay up my bills before the merchants would let me move my
wagon, I let three of them go along with "Bob." Those three were James
East, Cal. Pope and Lee Hall. "Bob" let Tom Emory, one of his men, who
was stuck on the light mountain air of New Mexico remain with me. This
left me there with a cook and three warriors, Emory, Chambers and
"Big-foot" Wallace.
Just as soon as "Bob" had pulled out, I moved into town and rented a
house, so that we could put on style, while waiting for the money I had
written to the ranch for.
The mails were so irregular, on account of the deep snow which lay on
the ground up there in the mountains nearly all winter, that I didn't
get a letter from Moore for three weeks. In the letter were drafts for
three hundred dollars; and Moore stated that I had done just right by
not taking Stuart's advice and coming home. He also reminded me that I
mustn't come back until I got the cattle, if it took two years; and also
that I must scour out the Sand hills on the Plains around Las Potales,
"Kid's" den, on my return. I distributed the three hundred dollars among
my creditors and then wrote back to the ranch for some more, as that was
already gone, etc.
We found the citizens of White Oaks to be sociable and kind; and
everything went on lovely with the exception of a shooting scrape
between a School teacher and "Big foot."
About the last of February I received another three hundred dollars and
I then struck out, accompanied by Tom Emory, to hunt the noted Pat
Cohglin and find out if he would let us have the cattle without
bloodshed or not. As he had a slaughter house in Fort Stanton I struck
out for there first.
We left the "Oaks" one morning early, Emory mounted on his pet "Grey"
and I on one of the fat work mules and arrived in "Stanton" about
sundown.
We rode up to Cohglin's slaughter pen the first thing and found a man by
the name of Peppen in charge. On examining the hides which hung on the
fence we found five bearing the "L. X." brand. I laid them to one side
and next morning brought two men Crawford and Hurly, down from the Post
to witness the brands. I then told Mr. Peppen, or "Old Pap" as he was
called, not to butcher any more of those cattle sold by "Billy the Kid."
He promised he wouldn't unless he got new orders from Cohglin.
From there we pulled for Tulerosa where Cohglin lived. The first night
out we stopped at the Mescalero Apache Indian Agency, which is known as
South Fork. There I learned from the storekeeper of a bunch of eight
hundred cattle having passed there in a terrible hurry, about three
weeks before, going west. He said that they were undoubtedly stolen
cattle, for they drove night and day through the deep snow. I came to
the conclusion that maybe it was Tom Cooper, one of "Kid's" right-hand
bowers with a stolen herd of Panhandle cattle, so made up my mind to
keep on his trail.
We rode into Tulerosa the next evening about sundown. A young man from
the Panhandle, by the name of Sam Coleman, who was on his way to
Willcox, Arizona, was with us. We found the town to be a genuine mexican
"Plaza" of about one thousand souls. We put up for the night at
Cohglin's store and learned from the clerk, Morris, that the "King of
Tulerosa," as Cohglin was called, was down on the Rio Grande on trail of
a bunch of cattle stolen from him by Tom Cooper. I put that down as a
very thin yarn, having reasons to believe that he and Cooper stood in
with one another. I made up my mind that it was our cattle he was
trying to get away with, after hearing of us being in the "Oaks."
The clerk had told the truth though, for he was after Cooper. The way it
happened, Cohglin had only paid Cooper and the "Kid" half down on the
last bunch of Panhandle cattle he bought from them and Cooper hearing of
"Kid's" capture and of us being in the "Oaks" on our way after the
cattle, came onto Cohglin for the rest of the money so he could leave
the country. On being refused he got his crowd together and stole three
hundred head of the latter's best cattle and pulled for Arizona with
them.
After supper Emory and Coleman went to bed while I struck out to a
mexican dance, at the outskirts of town, to keep my ears open for news
connected with Panhandle cattle, etc.
There being plenty of wine, or "mescal," on the ground the "Greasers"
began feeling pretty good about midnight. Of course I had to join in
their sports, so as to keep on the good side of them. There was only one
American in the crowd, besides myself.
I became pretty intimate with one old fellow of whom I made scores of
inquiries in regard to Mr. Cohglin and the herd--the one I heard about
at South Fork--that had passed there a few weeks before.
He knew nothing of the herd, no further than having seen it, but he
pointed out a long-haired "Greaser," who was three sheets in the wind
and swinging his pistol around on his fore-finger, who could tell me all
about it, as he had piloted it through San Augustine Pass.
I learned that the herd was owned by Charlie Slaughter and that their
destination was the Heeley River, near Tombstone, Arizona.
Marking out a lot of brands which I had never heard of on a piece of
paper, I asked the long-haired fellow if he noticed any of them on the
cattle. He did not. So I then marked off a lot of Panhandle brands. He
picked out several, the "L X." among them, this time, that he remembered
of seeing in the herd. This satisfied me that the herd would bear
inspection.
The next morning I told Emory what the old mexican had said and that my
intentions were to kill two birds with one stone; find Cohglin and then
follow the herd.
This didn't impress Emory very favorably. He advised me to return and
get the wagon and outfit. I couldn't see the point, for we would lose
at least a week by the operation. He took the back track while I
continued single handed, accompanied by Sam Coleman, whose route was the
same as mine until arriving on the Rio Grande, where he would change his
course to southward.