IN LOVE WITH A MEXICAN GIRL.
I found El Paso, to be a red-hot town of about three thousand
inhabitants. There were also about that number of people in Paso Del
Norte, across the river in Old Mexico. I spent several days in each
place.
I finally, after leaving my ponies in good hands, boarded one of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe trains for Las Cruces, two and a half
miles from Mesilla, the county seat.
There being better accommodations, in the way of Hotels, in "Cruces,"
nearly every one who was attending court would stop there and ride to
the county seat in one of the "hacks" which made hourly trips between
the two places. Consequently I put up at the Montezuma House, in Las
Cruces.
There were several Lincoln County boys there when I arrived. Poe and
Garrett came down next day. Mr. and Mrs. Nesbeth also came as witnesses
against Cohglin. Mrs. Nesbeth had heard Mr. Cohglin make the contract
with, "Billy the Kid," to buy all the stolen cattle he would bring to
his ranch. But the good lady didn't live long afterwards, for she, her
husband, a stranger, who was going from "Cruces" to Tulerosa with them,
and a little girl whom they had adopted were all murdered by unknown
parties. Cohglin was accused of having the crime committed, but after
fighting the case through the courts, he finally came clear.
A few days after my arrival in Las Cruces I went back to El Paso after
my ponies. I ate dinner there and rode into Las Cruces about sundown. A
pretty quick fifty-five mile ride, considering part of it being over a
rough mountain road. The cause of my hurry was, we couldn't tell what
minute the Cohglin case would be called up for trial.
I had a little love scrape while loafing in Las Cruces. I don't mention
it because my love scrapes were so scarce, but because it was with a
Mexican girl, and under curious circumstances, that is, the
circumstances were curious from the fact that we became personally
acquainted and never spoke to one another, except by signs, and through
letters.
Her name was Magdalena Ochoa, niece to the rich Bankers Ochoa's in El
Paso, Tucson, Arizona, and Chihuahua, Old Mexico, and she was sweet
sixteen. She lived with her grandmother, whose residence was right
straight across the street from the Montezuma Hotel, and who wouldn't
let a young man, unless he was a Peon, come inside of her house. And she
wouldn't let Magdalena go out of her sight, for fear she would let some
of the young "Gringoes" make love to her.
I first saw her one Sunday morning when she and her grandmother were
going to church. I was standing out in front of the Hotel hugging an
awning post, and wishing that I had something more human-like to hug,
when they passed within a few feet of me. The girl looked up, our eyes
met, and such a pair of eyes I had never seen. They sparkled like
diamonds, and were imbedded in as pretty a face as was ever moulded. Her
form was perfection itself; she had only one drawback that I didn't like
and that was her grandmother. I immediately unwound my arms from around
the post and started to church too.
The church house was a very large building, and the altar was in one
end. The couple I was following walked up near the altar and took a seat
on the right hand side--on the dirt floor, there being no such thing as
seats in the building--which was reserved for ladies, while the left
hand side, of the narrow passage way, was for the men. I squatted myself
down opposite the two, and every now and then the pretty little miss
would cast sparks from her coal black eyes over towards me which would
chill my very soul with delight.
When church was over I followed, to find out where she lived. I was
exceedingly happy when I found she was a near neighbor to me, being only
a few steps across the street.
I spent the rest of that day setting out under the awning in front of
the Hotel, straining my eyes in hopes of getting a glimpse of her
beautiful form through the large bay window which opened out from the
nicely furnished parlor onto the street. But not a glimpse did I get. I
retired that night with the vision of a lovely sunburnt angel floating
before my eyes.
The next morning I went to Mesilla and answered to my name when it was
called, by the Judge, and then told Poe that I had some very important
business to attend to in "Cruces" and for him, in case the Cohglin case
was called, to hire a man at my expense and send him after me.
On arriving back to the Hotel I took a seat in an old arm-chair under
the awning. I was all alone, nearly every one being in Mesilla.
Finally Magdalena brought her sewing and sat down among the flowers in
the bay window. It was indeed a lovely picture, and would have been a
case of "love among the roses" if it hadn't been for her old
grandparent, who every now and then appeared in the parlor.
At last I, having a good chance, no one being in sight but her and I,
threw a kiss, to see how I stood in her estimation. She immediately
darted out of sight, but soon re-appeared and peeping around a cluster
of roses, returned the compliment. She then left the room and I never
seen her again till after dinner.
I then started into the Hotel, but was detained by a voice calling,
through the closed blinds of a window near by: "Me ketch you! Me ketch
you!" Come to find out it was the proprietor's wife, Mrs. Duper, an old
mexican lady, who had been watching our maneuvers. She then opened the
blinds and asked me in broken English, what I was trying to do?
"Oh, nothing, much, just trying to catch on, is all;" was my answer.
The old lady then broke out in one of her jovial fits and said: "You
ketch on? Me bet you ten tousand dollars you no ketch him!" She then
went on and told me how closely the old lady "Grandma Ochoa" watched her
young niece. In fact, she gave me the girl's history from the time of
her birth: Her father and mother were both dead and she, being the only
child, was worth over a million dollars, all in her own name. This of
course was good news to me, as it gave my love a solid foundation, and
spread a kind of gold-like lining over the young lady's beauty.
Finally, after court had been in session two weeks the Cohglin case was
called up. His lawyers were Col. Rynerson and Thornton, while the
Territory was represented by Newcomb, District Attorney, and A. J.
Fountain whose services Poe had secured.
Mr. Cohglin began to grow restless, for the "Pen" stared him in the
face. There were eight indictments against him, but the worst one was
where he had butchered the cattle after being notified by me not to.
His only hopes now was to "sugar" the prosecuting Attorney, and that no
doubt was easily done, or at least it would have looked easy to a man up
a tree. You see Cohglin was worth at least a hundred thousand dollars,
and therefore could well afford to do a little sugaring, especially to
keep out of the Penitentiary. At any rate whether the Attorney was
bought off or not, the trial was put off, on account of illness on said
Attorney's part, until the last days of court.
When the case came up again Mr. Prosecuting Attorney was confined to his
room on account of a severe attack of cramp-colic. Judge Bristol was
mad, and so was Poe. They could see through the whole thing now.
That night Cohglin made a proposition that he would plead guilty to
buying stolen cattle knowing they were stolen, if the one case in which
he had killed cattle after being notified not to, would be dismissed, or
thrown entirely out of court.
It was finally decided to do that, as then he could be sued for damages,
so the next day he plead guilty to the above charge, and was fined one
hundred and fifty dollars besides costs.
Fountain, our lawyer then entered suit against him for ten thousand
dollars damage.
I was then relieved. My mileage and witness fees amounted to something
over a hundred dollars, this time. Of course that was appreciated as it
was my own, over and above my wages. It came handy too as I was almost
broke and needed it to take me home. I had spent all of my own money,
besides nearly one hundred and fifty dollars borrowed from Poe.
It was the first day of May, I think, when I mounted Croppy in front of
the Hotel, threw a farewell kiss at Miss Magdalena, who was standing in
the bay-window, and started east, in company with Chas. Wall--the young
man I mentioned as being a prisoner in Lincoln at the time of "Kid's"
escape. I hated to part with the pleasant smiles of my little mexican
sweetheart, but then it had to be done. I still hold a rose and a bundle
of beautifully written letters to remember her by.
We stopped at San Augustine the first night out from "Cruces," and from
there we struck south-east across the white sands for the mouth of Dog
canyon--the noted rendezvous of old Victoria and his band of
blood-thirsty Apache's.
I had heard so much about this beautiful Dog canyon that I concluded to
see it before going home, so that if it proved to be as represented I
could secure it for a cattle ranch.
It was a ticklish job going there by ourselves, as a telegram was
received in Las Cruces, the morning we left, that a band of Apache's had
crossed the Rio Grande at Colorow, killing three men there, and were
headed toward Dog canyon. But I had faith in Croppy and Buckshot, they
being well rested and hog fat, carrying us out of danger should we come
in contact with them.
We arrived at the noted canyon after being away from water nearly two
days. It was a lovely place, at the foot of Gandalupe mountains.
After leaving there we went through the following towns: La Luz,
Tulerosa, South Fork and Ft. Stanton.
At the last named place Charlie Wall left me, and I continued on alone.
I remained in White Oaks a few days, looking over my town property, I
having bought some lots and built cabins thereon, and examining the 'Old
Panhandle Tiger' gold mine, the one Stone, Chambers and I owned. I had
some of the rock assayed and it run twelve dollars in gold to the ton,
besides a few ounces in silver and about two million dollars worth of
hopes.
From White Oaks I went through Anton Chico, San Lorenzo, Liberty and
Tascosa, and arrived at the "L. X." ranch after an absence of nearly
eight months, and about a three thousand mile ride.