The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-12-08

In 1908 three malcfactors of the
then small town Of chihuahua, Mex
leo, flying from justice betook them
selves to the surrounding mountains,
and there for several weeks led 4 life
of terror, moving about from fas'ness
10 fastne-s iu constant dread OF he
fierce Apaehes, who occupied the ter
! ritorv ON The cue hand, and OF their
pursuing white brethren on the other.
One evening they built a large fire
in a ~ravine TO cook their supper, and
when the surrounding powders be-
came heated. a molten white metal
issued out Of them. The next day a
friendiv Indian arrived in chihuahua,
bearing q message from the fugitives
to the priestly authorizes, Offering as
q condition for their pardon enough
silver to build a cathedral, which Of
fer was accepted. Such is the story
OF the discovery of the silver mines
OF Santa Eulaiia.
The state of Chihuahua is in the
extreme northeast of Mexico. 1t is
separated from the state OF Texas on
the northeast by the Rio Granae, and
is bounded on the north by New Mex
leo and Arizona. The city of Chi
huabua is the capital. The mines, Of
which there are several, are all situa-
ted j IN a mountain, about tw elve miles
from the city. 1t rises above the sur
rounding plain to a dista ice of 1000
and 1900 feet, and is popularity
known as the Silver Mountain of
Santa Eulalia.u Wonderful stories
are told of the wealth of these mines.
They were constantly worked by the
old Spanish proprietors from the time
OF their discovery in 1902 until 1922,
the year of the revolution that drove
the Spanisrds out of the county,
During this period chihuahua grew
from a mere outpost of the Jesuit
missionaries into a city of $4,000 in-
habitants, while the mining village OF
Sauta Eulalia and another sprang up
in the gorges of the mountain, con-
tanning respectively 5000 and 5000
souls. From a tax Of one real (201
cents) on every mark (pound) of sill
yer, as it came from the refining fur
naces, there was built, between 1873
and 1850, the celebrated cathedral of
chihuahua, at a cost Of 500, 600
While Mexico was in possession VI
the crown of Spain, the laws of that
kingdom required one-ffth of the pro-
duct of all the mines of gold and sill
yer to be paid into the royal treasa-
ry. This made it necessary for the
products OF their minis TO be report
ed to the kings officers. These re-
cords were kept with Spanish formal
lily in the different minis of the vice
royalty, and the records of the mint
of Chihuahua, which are still preserv-
ed, show that nearly $500, 000, 600
were registered in that Office, most OF
which was the production Of the min-
ers of Santa Eulalia.
The revolution, the Empire of Itur-
bide and the establishment Of the re-
public involved a struggle of four
teen years, which greatly crippled the
resources of the country. Then, four
years later, came the expulsion Of the
Spaniards, who were the capitalists,
and this was followed by constant in-
ternal revolutions, with vars with
Texas, France (in> 1897, the United
States, growing cut of the annexa-
ton of Texas, and the conquest bv
Macmillan. These and the ravages
Of the Indians, who claimed the min.
ing districts, p~aralyzed Mexican in.
dustry, and put a leng stop to the
new development of riches that had
hitherto been considered inexhausti.
BILE