Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-11-20
An Oasis in the Desert.

In the Times of October 81 the follow
ing appeared:
/" A dispatch from Tucson, Arizona
says intelligence has been received tina
the Apaches captured the station on the
tornado del Mierto, near Fort Craig
and killed thirteen persons. The Nav.
aioes have broken out, and the troops
at Fort Wingate were dispatched
against them. They stole all the stock
including mail mules"
The history of this station is a singu.
lar one, and is related to us by an old
army friend, in whose mind the above
narrative revive memories of the arid
region surrounding it. The country
borders on the west bank of the Rio
Grande river, bounded on the north by
Fort McRae, on the south by Mesilla,
and on the east by the Organ mountains,
and its passage is known as the journey
of death. The region is over sixty miles
in length, untitled, without life, unin-
habited, save at Aleman, and as desti-
tute of moisture as the desert of Sahara.
All travel between southern New Mex
leo and the Santa Fe portion of the ter
ritory has, however, to be across this
terrible sand waste, and its dangers are
eVinced by the bones of draft animals
frequently seen bleaching in the sun.
Every traveller breads the passage of
the tornado, pronounced Hornarda)
because all know that the journey is fre-
quently one of death. When Gen. John
Pope was a Lieutenant of Typographical
Engineers, he was sent to bore artesian
wells with view to finding water.
This was for the benefit of Government
trains and army people in general.
The passage of the tornado then re-
quired and now takes two days, involv-
ing the necessity of hauling water for
animals and human beings. Water
weighs about six and one-half
pounds per gallon. Six mules will
drink two barrels in twelve hours.
While Lieutenant Pope was engaged in
boring, a rough Scotchman named John
Martin conceived the speculative idea
of shoveling for it. He struck spring
at a point nearly in the center Of the
desert, and for years thereafter sold the
aqueous fluid to patrons at the rate of
twenty-five cents q bucket. 1t proved
a bonanza to him. At no other place
within circle having radius of thirty
miles has water ever been found.
John Martins well at Aleman, on the
tornado, became known to thousands
of people. The Government made Mar
tin forage agent. This sinecure car
ried with it the exclusive right of sale of
forage, fuel and water for the tornado.
He was a generous charitable mana
in the rough. The VicarillO
Apaches from the reservation at Fort
Stanton were always kindly treated by
John Martin, and, by tacit consent,
they were allowed water free as Tonga
they left undisturbed the persons and
property of the few people who centered
at Aleman. Martin was married man.
His wife, children and his son-in-law
lived with him.
The writer of these lines has fire.
luently seen as many as score of these
Indians camped at Martins ranch, and
he confidence Of the hardy Scotchman
n their peaceful intent was mistaken
ly the frequent disturbances in that re-
gion. Unhappily, the savage instincts
prevailed over grateful memories of IA
yors received. The telegraphic message
lbove tells the rest. Martin was the
master of lodge of Free MasOns at
Iesilla, over thirty miles south of his
veil, and never missed a meeting, reg
liar or special, during the time he lived
It Aleman. Troy Times.