The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-09-16
AN INTERESTING LETTER
From New Mexico.

From New Mexico.
From private letter written by an ele-
gan. gentleman and eloquent writer, now
living near Silver City, New Mexico, to Col
onel George +. Afford, of this city, the
HERALD is permitted to make the following
extract IL have made it my business since
| have been here to question every old resi-
dent and the physicians, as TO the effect OF
this climate on pulmonary complaints ana
will record what the general view is. No cast
of consumption, as far as can be known
has ever originated here, and hundreds Of
cures have been effected through the instru'
mentality of climate and outdoor life. The
dry season of this latitude is for the yeSl
save June, July, August and September
The dryness is extraordinary. Meat is cured
by its abloibant guam tiles without the mid OF
salt. Yet so bouyant and health giving is
the mountain air that you feel that tho disease
can lurk therein. One physician of long eX.
perence told mo that this latitude was Just
tho thing for weak lungs, but II
disease had set in strongly Il
lower stratum would be better for the lungs.
That is, say further down the Rio Grandc,
about Mesilh or FL Paso. (rhe former place
some one hundred miles below US, I'll PAso
still iurther.) Yet you don't want to breathe
hot, debllltating air, as in Texas through
the summer months, nor does Texas winter
weather atone for the summers. You have
it as cold in Dallas es here--here it is drier
and more uniform. Speaking of mining,
believe veins can be had within twenty or
thirty miles ofth railroad, that are valuable; |
know OF one that pays 500 per ton gold on
the surface-what it will do farther down
no one can tell, but as rule the leads here
broaden MS they go down. Their value is
nominal, two-three-four- five hundred
dollars, they are held ut. Sometimes they
can be had for the taking. Mining is the
business of the territory, and the next
national craze will be o. mining Yet stock
rising Is profitable, but that requires cspual
to stock the rancho. Again, at the new
depots along the road are good places for
business if you incline that way. | came
to the west with almost an army of Texans
but they went Leadvlle and Coloradowards,
but | turned south, believing that mines
were as rich on the same leads in lower lat.
itude and had no notion of having to brave
those rigorous winters, from which SO many
have died. l came into Las Vegas on the
first construction train that ever entered that
ancient place, ,2b0 years old) and saw the
first stsrtle of the inhabitants Mt the shril
,hriek of the iron whistle | put all the
dimes had, save S75, into
wagon and pair of mules
and rolled out southwSrds. Next morting
| fell in with Lurder, of Missouri, and Hull,
of Austin, Texas, with their families, on tn,
road, SO we rolled on together. | went to
the mines twenty miles west of Polons:, on
the Rio Grande. A good camp, good veins,
new, etc, had a good promise Of success,
when 10 Victorio, with his band Of
Apsches fled the reservation and started on
his raid lie struck our mining camp
first, and as l was first on the road
he came, his first shots we're at me. They
divided into bands and fifteen in WITT
old Vic; no person attempted to capture my
camp. In it was my wife, Mrs. Hull, Mrs
Under and six children. male them all
lay fiat upon the ground save Mrs. Hob.
by who refused and stood by me, handing
me twenty-five cartridges which | sent
among the Apaches from a little Shsrpe's ri
ae. The Indians were hfty-nine measured
yards away. They fought from
behind their horses, except Vic.
torio, who stood out and gave me shot for
shot. There were fifty bullet holes in nv
camp, ] suppose. Four went through n
wagon sheet within foot or SO Of my head
hat | Ia al in ha nf,la l.
every bullet that famed your face did not
necessarily mean death. The Indians shot
two children behind me Zone ofthem in three
places-Linder's child) and it is wonder
how l escaped. They wanted to
pass my camp and get at the mules
and miners some two or three hundred
yards behind me; high hills prevented
"roundance." But my rifle turned them of.
The miners witnessed the fight, telt their
danger, but were unarmed and could not
help me. did the Indians considerable
damage. They carried off their dead or
wounded, we could not tell which, right
under my fire. Mcmillan (trom For. WORTH
attacked another party of the Indians, some
dozen, alone, and behaved splendidly. After
l got the ladies and children
safe went to MEMS aid and
we soon routed them, but net until they
had pillaged his mining camp and destroyed
everything in it. Having no protection, and
with fifteen Indians shooting atme, fifty.nine
yards away, thought perhaps my time had
come, but thought the best plan was to let
the call find me doing my duty, protecting
the helpless and innocent And TO die for
Others In the Hottest example ever set BY
Him whose devine devotion mortss may
humbly initiate. 1t was clear that the Indians
would revisit the camp whenever they codld
for revenge, and so it has proved. So we
all struck out to do what we could in other
directions until Indian raids should cease.
Vigorous pursuit by the troops ought to end
the lndisns-not more than two or three
hundred of them--in thirty days. Yet, to
show how utterly worthless the troops are,
the Indians have raided almost in sight of
them for twelve months, and not one Indian
has ever been billed by th.m that we are
n uaro of Dlaaan1 x,,,th A. or-o.,a. &