The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-02
Doings in Durango.
A Lively Young Town in Which the
Rougher Side of Frontier Life is Seen
Conspicuously.

Especial Correspondence Chicago Times.l
Durango is situated at the mouth of the
Animas Valley, fifty miles below Silverton,
and the objective point of the Denver and Rio
Grande Railroad, which is now open to Chama
within one hundred miles and is expected to
be here in September. The town site was Sc
cured in September last, and upward of $780,
900 worth of lots sold within three months;
and there is now a population numbering
2,500 or upward. A large smelter is in course
of erection by the New York and San Juan
Milling Company, which will command the
ore trade of the San Juan and Dolores The
works are of an unusually substantial charac-
ter, p tanned with a view to unlimited extern
sion, and, as there is excellent coking coal in
the immediate neighborhood, it is expected
that mineral can be smelted as cbeaply here as
at Pueblo Or Denver. This much needed i'm
petus to mining in southern Colorado will put
the State in few years in the front rank as
silver producer. The mines of the San Juan,
which for many years have laid dormant for
lack tf transportation facilities, will now at
tract the attention of capitalists, who can be
conveyed within easy reach of them by Pull
man palace car, when formerly only the most
adventurous could be induced to face the per-
ills of mountain range over 1900 feet high.
For frontier town even things have been
unusually lively for the last few days Shoot
ing affrays, of course, are common enough,
but of late SO many respectable citizens have
been killed or injured that vigilance COM
mlttco was formed and last night inaugurated
their rule by taking from Jail man named
Marmon and hanging him to tree in the pub
lie square. After the approved style OF West
ern desperadoes he had the day before, an
nounced himself as thirsting for blood, and
opened fire on the inmates of dance hall,
killing one man and wounding another. His
body lay this morning at the foot of the tree
on which he was hung, the face black and
swollen, and the buckskin lariat by which he
was suspended cutting deep into the neck.
Later in the day witnessed a spectacle
which may be classed as novelty even on the
border; nothing less than a battle on a small
scale with repeating rifles, about thirty men on
each side. The origin of the trouble, it ap-
pears, was the presence in Durango of three or
four men who had been guilty Of shooting
some COW boys in the Pennington district
They were pursued here by about thirty meu
on horses, well armed, and who presented
warrant to the sheriff and demanded their
arrest. This the sheriff refused to do without
q requisiton from the governor of New Mexi-
mittcd, aud as the mon had a strong party Of
ftieuds among the rough element OF Durango.
it would have been no easy task to have
effected their capture III any case. The Farm
ington men were camped about two miles
from town, and announced their intention of
taking the men they wanted themselves, and
about noon to-day they were seen on the
heights which command the town, hut wheth-
er for the purpose OF attack or on their way
homeward is not known. Here they were at
attack oil hv ahout Os tba ro1o he
out of town, who opened fire, which was at
once returned by the party on the heights, and
lively fusilade kept up for half an hour in
sight of the whole population of the place,
who crowded every point of vantage whence
the engagement might be safely witnessed.
The affair resulted in the wounding OF two of
the spectators, and quite a number of houses
in town we're struck by bullets. Nothing is
kuown of the losses OF tue cowboys, only that
some Of their horses were shot. They had
rather the advantage of position, and had good
cover in the bush ON the face of the hill. The
town party we're in the open plain, and had no
protection from the fire, and soon beat re-
treat The citizens i'll general seem to care
little about the dispute, only desiring both par
ties TO get away from the place and fight till
they meet the fate of the Kilkenny cats.
A meeting of citizens was held this after
noon, and after discussing the situation it was
resolved to appoint committee to warn eight
men, whose names were before the authorities,
to quit the town by tomorrow noon under
penalty OF death. About half an hour after
this decision of the meeting had been intimat-
ed to the parties concerned, three of the men
marched up Railroad street armed to the
teoth, with guns cooked, aud announced their
intention of remaining in town, and stopped
opposite each OF the groups of citizens on the
sidewalk and deied any OF them to turn them
out of the place. Nobody iutarfered with
their progress and they shertly afterward re-
tired to their haunts in the lower part OF the
town and held an omen air maetiup n here n
considerable number OF the rougher element
applauded their resolution. at later hour
all remained quiet. Tao -Farrningron men
still remain cauped above town and If the au-
thorties persist in forcing the rouglis out,
bloodshed is ANTICIPATED, rs, if they so out they
are certain to be killed in any case. and, they
argue, would rather fight the town than fight
the COW bows.