The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-10-09
AN OLD TIMER.
Mr.. Reuben Gentry, a Pioneer
Pays a Visit to the Scenes
of his Youth.
The Way Santa Fe Traders did
Business Before the Ameri.
can Occupation.

Santa Fe IL. NJ Review.
Kindly remembrance for the country 81
charming to the lover of wild adventure
and SO profitable to the old Santa Fe trader
, OF q generation or more since has brought
many OF the old timers back to the CITY OF
Holy Faith, since the substitution OF The
trail and the locomotive, with its nerves Of
steel for the old Santa Fe trail, the prairie
schooner and nerves of the mule and bo-
vine. Ard thus it was again demonstrated
yesterday by the presence. In the city, of one
Of The oldest of the old timers
Tuesday evenings Atlantic express
brought to Santa Fe Mr.. Reuben Gentry,
of Kentucky, accompanied by a younger
brother, Mr.. VIM. Gentry, a resident of
Missouri. 1t was
| THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO
last June since Mr. Gentry's first appear.
ance in Santa Fe. 1t WAS one year before
the American occupation that he was last
here as the then port of entry with train
of merchandise, paid the Mexicas govern
ment revenue charges, and started via Chi
huahus, for Zacatecas. He is a we'll
preserved elderly gentleman, we'll into the
sixties, retains a keen recollection of the
past and has pleasant manner and good
faculty of relating what he knows. He was
evidently diplomstisl of no mean order
for the times, and possessed the ability for
smoothing the rutiled spirits OF turbulent
times and of surrounding the brakewaters
that beset the passage OF compli ated GUS
tom house relations. Mr. VIM Gentry.
who is one OF Missouri's most successful
farmers and an sffable gentleman, visits
New Mexico now for the first time. Mr.
Gentry, the elder, noticed many important
changes, more especially in the absence
from Santa Fe of people he knew, nearly
all of whom have been
GATHERED TO THEIR LONG HOME.
While many new and elegant structures
have been substituted for the adobe, there
were still recognized a few landmarks Of We
olden time, not the least of which were the
San Miguel church, the old Fonda, now
the Exchange, the store occupied by Nun.
Meservy (now Seligman's,) the site of the
store occupied by Mr.. Gentry and James
NJ. Giddins (still living in San Miguel
county, As partners in 1871, but now cover
ell ty the Spigelberg block, and the then
popular r. soit kept by Gertrudes Barcelo,
where Manuel Armije, the govern 2 OF the
ver;ed into the chambers of the district
court and occupied by the chief justice of
the territory.
Mr.. Gentry's experience as a Santa Fe
trader was no doubt similar to that Of
others in the same trade, but not known in
the commerce of New Mexico today. A
few items from the history Of his opera
tions, gathered In a personal interview, will
be Of interest TO readers.
Mr.. Reuben Gentry first came to Santa
Fe in 1889, when young man, as
sUPERCARGO FOR CARAVAN OF MERCHAN-
Disc,
largely the property OF Giddings Il Patter-
son, and bound for chihuahua, 10 which
point the caravan cleared after settling the
custom dues at the Mexican custom house
at Santa Fe. The caravannumbered thirty
wagons, each laden with five tons Of dry
goodA principally staple goods, $50 oxen
and mules and sixty employees. Customers
were on hand 10 take the goods on arrival
at large profit.
The Following year, in company with Mr..
Giddings, he brought in merchandise on
private account, making the trip liz forty
days FROM Independence, No., ard opened
a store a: Santa Fe as before stated. Mr..
Gentry remaining to attend to the business
while his partner returned and the follow
ing year brought in more goods. He was
thus engaged in lS4l at the date of the
Texas-Santa Fe expedition. Three OF the
advance of the expedition-Howlsnd and
two companions, mentioned in Eendale's
book-had been arrested al Anton Chico
and sent to Santa Fe on parole with orders
to report to Governor Armijo, which he
did. Receiving no satisfaction from Ar
milo As to their fate, and becoming restless,
they resolved to escape.
PROCURING SUPPLIES FROM GENTRY,
whose place of business was adjoining the
quarters occupied by the three Texans,
they made desperate effort to rejoin their
companions. who were then al San Miguel
del Bado, but failed through the ireachery
of a creature named Lewis, who induced
them to surrender, and they were summar-
lily shot.
The situation was not encouraging to the
few American residents at Santa Fe, they
being under suspicion as to their sympa-
thetic relations to the Texans Texas, it |
must be understood, claimedA under stipu-
lations with General Santa Anna following
the battle of San Jacinfo, the whole Of the
territory of New Mexico lying east of the |
Rio Grande. The expedition of the Tex
ans was regarded as having for its object
he enforcement OF the stipulation, hence
strong Suspicion.
In 1912 Gentry withdrew from Santa Fe, |
and with his share OF the goods
WENT TO CHIHUAHUA,
where he engaged with one Duguena,
Frenchmsn, an old resident, and remained