Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-02-14

openings around Wnicn the escaping gas
has deposited circle of pure sulphur
crystals. With all this in your mind,
tantalize your nostrils with the fumes of
burning sulphur combined with odors 80
fearful, SO utterly beyond all pre-con-
ceived notions of stenches, that any
thing you ever experienced before seems
sweet and pure in comparison, and you
may family realize what dawned on my
senses when | walked down the slope to
this Internal region. j half expected to
see his satanic majesty appenr and in
quire why trespassed on his birthstone
factory. / could not help thinking how
effective an old-style Calvinistic sermon,
on the future state Of the unrepentant,
would be if delivered the edge of that
pit. Yet this valuable piece of property
is staked out and claimed by sanguine
son of the Empire State, who yet expects
to make mis- fortune out of it as sum-
mer resort.
But to return to the Jemez. Up and
down this canon and on the mesas
above are numbers of ruined villages.
In some the walls remain, but usually
rough heaps of stones alone mark the
dwelling place of extinct people. About
half way between the two groups of
springs are the ruins of an old Spanish
church. Its walls still remain, and the
tower from whence once sounded the
call to mass and the tocsn of alarm,
now roofess and crumbling. presides
over all with melancholy dignity.
These desolate villages speak vol
umes concerning Spanish rule in Amer
lea. The old cavalier was an enthusiast
in religion. He was devoted to his
church. The extension of her borders
was his one great care, and for that he
worked with unremitting zeal. With a
few strong followers, equally bigoted,
he came across these peaceful Indian
towns. Received with kindness, he
commenced his PROSECUTING. The Indi-
ans, daunted by his impressive appear
ance, and being naturally timid, pre-
ferred outward submission to opposi-
ton and destruction. So they were
converted and baptized. But often,
fearing that they might backslide and
be lost forever, the mistakened knight
invited them to a feast. and while they
were safe within the bosom Of the church,
executed the whole company, and their
souls went alott to sing the praises of
him who had so vigorously saved them
Conversion is conversion, even when
made at the point of the sword, was the
old rule OF the Romish church. In this
way was many harmless New Mexican
tribe extinguished by a civilization less
refined than its own.
There are many more interesting
things in that old, and yet new, Terri
tory: Quaint customs and curious hab-
its among the Indians, rare plants and
peculiar animals, tales of chivalry yet
untold, and stories of murder and blood
shed fit to harrow the mind of the
nearer. But have already overstep-
ped the bounds of newspaper CORES
pondence, and must bring these ramb-
ling notes to an end
With its mountains of minerals, large
forests, broad grazing lands and fertile
valleys, encompassed and mortised to-
gether by wretched alkali deserts, this
Territory will long find men willing to
brave all discomforts to obtain that
which seems the more valuable from its
very inaccessibility.
In fine, it seems to me there are
places on this broad continent where
man may live with more comfort and an
equal chance for money-making.
THE END