The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-06
ABORIGINAL RELICS.
Some Specimens Of the Pottery Of
an Extinct Race Found In
New Mexico.

A reporter of The Enquirer made the
acquaintance Of Mr.. S. w. Hutchcraft,
OF Socorro county, New Mexico. About
year ago he went from his home in
Paris. KY, to New Mexico TO engage
in cattle-raising. He did not 90, he
said. as fortune-hunter. expecting to
dig from the ground q nugget Of gold
that would make him wealthy at once.
Hetook no interest in mining whatever,
though there were plenty of mines sur
rounding his location. His ranch was
situated in the Tulerosa valley at the
head-waters Of the ella river When
he went there, year ago, he found
very few cattle There were ten thou
sand head more there now than year
ago. y h.
To the people residing in the east
but little Is known Of that far western
country, especially New Mexico. Mr..
Hutchcraft said that they had rain but
two months in the year-in July and
August This rain produced the grass
upon which the cattle fed There
we're two kinds Of grass, both OF which
were nutritious. One was called the
white grammar, the other the
mountain bunch" The last named
retained its freshness the year round,
much as the evergreen tree. Because
OF the little rain there could be no crops
raised except the land is irrigated.
When this was done potatoes, onions.
. turnips, and such vegetables grew in
abundance. THE finest l ever saw;
I'll except none" said Mr.. Hutch
craft.
x THE mountains are covered with
timber-pine, cedar, etc." he con-
tinued. The grass grows principally
on these mountains, and there the cattle
craze But the mountains are not what
the residents there really consider
mountains. They would be called such
here, but we look upon it as rolling
land. The climate is mild. We never
have more than two inches Of ice at
any time. Ice begins to form in the
nights of September, and will continue
to do so into May. Yet all this time
we can 90 without coats during the
day. The nights are cool the year
round, the days never either very warm
or very cold.
.sThe nearest town to us from which
We can get supplies is Socorro. 100
miles distant. There is Mexican
settlement about twelve miles from us,
but we can not get supplies from 1t,
such as we want. Our meat is almost
entirely wild. Deer and bear abound
in the mountains, also birds OF all
sorts. A man can 60 out there and in
few hours kill enough game to furnish
him meat for week or more. For
example, not long ago some young
friends were visiting us, and told q
colored man who works for me to 90
out and see If he could not kill deer.
He started about o'clock in the after
noon and returned for supper, having
killed four deer of the black-tailed
species.
Mr.. Hutchcraft had with him several
specimens of deer antlers that were
very handsome. Among them was
pair firmly locked together. These he
took from the carcasses Of two deer
he found dead in the mountains. They
had evidently engaged In fight, and
their horns becoming locked they had
starved to death, unable to free them
selves. They were locked firmly, and
could not be pulled apart without
breaking.
He had with him all sorts Of relics
for his people in Paris, Ky. The most
noticeable among them were some
specimens of pottery made by q former
race of people that Inhabited that
country. Discoveries, it is we'll known.
have been made that lead to the con-
clusion that that country was at some
remote period inhabited by race Of
people to some degree versed in the
arts and sciences Among the nateri-
ais discovered was pottery of artistic
design, workmanship, and ornaments
ton. The specimens Mr.. Hutchcraft
had were two vessels that might have
been used for fluids. They were made
Of white clay, and painted with black
stripes 10 various designs. Also two
cups without handles, about three or
four inches In diameter across the top.
They were made Of q brown clay. One
Of them was painted black inside, and