The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-03-21
THREE YEARS A COWBOY.

THREE YEARS A COWBOY.
The Romantic Career OF q Pitts
burgh~r I'm the Southwest.
A swarthy-complexioned man, with
gray hair and smooth face, and rather
roughly but comfortably dressed in
regulation style, attracted the attention
of a Dispatch reporter yesterday after
or noon. He was no other than Thomas,
Rusty" Layton, noted Pittsburgher,
ing been connected with the post-ofiice
and different newspapers before the
war. Of rowing disposition, during
the last twenty-seven years Mr.. Layton
has visited almost every part of the civ
ilized world, and great many parts
which are not civilized. He has Just re-
turned from three years sojourn in
Mexico and portions of the West. After
visiting his friends in this city and Johns
town he will return to Mexico. During
lengthy conversation the old traveller
related some of his experiences in the
land of the Aztecs.
II am ffty-one years of age" said
Mr.. Layton, "but in reality feel as
though 1 had lived one hundred. In
1881 left this city, going first to Pueblo,
Col, and from there penetrated into
the Gienna Mountains, in New Mexico,
where l ASSISTED in setting up the first
stamp mill ever erected i'm that region
Together with number of Mexicans
/ camped out there all of the winter of
1912. and it was there that l first
saw Victoria, Chief of the Apache In
dams.
lone day in January, when the snow
was eighteen inches deep, an Indian,
with his squaw and child. applied at
our tent for shelter, which was given
them. They remained with us for q
week. At the end of that time we were
surprised to see three hundred Apache
Indians come into our camp. The In
dian who had found shelter with us
came forward, welcomed the braves,
and told us he was their Chief. In
other words, we had been sheltering the
great chief and warrior. Victorio, and
did not know it. While we remained
in the camp, until late in the spring. the
Indians were very kind to us, and as
game was very scarce the provisions
they supplied to us were very acccpta-
BILE. A short time after that, or in the
summer of 1882, / went to work as q
cowboy on the ranch of Doc Backing
ton, forty-three miles from SOcorro, also
in New Mexico. Blackington was after
wards lynched for murder and cattle
stealing. He came from Maine and
married half-breed Choctaw squaw,
whose sister was postmistress and tele-
graph operator at Socorro. In the lat
ter part of August Blackington and two
other rancheros started ont on cattle
drive. Blackington and one of the cat
tlemen killed the third. Blackington
then murdered his partner in crime and
drove all the cattle to Arizona, where
he sold them. The murders were dis
covered, and one night early in Septem-
Der vigilantes surrounded the ranch to
lynch him. His wife and her sister
stood guard over him with rifles, and
expressed determination to shoot down
the first man who would lay hands on
him, promising, however, to surrender
him to the Sheriff next morning, which
they did. He was locked up in the Jail
at Socorro, but was taken out the same
day, in company with the notorious Joe
Fowler, who was indicted for the MUIR
der of twenty-three men in Socorro
County, and the two were hanged to a
jail-yard, which was surrounded by I'M
adobe wall.
Fearful that l might also be ar
rested. as l had been an employe of
Blackington's, left on the Cocheo trail
for Mexico next day.. 1t was Sunday
morning, and 1 walked with my bag
gage strapped on burro, or Mexican
donkey, and from that time until the
Wednesday following l never tasted
water. The first night out 1 lost the
trail, and, with the exception of few
minutes now and then to rest, travelled
necessarily until Wednesday noon with
out finding the trail or drop of water.
1t was the dry season of the year. and
even the little streams in the canyons
were dried up. We had just reached the
entrance to the canyon and l laid down
to give up the fight for life, when the
burro started off at full speed. knew
at once what it meant. The animals
instinct was better than mine, and he
was going to where there was water. /
ing about two miles. came to little
pool of water. In my condition dared
not trust myself to drink much, so,
procuring some tea from the supplies
on the burro, which had stopped as
soon as he reached the pool, L made
some tea and drank a very little of it,
and then rested. l remembered moth
ing more. and when my reason was re-
stored, three months later, found N.Y.
self in the hospital of the Sisters Of
Charity at Santa Fe. Two Mexicans,
also in search of water, had found me
raving maniac near the pool of water in
the canyon, and had kindly cared for
me and took me to the hospital, nearly
ninety miles away. After recovered /
went down into Mexico. where, 1 will
acknowledge, led pretty wild life.
/ was attacked with yellow fever at
Tau,nico Mexico In August 1893 and