The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-01-10
THREE YEARS A COWBOY.

The Romantic Career Of n Pitts
burgh%r in the Southwest.
A neutrality-suspicious. man, with
gray hair and smooth face, and rather
roughly but comfortably dressed in
regulation style, attracted the attention
of Dispatch reporter yesterday after
or noon. He was no other than Thomas,
'.Rusty," Layton, noted Pittsburgher,
who is well known to old residents, hav-
ing been connected with the post-office
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
flied world, and a 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 tifty-one years of age" said
Mr.. Layton, ''but in reality feel as
though l 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 / assisted in setting up the first
stamp mill ever erected in that region.
Together with a number of Mexicans
[ camped out there all of the winter of
1881-'82, and it was there that first
cav Victorio, Chief of the Apache In
dams.
''One 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, Victoria, 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 a
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 out 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 yigilantes surrounded the ranch tt
lynch him. His wife and her sister
stood guard over him with rifles, ant
expressed determination to shoot dowr
the first man who would lay hands OF
him, promising. however, to surrender
him to the Sheriff next morning, which
they did. He was locked up in the jai
at Socorro, but was taken out the same
day, in company with the notorious 10,
Fowler, who was indicted for the muir
der of twenty-three men in Socorrt
County, and the two were hanged to
cottonwood tree in the corner of tn,
iail-yard, which was surrounded by III
adobe wall.
..Fearful that / might also be ar
rested, as | had been an employe o
Blackington's left ON the Cocheo trai
for Mexico next day. 1t was Sunda,
morning, and / walked with my bag
gage strapped on burro, or Mexican
donkey, and from that time until tn
"wednesday following l never taste'
water. The first night out lost tn
rail, and, with the exception of a fey
minutes now and then to rest, travelet
acessantly until Wednesday noon with
ut finding the trail or a drop of water
was the dry season of the year, an
rem the little streams in the canyon
ere dried up. We had just reached tn
trance to the canyon and laid dow
give up the fight for life, when tn
RIO started of at full speed. ] kne,
once what it meant. The animal
tinct was better than mine, and b
J going to where there was water.
lowed up the canyon, and, after &c
about two miles, came to littl
a of water. In my condition dare
q trust myself to drink much, Sc
pturing some tea from the supple
olthe burro, which had stopped 9
so. as he reached the pool, mad
SOB tea and drank very little of j
anthem rested. | remembered notl
ingnore, and when my reason was n
stold, three months later, found m.
selfin the hospital of the Sisters I
Cbaty at Santa Fe. Two Mexican