Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-08-21
LAS VEGAS.
Our Western Correspondent Gives His
Views of New Mexico.


Springer, who, when an ardent col
lege disadvantages thestory-whose
heart was filled with the beauty and
poetry of nature, ETC., wrote his first,
and probably last, poem, in
minor key, and whose music was as
tears fallingupon tender heart-strings,
etc, and he called it "Dead Roses"
Through the kindness of the editor
of the village paper it was published.
He had never written for the press
before, and in his youthful innocence
he trusted all to theeditor, and waited
with poetical longing for the paper to
appear. 1t was Wednesday, abeau-
tiful day in June, etc, when the sun
kissed the flowers, etc., that he went
to the Office of the payer, etc. With
a throbbing heart he took the lifeless
sheet, ETC., and eagerly scanned its
pages, etc., seeking the most remote
positions, ETC., that he might enjoy
to the full the search for his treasure,
etc. He found it. The fiendish hand
of the composition had done its cruel
work and he read in boldtype, in the
first column of the first page, "Dead
Horses'-he never smiled again!
While similar, if not worse, calami-
ties have befallen the'creatures Of my
pen of late, again resume the feath-
er, and have sufficient faith in the
generous and indulgent reader to
make another venture, with the sim
gle caution that he prepare himself
with warm wraps, for the wonderful
magician may be expected at any
moment to transform summer
zephyrs into wintry blasts-aye, Heav-
en- into Hades.
wonder whatkind of a place those
of your readers who have never been
there, picture New Mexico as being.
Do they think of green pastures, slick
cattle, purling brooks and cozy little
homes emboWered with vines in a
little clump of trees; place where
the untutored Indian and treacherous
Mexican are seen only at sufficiently
restful intervals to give SAVIOR to the
monotony of civilization; where peo-
pie 60 to build up homes and enjoy
life? 1t must be admittedthat while
this was once fair expose of my
ideas Of that territory, a short stay
there was sufficient to revolutionize
the impression. True.I saw only
what could be seen from a flying train
and in a small town, but that gave
me enough of Mexico to last me life
time.
With me, New Mexico means a
monotonous and desolate eXpanse of
prairie, covered with scattering buffa-
10 grass which looks dead and innu-
tricious, but which is the sole subsist-
ence of thousands of scrubby cattle.
New Mexico means relentless sum
shine and a cloudless sky. In New
Mexico "Lo the poor INDIAN" could
not 'see God in clouds and hear Him
in the wind" And yet, withal, |
am going to telly you of very pleas
ant day 1 spent here.
Las Vegas, situated very near the
extreme Southern limit of the Rocky
Mountains, is an ambitious little
town of ten or twelve thousand peo-
pie, over half of whom are Mexicans.
1t lies at the base Of long range OF
barren hills, and six miles away are
the rugged peaks of the Rocky Noun.
tains, from whose snow-capped tops
flows down a small stream Of the
coolest, clearest, purest water thai
ever gratified parched palate, and
this is distributed over the city by
the "Aq,ta Pwa Company" Very
many of the houses here are "dobes, ,
that is, madeof brick that have never
been burned. They are said to bt
cooler in summer, and warmer il
winter than the ordinary brick house
and by some are much preferred-th'
great objection to them being, tina
the walls furnish anabode to all kind
of insects, which, that they have one,
, gotten a foothold, it is impossible t.
extirpate. 1t will be conceded tina
| if they furnish peculiar advantages t,
the ubiquitous little beast that is salt
to haunt boarding houses and prey Oh
; unsuspectiong innOcents at night,
residence in the Siberian dungeon
, would be little less preferable to
dObe. They are often neatly white
washed and present an attractive ar
: pearance. On the plaza or square
several Of the business houses are c
+, this material. One large structure
fbroo or fO,,r ctorioc biob Will, ,oIo,,