Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-16
THE CITY OF THE HOLY FAITH
Legends ana Sights of Santa Fe,
the Ancient.
THE CUSTODIAN OF THE PALACE.
A Quaint old Yankee Among Spanish
Documents OF Centuries Past
--Romantic History and
Curious Tradition.

Holy Faith, Oldest town in the presi-
dents domain and quaintest OF them all,
what a storehouse Of antiquities for
sightseer. In the winter the tide OF
California travel naturally seeks the
southern channel in its ebb and flow
between the snow bound east and the
sun kissed slope. This city OF the
Spaniard and the Pueblo and the
American Is little aside from the
through route, and many pass it by.
Others stop in their flight from pneu-
monia long enough to say they have
seen Santa Fe," but they fit hither and
hence again, and 1t is doubtful II many
of them get half what the place offers
them for their money. It's history is
romance, but the travelling American
has little time or place for that sort OF
thing. except it be set down in the
guide book, that blessed fount and in
spiration for letter and tale.
The city of the Holy Faith is full Of
THE STRANGE AND THE ANTIQUE,
and the traveller whose sojourn there is
yet dream awaiting fulfillment, as
we'll as many who have 'seen" it. will
of its sights and legends. One of the
quaintest things in the old odd town Is
the custodian Of the palace, that pile OF
mud which has been the central figure
in three centuries OF history. Although
1t can hardly be said OF him that he has
grown up with the town, he is of a ver-
sty one OF the .'oldest inhabitants"
among the Americans, having been a
resident for thirty or forty years. Shag-
gy OF head, ragged OF beard and careless
Of attire, he is relic among the relics,
fit custodian of his kind. He has
charge of such archives as come down
from the Spanish conquerors, Mexican
generals and American governors who
have ruled the city in centuries now
dead, and with true Yankee inqusi-
tiveness, he spent years in learning
Spanish and poring over the ancient
documents. The old man is a mine OF
curious lore, and he has that easy
loquacity which is SO de-
lightful in man with q
hobby-if the listener happens to be in
terested in that particular hobby.
Show an interest in the palace, its his
tory or its contents, display a becoming
difference to the old man. wisdom and
Importance, and the floodgates of his
knowledge are open to you. He will
tdih VI lOIsObICu
with pronouncable names, of wars of
rebellion and wars OF subjugatiou, OF
pueblos and dons and plazas, and in his
narration some of these obscure events
acquire an Importance second only to
the discovery of America. Probably
the only reason they are second is be-
cause without the find of Columbus they
could not have had existence. In his
enthusiasm he may take the apprecia-
tive visitor into one of the
''LEGIsLATIvE HALLS"
1t is stuffy little room in dust-cov-
cred confusion, and might be mistaken
for a deserted country school house. A
dozen or two of cheap desks and chairs
are scattered helter skelter. The desk
OF the presiding genius stands
leave footprints as sharp as
bare and ugly and uninviting, hut there
are stacks of documents piled haphaz-
zard on floor or furniture, and in them
are bundles of human interest. Years
ago an ignorant vandal, an American
governor be it confessed in shame, un-
dertook to rid the palace of its precious
stores by selling some for paper rags
and making q bonfire Of others, but
enough remain to satisfy the average
tourists appetite for documentary an
tiquities.
Give the old custodian a bit of en-
couragement and he will launch forth
in dissertation upon the curious
papers scattered about. 1t is enough to
glance inquiringly at one Of
THE OLD PARCHMENTs.
If your curiosity prompt you to dig
down through the dust of dish-like
spot that stands out jim relief you will
unearth, literally, a big wax seal that
wagging with the deeds of some old dom
or fighter, forgotten by all the
world but this doting biblomaniac,
and from different documents he
may have gathered enough about the
ancient buccaneer to make fascina-
ting history.
The old man can tell an interesting
story on the subject of rubricas alone.
A rubrica is a distinguishing mark
that the Spanish official attached to his
signature-a trade mark, as it were
to prove its genuiness. Tho custodian
will pick up document with a sigma
ture having beneath it flourish like
an elongated figure 8. Another ends
with spiral flourish, and third has
curly-cues on top, and here the guide
will explain rule or law of the olden
times among the Spaniards OF America.
An official document, to be genuine and
OF force, had to be signed with the
rubrica Of the person promulgating the
paper While an official order signed
with name only WAS doubtful author
ity, document bearing only the ru-
brica OF the official was just as binding
as though il had both name and
rubrica. II the visitor want a flavor of
Spain and OF Mexico he should not fail
to invoke the willing guidance of the
yankee custodian If, happily he be yet in
charge OF the palace.
The principal points OF interest in
Santa Fe are SO closely linked with the
history OF the place that its story is
worth telling. 1t need not be regula-
'tion history-a tedious unremember-
able list OF dates aud rulers, of wars and
reprisals, of politics and statistics-but
just touch and go sketch of those lead
Ing facts which throw flood Of interest
upon the
HISTORIC PLACES IN THE CITY.
Among the latter are the palace, San
Miguel church. the cathedral, the
plaza and the pueblo, never excepting,
of course, the strange people, their
LnI l,ot..