The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-27
WICKED SAN ANGELES.

Vim Htbk&st W. WIFI
the living hand would show the difference.
WICKED SAN ANGELES.
The story or . Tex.. Village Founded by
Criminals solely fur Vicious Purposes.
From the Chicago Times.
Fort Concho, Tex, one of the best and
most famous of the military outposts
erected on the frontier, has recently been
by government. The fort
WAS built ON "a high plateau between two
of the stream after which IL was
named. Three miles tn the southwark
was, at that time, the village of Ben
Ficklen, the county seat of Tom Green
county and one of tho central supply
points for the overland stage
Ben Fickleu wa chosen as the county
seat for the very simple and entirely ade-
q'iate reason that IL was the only collcc-
ton OF houses in a county as large as the
entire state of Illinois. Situated 10 miles
west of Austin, the same distance north
wSs, OF s Smn Ans sIen "mn Just F n%r'9 h.o OF the
commanded the very core of what is to-
day the richest regions of Texas.
The great barracks for the troops was
built of stone. the immense store-houses
for supplies, tho dwellings for the officers,
and even the high walls around the cor
rails were all made of the same material.
Everything had to he hauled from Austin
received 81 a day and skilled mechanics
scorned anything smaller than u SO gold
piece for n days labor. The large mum
INT ID II1eu eIlIbIONeD III tbthtlshIIlK tIe IDTI
were ollowed by IA motley crowd of out
laws, gamblers and desperadoes, and the
place became, to all intents and purposes,
a frontier mining-town, the only difference
being that the men drew their money from
the government paymaster instead of dig
Before the fort was Completed every one
not in the employ OF the government was
excluded from the reservation. The gam
just across the creek, which i'm the prodi-
gal of the west was called n
river, and built a little hamlet of barrel
slaves, cedar poles and adobe. This ram
bling and wretched collection of shanties
was ironically called San Angeles, and
soon contai1Gd the most nt abandoned and
II became the supply point for the buffalo
hunters, the rendezvous of outlaws, and
oned lot of men and women ever gathered
together i'm the far west.
From 1875 to 1879 San Angeles was i'm the
ness. II was a parasite which drew it's life
from Fort Concho, but the military post
and the town were so mutually identified
with all of the great tragedies which
marked their early history that the career
of one becomes that of both.
alryman, was i'm command at the fort. The
troops consisted of the Tenth United
States cavalry and a Portion OF the TYen-
of these regiments consisted of negroes.
AT that time the Comanche and the Lipan
Indians had disappeared from the region,
ton in Indian territory and the latter dis
| pcrsed as a tribe The troops had little tn
rare Intervals by a small scouting exredi-
ton. Night time found the soldiers i'm
San Angeles.
The town contained some 100 residents
and IL floating population of nearly as
many more. There was IA store and saloon
nearer the center. and a little jail built of
upright logs set i'm the ground like n lot of
fence posts. The cracks between the
were the source of no little comfort to the
people. Repeated experiments clearly
demonstrated that i was much easier to
cracks and iii a horso-,hiSf full Of
buck-shot than to drag him out
and spoil a rope by hnnging him TO a tree
poles covered with mud or of adobe
These were also gambling hells, saloons,
and Mexican. and the ccntcrs OF the bust
ness and society of the place. There was
not a school house or a church. A gap oi
over 200 miles separated the place from
the civilization east of II. With the cx
ception of the military posts and the stage
stations there was not "a human habita
Grande, 500 miles away.
During the day the town was asleep; n
b Sas%i G GrSwds of soisicrs. cS %.is W,
buffalo-hunters, outlaws. and gambler,
filled the dance halls. Mingled with tn.
strains of fiddles and guitars were tn.
shouts of the dancers who occupied thu
center of the halls; ranged all round tn.
sides were the tables of the monte dealers
noisy crowds patronized the bars. and tn,
crack of pistols was so common that the,
were not noticed unless n free aud gen
eral fight was on. Mexican monte wa
the sole game. but il was played with IN
firing persistence and rare recklcssness.
1t was at one of these dancc.halls ON,
night i'm 1877 that forty-five soldiers arrne,
with carbines and ~siN-shooters poured
steady fire through the doors and win
dows. A gambler had shot at "A soldier
The ball missed the man hut shattered 4
~splintcrs the bow with which IA Mcxical
was scrlping a base-viOl. a fight grey
out of this incident and tho soldiers bcgaI
what was intended to he n massacre q
the whites. The riot became "A battle
and the discharge of firearms was inces
SAINT for an hour. Thc;; .h.. citizens Oh
vanized and the soldiers rctreated To Tn
fort. Five men were killed.
In 1873 the little cemetery near the tow
contained 80 graves. OF these nearly .
were marked with a board and the on
word "Unknown." Poor fellows. Fat
i'm the form of n desperado's bullet lai,
them low "a few hours after their arrival
A rude pine box. a careless burial, an
forgotten i'm an hour.
A few years ago other aborers came
They laid a road of iron across the wilder
ness and soon the avant courier of civil
ration startled the long-earcd rabbits ol
the staked plains.
To-day San Angeles is "A thriving littl
city with schools. churches,
and the houses of a respectable and PR