Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-03-28
DEFENSE

INJURED PUEBLos COULD CLUSTER FOR
DEFENSE
and pursuit of the enemy. Formerly one
White man alone, even, afforded mora
pivot to the offended sedentary Indian
now the latter was left alone in presence
OF Toes who had forgotten nothing and
learned great deal in the art of destruc.
ton.
Nevertheless the Pueblos had not. as n
mass, any desire to return to allegiance.
This is very natural. At the present day
those among the village Indians who have
influence, would rather return to their
condition as it was previous to the 18th
century, than to accept all the advantages
OF modern civilization. Still less was if
the case then, when the excitement
OF GREAT AND BLOODY EFFORT
was still dominant, and the passions of
the moment, with all their rancor, still
prevailed. The insurrection had cost
lives on both sides, and the natural thirst
Tor revenge joined hands with the dread
OF revenge in case the other side should
recover mastery. Besides, the blind at
tachment c;eotNst U'say;Gganc arco.>;ne
ton, built at organization. The Pueblo
rf0lan could not we'll recede from posi-
ton he had violently assumed, and his ad-
visers, the wizards and medicine men, took
good care in not letting him grow luke
warm in the return to the good old
times"
While in New Mexico o
ALL WAS REvELRY AND GLEE
under the form and with the apparatus OF
a primitive culture, the Spaniards at Ell
Paso del Norte were far from enjoying
themselves. They had arrived there in
the condition of helter-skelter and con-
fusion inseparable from retreat con-
Quoted on the principle of successful
fight through most dangerous country.
In such cases the inclination to continue
that flight until absolute security is
reached is inevitable. The fugitives from
New Mexico were under the impression
of a panic the more so, since for many
OF them that panic signified the loss OF
near relatives, killed under the most har-
rowing circumstances. The mass of
CoLoNIsTs OF NEW MEXICO,
when they at last came TO malt az FL
Paso del Norte, presented to their leaders
the picture Of a tangled spool of thread,
which it was the duty of these leaders to
wind up again in an orderly manner.
Therefore, the first year of Otermin's stay
at the "Pass" had to be devoted almost
exclusively in unravelling the meshes
loops and ties that had formed them
selves during the retreat from New Mex
leo, and in persuading the dismayed set
tiers to remain true to the purposes OF the
crown and
| NOT to ABANDON EVERYTHING
under the impression of momentary or
imaginary danger. The struggles which
Otermin had to 60 through on this score
are better told by his own documents
than by the pen of one who looks at the
times with less interested eye. Time
and again was he called upon by the Off
GERS of the municipality of Santa Fe
(which body still existed, although on
"paper" only as the circumstances i'm
plied) to evacuate the "Pass," and re-
treat to Parral. He refused, and his re-
fusal was based on very solid grounds.
The only
IMPORTANCE WHICH NEW MEXICO
ever possessed for Spain, consisted in its
situation. 1t formed military outpost
against Indian incursions from the north.