The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-14
TALE OF A CANDLE END.

At a hotel in New York, few years ago,
fell in with a mining engineer from Mex
leo who told me stirring tale from his ex-
per1ences in that romantic region. This
tale well remember, for, as will be seen,
it was impressed on my mind by scene
which formed sequel to the story, and of
which was a witness that very evening.
The engineer and I had dined together,
and spent pleasant time in talking over
our past adventures. There in the smok-
ing room we lost count of the time; the
other guests dropped off one by one, and
the vast hotel became silent. 1t was past
midnight when my friend began his story,
a long one for the time of night; but did
not interrupt him. l was only too glad to
sit still and listen, with my eyes on the
dark bearded face opposite, lighted up at
times by the memory of dangers past and
gone. There was look of anxiety on his
face when in repose, the meaning of which
was soon to learn, but by the strangest
accident.
My wife and Che began were married
away there in Mexico two years ago. Now
it is just two years ago that what have to
tell you took place. At that time / was
engineer to several mines in Mexico, travel
ing from one to another the greater part
of the year. Some of those mines had
bee. worked for centuries, following where
the veins of silver led thousands of yards
away from the little opening in the mount
ain side, which looked Ike rathole from
the valley below. Not few of these were
in very dangerous state, but of all the
mines in my district none were in more
critical condition than the three old work
ings above the picturesque village of Palos
de Santa Ee.
1t was alwaysvery pleasant to me to stay
few days at the little "posada," perched
mile or SO above the village, and to look
down tine valley of Santa Fe from my
lounge on the long veranda. This posada
was kept by an old Spaniard called Diez-
his full name, if you please, was Antonio
Juan Maria de Diez Y Antiguera. He was
a solemn, long visaged old fellow, clean
shaver and very dark, a bandit every inch
of him, by descent and by preference too.
But to return to Santa Fe. You cannot
have seen 1t in your wanderings, or you
would remember that valley, if nothing
else in all Mexico. The village itself was
at the head of it; down the middle rushed
broad, deep stream which never dried up,
and the lower hills on either side were
hills, and no walls of granite, as they most
ly are in those parts. Altogether the valley
was ravishing, luxuriant, restful; only
above the sloping verdure rose the mighty
peaks of the Sierra Many a midday hour
of blazing heat have / lounged away on
that veranda, while the distant thud of the
engines came throbbing through the
"sing" of the mosquitoes. One could be
lazy then.
But at night, when the engines were ST.
lent, and instead came murmurs and cries
from among the thousand lights of the
village below, could not help thinking of
the forces at work in those silent hills,
where the scattered watchfires glimmered,
by the shafts above me- / knew, if nc one
else did, that incalculable masses of water
were stored somewhere among those peaks,
and that our workings were bound to tap
sooner or later that everlasting reservoir.
The inevitable disaster must be very near
now; the wonder was that it had not al
ready come during the hundreds of years
the mines had been worked This was the
ghost that sat brooding above the vii
Iage of Palos de Santa Fe.
About the beginning of August it was
my duty to pay visit to Palos. You may
imagine that with my anxiety about the
mines this visit was less pleasant pros
roundings of the place seemed to hold out.
On my arrival found that the owners had
at last made up their minds to consult me
seriously about the danger to which have
alluded. What was more, they determined
if necessary. to close the mines. They knew
there would be serious trouble with the
miners, and they had therefore obtained
from the government the dispatch of two
companies of soldiers to maintain order
A large convent mile or so from the inn
where | was staying served as barracks for
the troops.
The miners, more than a thousand in
number, were enraged at this determined
action, but were powerless in the face of
such a force. Besides, they were by no
means unanimous. A certain number,
chiefly Americans and Germans, were I'M
willing to risk their lives against profess
sional warnings such as mine; the pres
ence of the troops gave this minority the
support they needed. The malcontents
could only grumble. and, as it turned out,
plot against us. The storm was but wait
ing till my arrival to burst. All depended
on my verdict, | may say on my life, for it
was pretty well known what my verdict
would be.
The heat of the day was only partly
spent, but, it being Sunday, and especially
because of the great excitement, the village
streets were crowded. Men, women and
children were all abroad. ! could tell by
the mems faces, by the sullen scowl or the
uneasy, anxious glance, the adherents of
either party. But when ! had ridden into
the courtyard of the inn | saw that the
worst of my opponents were there. Now,
this was the only posada in the place
more than that, twas the only place where
] could puu up The owners of the mine
lived far away, and the manager himself
was at Palos only when he was not wanted
at some mines twenty miles away, worked
by the same company. He was staying at
the inn when ! arrived. This man had
little influence with the miners, and was
not TO be relied on in an emergency like
this. He was known TO be very much
against closing the mine, so that it needed
great pressure from the directors TO com
pei him TO take the necessary steps.
You can see how uncomfortably | was
placed. The whole responsibility was laid
the enemy of hundreds of fierce, revenge
full fellows, who had evidently their head
quarters at the solitary inn where | was I
staying To set against all this | had
a guard of 200 soldiers about s mile
away, and on the spot a representative Of
my employers, who was prejudiced against
me, and who would be the last man in the