Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-20
AN ELOPEMENT.

There is war among the Nicochea and
Garcia families. The trouble, as usual, is
over girl and in this case she happens to
be Dolores Nicochea, the belle Of Mexican
society in San Diego for some years past.
Dolores is in the flower of her youth, just
Is, tall, graceful and of charming manners.
Her oval face is pensive, except when her
glorious dark eyes flash with mirth or
passion. She has plenty Of spunk and has
lately snapped her fingers at four big broth
ers and eloped with scion of an ancient
enemy of her house.
Dolores had lived on Tenth street with
her mother and brothers--Jose Gabriel,
Salvador and Manuel. Her father is dead,
but the boys have watched her with jealous
care. Dolores has had plenty of chances to
marry, but she has been very circumspecs
in receiving attentions from young men.
Her brothers have helped her by chasing
away every young fellow who came around
and by spreading the alarming intelligence
that death awaited the man who presumed
to court their sister.
This method worked we'll with faint
hearts, but it had no terrors for Young Tomas
Garcia. Tomas is 6 feet 2, % years old,
good looking and as quick as the mountain
lions he has so often hunted. He first saw
Dolores two years ago at a fiesta at Tia
Juana, Oh the Mexican line He was
then working on his fathers rancho at
Cerro Colorado, seven miles below the line
He quilted work and came to San Diego
and ever since has carried on courtship
with Dolores For year she turned deaf
ear to him, and he rarely saw her. He saw
Jose Nicochea once, however, but mutual
friends separated them almost before the
knives were drawn.
After that Dolores did not seem so cold
and less than year ago Tomas was sure
he could win her If only the chance Of
elopement offered. When the four big
brothers learned that Dolores loved Tomas
there was lnighty row. They related to
her all the old cattle wars between the Nj
cocheas and Garcias and tried to arouse
her family pride. She told them with great
spirit that she didn't care how many feuds
existed between the families; that she loved
Tomas and some day would marry him.
Then the boys sent word to Tomas that if
he was ever seen with Dolores he would
surely die.
So matters have stood for the past six
months. Dolores and Tomas have COM
municated in some way, but nobody knows
how. The old sonora, her mother, has
watched her like hawk, and the boys
have been at her side whenever she an
peared in public at bale or fiesta. 1t Is
strange, therefore, that Tomas should have
run away with her so easily, but it is true
that he has.
Last Sunday evening the old sonora dozed,
Jose, Gabriel Manuel and Salvador were
all down town. Dolores looked mighty
pretty, leaning her cheek on her hand at
the open window, appearing half asleep
Once in awhile she glanced at her mother,
and the glance was as quick and full of fire
as lightning flash. She kept glancing
down the street, too, as If expecting some
thing, and could hardly sit still as light
buggy and two fine horses swept around
the corner
The team came quietly enough, but with
out losing any time Tomas said only one
word, "Veni." That means "Come!" but
it means morein Spanish. Dolores stepped
past the doing sonora as lightly as if dane.
the buggy.
The time consumed in reaching the cor.
ner and getting out of the old lady's range
of vision was probably one minute. If you
have ever eloped, however, you can imagine
how long 1t seemed to Dolores and Tomas
When the corner was turned-sas!-the
whip descended, and the spirited horses
leaped down National avenue.toward the
Mexican line. People along the road heard
buggy hustle through the night, but they
thought 1t was somebody going for doc
tor or something.
The fleeing lovers went through National
City like hurricane. 1t sounded exactly
like runaway, everybody at Chula Vista
said. At Tia Juana, l6 miles from here, the
horses were blowing like bellows, and the
custom house men say that the young lady
in the buggy neld a shotgun or rifle while
the young man piled the whip. The com.
mandante was not around when the horses
dashed by, but two or three of the gen
dafmes made feeble attempt to stop the
invaders. They didn't like the looks of the
woman with the gun, however, and so
Tomas and Dolores got with their team
into Mexico without paying duty-the only
case on record in these parts. They drove
right to Cerro Colorado and were married
Old Dom Pedro, Tomas father was tic
killed. to death at securing the pearl of his
enemy's tribe, and he will give Tomas a
good ranch.
When the big brothers got home and the
old sonora said she didn't know what had
become of Dolores, there was--well, you can
imagine what there was. Each of the four,
with unerring instinct, headed for the cor.
raj, jammed big silver bit into his horses
mouth, cinohed the animal so tightly that
IT stood on tptoe, and all swung into the
street.
They reached Tia Juana less than an hour
behind Tomas and Dolores. They asked
the first man they met, who happened to
be Mexican custom house man, il he had
seen young couple. No. he had not
Others gathered around. Yes, they had
seen a young couple in buggy, driving
like crazy people.
Jose, Salvador, Gabriel and Manuel
looked at each other and prepared to push
on. Hold on, hold on' said the custom
house man; 'you can't enter Mexico in that
fashion"
The brothers knew then that all was lost.
However, they tried to explain and argue
No, no; they must wait till manana AMI
pay the duties on their horses or so hack.
But" said they, this is an extraordinary
case-an elopement, an abduction" Blu
eno." said the custom house man, manana
1t could be all arranged. By this time the
boys were surrounded by swarm of gen
darmes, all wrapped in serapes and smok-
ing cigarettes.
So the four brothers came home. They
swear by all the demonios that Tomas Gar
cia is already dead, but people say that be-
fore Tomas dies there is liable to he u flu
neral among his brothers-in-law. They say
that Dolores has more spunk than all the
other Nicocheas put together, and that the
old sannra aud the four hrothars ,,.ill In 80