The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-04-01

Strange Mirages That Lead Travellers
Astray in New Mexico.

1
One of the weirdest of desert
scenes is the mirage, and no more
curious stories have been told Of
them in recent years than by Dean
Duke of San Francisco, who, as
Superintendent of the great Haggin
& Hearst cattle range in New Mex
leo, has been much in the saddle
during the last few months, and
seen many Of them.
Mr.. Duke has just arrived in San
Francisco. He tells of quaint towns
beyond the American border being
refracted in the skies and made to
appear as actually existing on the
New Mexico deserts. The towns
vary in size, and the domes Of
churches and of government build
ings, the stores and all the outlines
stand out in clear view. The air is
80 thin and pure that real object
fifty miles away does not appear to
be more than FIVE.
SIN riding over the plains I have
seen many of these strange mirages
of towns of Old Mexico" said he.
"The spires of the churches, with
their white crosses, the adobe build
ings and everything about them are
complete. Riding at distance one
takes them for real towns, and it is
only after learning that there can
be no such cities in the vicinity
that he gives up his idea of going
to them. Many men have been de-
ceived by them, as they have been
by the mirages resembling lakes.
"Last week an American named
Frank Seybold was journeying from
the old town of Juarez, Mexico, to
Los Palomas, in New Mexico, with
lot of merchandise. About forty
miles south of Deming, in Chihua-
hua, he saw a beautiful lake and
pulled over the plains to get water
for himself and team, as both were
very thirsty. He drove for quite
distance and still didn't appear
to get any closer. Still the lake was
there before him in such beauty and
naturalness that he never thought
but it was genuine, and kept on.
He could feel, as he thought, the
cool breeze from the lake, and was
: encouraged to push ahead.
"At length after going several
miles and getting no close the fact
of its being a mirage of the desert
dawned on him and he wheeled his
team around to get back. But night
came on before he reached the road.
He pushed ahead. thinking to reach
it anyway, and thus got lost and
wandered around till be could not
reach the road.
"He had, therefore, to stay where
he was, and in the morning he re-
newed his search. It was no use,
however. He could not find it, and
after wandering around a good while
longer he unhitched his team, left
his goods, and proceeded in the di-
rection he supposed Los Palomas
was. It was four days in all before
he got back, and in that time he
had no water and suffered greatly.
It was wonder he got through at
all.
"Another case know of occurred
last summer. A Mexican got lost
on the plains, was deceived by the
mirages, and went hither and thith-
er in quest of water. Finally he
was deceived by this so much and
, had gone so long without anything
to drink that he became delirious,
and, whipping out his revolver, shot
himself to get rid of his sufferings.
Ellis hand was unsteady, and in
stead of inflicting fatal hurt he
shot himself in the leg. He saw
the blood oozing from it, and in his
crazed condition drank it as it came
from the wound. Strange to say,
it revived him so that he partially
recovered his reason, and at last got
back to where he could get water
and be treated. He eventually re-
covered.
"On the vast dry plains near the
Mexican border last summer great
! many coyotes went mad because
there was no water to drink. In
this mad condition they would bite
anybody they found. Two Mexican
boys were sleeping on the ground
in their blankets one night when
: : mad coyote attacked and bit both
. of them. One of the boys after
9 wards died of hydrphobia from the
2 coyote bite, and the other finally
got we'll.
"There have been several instan-
) ces of people dying down there Of
hydrophobia from the bites Of mad
coyotes. Rather more Of them have
: occurred over the line of Mexico
: than anywhere else. It was the
excessive dryness that caused the
. . coyotes to get crazed. At such
), times they are dangerous, and one
fmust look out for them"
Thoughts stand in the same re-
lation to words as diamonds do. to
gold. Gold is needed for their set-
! ting, but it requires very little