Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-21

tort West due east 10 Fort Mcltac'
,oo miles;>from Fort Mcliao due south
10 the point OF starting, 100 miles. that
was the route taken by the paymastcr
and his escort every two months,
weather permitting. The route was n
triangle. and led over u country Of
,Jnm. prairie and thclSet The pay
ymnator had his ambulance, In which
wAa slowed the iron safe ana It's green.
hacks, and the escort OF 10 men hal
Inc best horses the quartermuster could
Furnish. 100, 49, ,..., a.
mon made their first trip with the
new paymaster, Major Gordon, some
thing happened to create gossip ana
SIsconteut. The ma1or was past Md
die npe, awkward and ungainly MS a
bael,woodsman. and positively ugly In
looks. He was not regular army
nfIirer. not u graduate of West Point,
N,,i a relic OF the civil war, who had
kent or secured place through politi-
al influence. There was gossip nt
1snrt Fillmore that he was not IN
evmpathy" with tho htaf OF officers
mi we OF the rank and file heard no
particulars. 1t was the business OF
ID OF us to see him safely over the
triangular route, and we cared not
Forty miles west OF Fillmore, ON the
west bank OF Antelope creek, stood
paridn's ranch. Parida was "a Mexican
an old man, and, II reports were true,
his hostclry was the headquarters Of
|. bad lot. ON several occasions u troop
of cavalry had gone down there and
captured or run OH notorious outlaws
who were hanging about. and the
ftories circulating among soldiers
mud npnqnpginrQ the old
man an unenyiable reputation. lilo
lived there alone In his adobe, with
his daughter Pepita. girl about is
years old. Long enough before our
first trip with the major we heard
that this girl was used as n decoY
and that she was as bad ut heart
as the father. We made tho forty
long miles to Parlda's ranch the day
we left the fort, calculating to camp
there, and the welcome was apparently
u cordial one. The only people to be
seen about the place wore the father
0nd daughter, and the major was
taken into the house 20 be cared for.
aud We were told TO make ourselves
comfortable in the stables. We had
our army rAtlons. you understand, aud
all We required of old Pariln was fuel
for campfire, which was built In
I the yard. The ambulance was backed
under a shed, our camp made around
\ It. and we had only to enjoy ourselves
after the long days ride
We reached the ranch at 2 o'clock
In the evening. AT . o'clock when
4 supper had been eaten and had post
Il ed sentinel the major called me
from the door of the house. As re
sponded to his call got my first peep
i into the house and at Pepita, The
structure was "A four room affair. with
the front room used rs a bar and loung-
4 Ing place, a second COON was used
as u kitchen and dlnltg room, and the
tother two rooms. though closed to sight
took to be bedrooms.
n ON the rude couch In the barroom I
found the major ana the girl sitting
(, side by side In the most loving IMAM
ncr, while the old man sat at dis
tance and looked ON and rubbed his
. hands and smiled. AS I stood before
the major at attention" | saw that
5he was the worse for liquor While
n we girl put an arm around his neck
he looked up at mo and stnmmcrcd
land suffered, and finally managed to
3say;
Sergeant is everything all right out
a thero?"
a AN right, SIR" ! reported.
He careful OF the money sergeant;
n De careful Of the money, I'm gou' to
have good tlmo. hut don't say nuthln'
--not word, Awfully nice old men
8awlully nice girl II anybody saws
Hthesc people are bad. they lie about
s EN- Best people | ever saw. I'm your
tuperor officer sergeant. hut never
.lnlnd That ana have n drink with me.
Nlee Blrl, PepiLl is--thc incest girl
4cver sawl'
! The girl was handsome, but there
-was vicious ana dangerous look
"A oout her and craft ana cruelty could
.|le soon I'm
.lace. Both were anxious for mo To
.uflhk, but | stubburnly refused. The
j$ri tried praise and nattcry, but /
Eooked Mt her In contempt TO say
Ehat | was surprised at the majors
&eohduet was drawing IL mild. Old
p'arida and his dccoy daughter had
I{oped him without half trying. and but
,]navc been row
did not intend To say n word to
ne men, but the major gave himself
Way' lie followed me TO the door to
"A nout some further words of caution,
Rnu every man saw and realized his
1f3hIltlon' IL was charitable to believe
ilquor had been druggcd. but that
rE9s no excuse. I did not expect any
2slhE 10 happen. II was the majors
y UP over the route. and old Parldn
lu ms daughter could not have known
" wenkncsa and put up a job In adj
q tncc OF MS coming. We were ready to
'art ~ daylight next morning, but Il
arus u O'Clock before the major APP
pared lie had sobered up, but was
nss ana surly, and evidently disguHtod
IN himself, We rode straight through
- shutdown without halt. and, supper
au been disposed of before he spoke
TX me Then he asked me II the men
Jew or his weakness" ns he was
<eaHeu to term II, and requested me to
~ among them and caution them 10
pnco. He should resign, he said.
W en- We got back 90 Fillmore, hut he
I'm het want smirch on his record
n. whether 10 our credit or not, not
word escaped from any OF the escort
* !uN OF the forts. though every one
IA us was dlsgusted with the man ana
IVY ne would carry out hl7 idea OF
~ wing the service, This he did not do,
WeVer About the lat Of June we
"a 'lu from prnancctOr that he had
.W Seon at. PnridH's ranch. and two
X VnIec weeks later the old Mexican
&Wi,eI appeared at Fillmore and had
ST p,l.u.esl with The paymaater
r. ~ "" ~, phSs before Starting on the Sec
81. ZIP q citizen reported 60 the CONF
"A nuheht that dozen tough char
"a we had gathered nt Pnrlln'a, per-
~ WIN View to attack the pay
TX 1T put this Information made no
~ ,se IN our program, II Officially
M,hnuhlcated 10 tho major he had
nlns to say 10 ms about Il. we
'.L Iled ont with tho same troopors.
ne ambulance driver. same wenpons
|*|u futlguu ffnN A.. ....a-.. 49,. -.