Birmingham state herald., 1896-11-22
A NEW WORLD.
Travellers Visit a Colony in Mexico, Which Has Neither Priest, Law
 Book, Jail. Attorney, Rogue h or Ruffian.


 from La Mesa, and one from Memphis. Tenn.s left the park carly in the morning, in wagons, for a days sightseeing in New Mexico. All the arrangements for full enjoyment were in perfect harmony folks boys and girls.
 Las Cruces, an old adobe town, with dottings of modern brick buildings, is one of interest, It has a population of 2,5OO. but is without incorporation. The court house, jail, rink, public school house and a number of private resi- denees are new brick structures, in keep ing both in style and architecture usually seen in cities and towns east The con- vent, the cathedral, Methodist Episcopal church, North, Methodist Episcopal church, South two mission schools and Rio Grande hotel are among the older buildings; one bank, quite a number of stores two livery stables, one railroad, station. postonlce, meat shops, etc. The population is in the main Mexican and mixed breeds. The white portion. is al- most of every nationality, religion and politics.
 The country we found, though just after leaving Las Cruces, spoke more loudly than words of disappointed hopes and expectations. The neglected orch ards and alfalfa fields. the indifferently cultivated crops, the beautiful homes in the hands of renters, tell the oft repeated story of misfortune. so familiar in az rieultural districts in every state in the union. Low prices of produce, oyerpro- duction, no market, no money.
 The Alameda was the next place of in- terest. This is beautifully improved out of-town property for the accommodation of winter visitors. The buildings are large and eommodious; the grounds ex-
 
 Winter or summer in this land of sun shine, it has a most attractive restful- ness to the weary traveller, or to the sick, sore invalid. Recently there has been a sensational neighborhood rumor, that 9 crazy man has his dwelling in this locality. The youngsters of the par ty had been duly informed in regard to his personal appearance, his propensity for jumping from behind trees to grasp within his leaa4 lanlS arms passing un- protected children The five wide-awake boys of our party strained the senses of seeing and hearing. to detect his slightest movement. After a mile stretch at quickened rate of speed, theit fears be- gan to relax and to pass into forgetful- ness.
 Every person has at least one folly. Today we saw two in the form of law ish expenditure of time. money and strength, on buildings that would have graced Fifth avenue. Standing amidst dying orchards dry ditches, sand hills, off in the uninhabited country, abandop- ed to bats and owls, testifying to the folly of two men, No one doubts the sincerity of their intentions. but the prac- ticability was not considered until their fortunes had slipped away and nothing was left but brawn and muscle with which to finish the battle of life. Too often the case, in the latter days of financial squeamishness.
 Shalam Colony, the objective point of interest in our days sightseeing, nestles quietly and secretly in a bend of the Rio Grande, which girts against the foot hills of a towering mountain peak. Through a gate we entered the grounds about three-quarters of 0 rnile from the premises. We drove up with as much gravity as possible, and halted at a suita- ble place in the grounds. MT. Sweet, our spokesman, called to the proprietor to know where we should drive for lunch con.
 "Is it picnic?"
 "Yes."
 "Then drive just outside the gate" pointing in the direction whence we came, and you will find some trees un- der which you can lunch"
 With becoming respect to the proprie- tors wishes we quietly and almost si- lently returned. Under a cottonwood it with an appetite keenly sharpened by the zone of the rockies.
 Owing to the we'll known stubborn. religious notions and practices of this colony, we concluded that the objection to our lunching in the grounds, the frag- ments would contain the bones and flesh of slaughtered animals. Such cruelty is at variance with the teachings of Oapspe their Bible.
 The queerly dressed old gentleman and the children in Mother Hubbards we were eager to see. Our curiosity was soon gratified. The proprietor in spotless bleached muslin shirt and pants, girdled with blue sash, stepped out with the elasticity of youth to show us around. The cut of his garb will interest the read CTS. The shirt was sleeveless and collar less, the pants were after the pattern of athletes, except longer, reaching two or three inches above the ankle. His feet were clad In moccasins, but sockless. His head was bare. The long, flowing locks, the silver threads among the gold, combed straight back, dry and shaggy from exposure to sun and air, gives him a patriarchical appearance. More than half of his pate is bald. His skin is rough and bronzed, subjected as 1t Is to the trying air and sun of this climate. Tn all of his peculiar ways he has an unanswer- able argument. A freak" is the up-to- date title for the former fanatic and later on, crank. By whatever name best suit ed he is terribly in earnest, in regard to making Shalam coloney a success as a model school for teaching the body and developing the moral and intellectual na- ture of the young. It is the only institu- ton of the kind in the worldt The re- ligion is founded upon a revelation made known to Dr. Newbrough in spiritualistic visions not exceeding fourteen years since, Oabspe, their Bible, which was recently written by Dr. Newbrough, ante dates all other religions in the known world, so they claim. Dr. Newbrough was the founder of this colony. Scarcely had he laid the foundation of this work when death by la grippe removed him from his unrealistic dreams to scenes of the beyond. The body of this divinely in- spired man, as he claimed, now lies in an unpretentious enclosure not far from his study and studio. The present incurn- bent, Dr. Newbrough's assistant, is now the husband of the widow of the founder. To carry out the plans and purposes in the building up and perpetuating on a substantial basis of Dr. Newbroughsl I presume is at present engaging all his time, means and energies. The burden of keeping employed fifty hands daily. look ing after the details of tho work, disburs- ing funds for expenses, not to mention the trials and vacations which of themselves arise in experimenting it, altogether keep the old gentleman constantly occu-