The sun., 1896-09-13
INSCRIPTION mock.
An Intere sting Historical Monument In
New Mexico.
From the Land Of Sunshirs.

From the Land Of Sunshine.
For nearly three centuries tho cliff has
been known as FL Moro, the castle. The less
poetic front,ersman nowadays calls it In
script.on Rock. In historic interest 1t Is
paralleled by no other rock, and for beauty II
has none too many peers. 1t Is 215 feet high,
and few thousand feet long: sheer. domi-
nant. lying ike lion. head up, among the
bold mesas whi,h flank the ancient kings
highway from tho Seven Cities Of Ciboln to
the Rio Grande. Again the aptness OF the
Spanish christenngs is vindicated. From
n distance the rock looks indeed like castle
such as man never dreamed OF building since
the Tower OF Babel sprawled in ruin.
But neither Its beauty nor Its size ia what
makes the Morlo the most precious Of cliffs
II owes its unique worth To the fact that no.
where else have many men Of historic
weight carved their names and dates in
stones. In n word. It ia the most imposing
autograph album in existence. Fray Marcos
Of Nizza tho discoverer of New Mexico $3.50,
did not get thus far by forty miles, and Coro-
ldo, tho first explorer u54o). though hc
discovered the Grand Canon OF the Colorado.
the Indian Territory. Colorado. and Kansas.
marched q few miles south Of this cliff. But
soon after Coronado every pioneer who came
to New Mexico came by the Moro and camped
there. There is reason 10 believe that Cha
muscado himself passed here in 1880 In his
wonderful march. for one of his mon seems
to have left record thereof.
Tho sandstone cliff Is tall and smooth. and
beins obliged to camp there, for the only
water in days journey. the conquistadores
who were hemmed by an unknown wilder
ness and never expected to get back to Mexi-
CO alive. fell into Tho way Of leaving their
names. II any one else should ever pierce
\
found the record that they lad come thus
far.
So the southeastern and northern walls Of
the Xorro contain scores Of autographs and
longer ipscrp ions that date. some OF them.
from n genera, ion before an EnEllsh-spenking
person dwelt anywhere In the New World.
Many OF these names are OF deep historic in
terest. 'he names o: men who cut n large figure
in the foundation of America: AVID all are
valuable. among them. too, is evidence OF the
curious fact that great proportion Of the
Spanish explorers were college Fred men, and
q charac ,istic study of the beautiful chirog-
raphies OF the sixtecrth and seventeenth CEN
turtles. Probably tie oldest autograph on the
Moro is that of Pedro Romero. II we correct.
ly read the dnte. 1850. he was one of Chanus-
cado's little band OF heroes.
The most important autograph Is that Of
Juan de Onate. the unspoiled millionaire,
whose father discovered the first great silver
mines in North America. and the greatest ever
Zncatecas; Juan was tho founder OF New
Mexico. In l59j he organized an expedition
weeh Go' hnI HIN GI1S G
arsi town in New New Mex leo leo, and d. the % second in II
del los Espanolcs. In 1905 he founded the city
OF Santa F6. which. thanks to n recent gues sing
Governor. often claims TO have been built in
In 1904 Onatc. who had the dauntless spanish
legs, trudgSed with "A handful Of men from north;
ern New Mexico TO the Gulf OF California. aud
on his way bnck in lGO5 carved on the Moro
the inscription;
Onnte: TO the discovery, of the South Sea. on
the 10Th Of Arril; 1905,
lar with Splnish document NJ the time would
notice that the last figure an old-time =
Next in Importance TO the nntrErHnh of the
founder of New Mexico is thai nf H. reconGueror
the gal!an' Cor. Di,gp e Vargas. The hero
whose, years ~ t1En'ln- uf'"r tho red pueh'"
rebellion in 1880 contain a some 90 the mot
remark .blc military feat> N nj american ',is
tory. He wrote thus With his dagger IN the Lofty
rnG, Of the MORO during his first dnsh INTO
Here was The Gen. Don Diego de, Vargas
who c"nGg rcd for our Ho faith and for ihe
Not far from his autograph is tho inscrip
bai Oh sent by ~" $ m @ ad hs i G
the troubles in Xuni. Here, tco. is the firma
81 the private soldier Felipe de Arclano who
was ono OF the garrison of three men whom the
Xunis massncred in tho year l7OC: and that of
Can't. Juan dc urrbnrri; leader OF tho six men
who tramped 800 miles in lTOl to avenge that
massacre: The two fanusomest inscriptions
on the Moro are those OF Don Francisco
Manuel do silva Neto. Governor OF the PROV
ince OF New Mexico in 1920. In that year he
made the 200-milc march TO found the mission
at Mmni. One ~ them reads. translated:
General OF the provinces of the New Mexico.
forou lord the King. passed by here, return.
OF &E @ n' IN hs yssr OF nS dGy n
peace. at their request they asking his favor
a. y%Ssas OF his Msfs,y nnd they saye heir
wisdom. zeal. and prudence as such n most
Christian, tcrupulous and galan' soldier"
cisco Lctralo. who did noble work among the
tattoood Indians of the plains and Then settled
@ ,bey e bsSsssa a. mnn DI In FGnnruSy
diicnlt Inscriptions to be read on the Morru
y FL Ihai rs OF the soldier Lnian. who was one of
Spanish;
to ihc Monging OF the death OF Father Lee
;, This vengeance" consisted In coaxing the
Iunis down from the cliffs where they had hid
vas no boodshsd; Another Governor of New
1910 on an expedition in which he aimed to
convert the ,Moquis, who had murdered their
eyer visited the United states was Dr. Don
Martin Elizaecochea Of Durango. who passed
the Morro Sept. 2S. 1897, and left record or
he he event on the rock. Juan paez Hurtsdo,
OH the autograph clin on one Of his westward
expeditions from Santa Fe, His inscription
reads
The l4th day of July of l7ae passed by
here the Gen. Juan Paez Hurt ,do. official
visitor. visitor - And IN his company the Corporal
Ramon paez Iurtado. whose puzzling sigma
turc is shown, was son OF Gen. Hurtado.
His autograph saws:
On the 9TH OF the month OF June of the
mon PGcZ HurIRuo."
Space forbids that should catalogue here
all the Historically precious autographs which
are still leGible on tho Moro. There are
many other Spanish signatures OF the old
days, days, and the inscripticn Of Lieut.; lafterward
ieneral Simpson, in lS4s-the first Amer.
ican" 10 write his name on this noble stone
nase, and one OF the most important expor.
ers We ever nad in the West. Bnt enough Is
said 70 indicate the preciousness of the Moro
such leaf OF history as no oIhcr land has.
IN any civilized country such treasure would
Gress or the United States may find time he.
tween us meddings with foreign affairs 10 pre-.
serve this matchless clin from the weather and
the yandAl