Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-04
DEATH OF COL. SHELBY.
For Many Years Prominent Figure
in Santa Fe-Buried In Ell PasO-
Sketch Of an Eventful Life.

l
Sketch of an Eventful Life.
As announced in the New MEXICAN las,
evening, Col. V. s. Shelby, of this city
who has long been a hopeless invalid
passed away in Ell Paso at noon yester
day. The deceased has long been promi
nent figure in this city and was well
known throughout New Mexico. At the
time of his death he was the managing
proprietor of the Palace hotel, director
in the First National bank and possessed
valuable mining interests in the territory
He was reputed to be a very wealthy man.
lie was never married, but leaves q
brother in Tennessee, sister, sister-in.
law and several nephews in Kentucky, and
a nephew, s. B. Shelby, of this city, who
was in Ell Paso when his uncle died. Col
Shelby was baptized in the Episcopal
church several months ago and was con-
firmed by Bishop Kendrick in Ell Paso on
the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
A brief telegram from Mr.. 8. B. Shelby
announces that his uncle will be buried in
Ell Paso to-day. This is disappoint.
ment to Paradise lodge of Odd Fellows
in this city, of which organization Col.
Shelby had been member for twenty
years, the members thereof regretting
that they were not permitted to bury the
mortal remains of their departed brother
at his old home.
SKETCH OF COL. V. s. sHELBY's LIFE.
Col. V. s. Shelby was born in Mont.
gomery county, Tennessee, on the 9th
day of February, 1927. He remained
there until he was 20 years of age. Dur
ing his boyhood he went to school very
little. He went to Clarksville, Tenn,
and served four years an apprentice at
the carpenters trade.
When his apprenticeship was out he
was employed by the quartermaster of
the United States army to go to Mexico
to join Gen. Taylor's army at the mouth
of the Rio Grande. He remained there
about six months, was taken sick and
had to go back to Tennessee until he got
we'll. Afterwards he went to Louisiana
and worked at his trade for few years.
In 1852 he went to California and en-
gagged in mining and other pursuits Of
life. In 1856, he came through to the
Rio Grande and was employed by the
quartermaster at Fort Fillmore and re-
NAMED there until 1858, when the Utah
war broke out and the quartermaster was
ordered to Fort Union, N. M. The sub
ject of this sketch went with the oar
termaster and served as chief mechanic
at Fort Union until the civil war came
on, then he went out of the employment
of the government and went to contract.
ing with the same, furnishing supplies
and erecting large store houses at Fort
Sumner, N. M.
In 1868, Col. Shelby came to Santa Fe,
where he has made his home ever
since, with the exception of one or two
years he lived in Denver, Colo, engaged
in different pursuits Of life during that
time.
In 1869, there was gold discovered in
the Moreno valley, in the northern part of
the territory on the Maxwell land grant,
creating quite an excitement, and there
was company formed of moneyed men
of New Mexico to build large ditch to
bring water to the placer mines. Col.
Shelby invested all the money he had
available in this ditch with such men as
Lucien B Maxwell, VIM. H. Moore, Jno.
Doll, VIM. Kroenig and others. This ditch
cost nearly $250,0OO and proved to be
failure for the company that built it.
During the time the building of this
ditch was in progress, Col. Shelby became
interested in the Aztec mine, which at
that time was very rich.
After failing to make the Aztec mine
and the big ditch pay, Col. Shelby bought
a quartz mill from Maxwell and put it up
in Silver City with others in 1871, and ran
the same for about two years or more,
and, on account of not being able to save
the silver, they failed and all the money
they put into it they lost. This disaster
left Col. Shelby entirely insolvent. He |
returned to Santa Fe in 1874, his friends
loaned him enough money for speouIa-
lions of different kinds, and he soon made
considerable more money.
He then bought the Graphic group Of
mines, in Socorro county, with Gov. VIM.
Thornton and VIM. H. Manderfeld, and
this investment proved to be very sue
'essful. Col. Shelby said he thought that
hey realized about $4,000 apiece from
ibis property.
He secured lease, in 1886, on the Aztec
nine for thirty years, or rather on the
Maxwell Land Grant company's interest.
which was 7-12ths, by paying a royalty on
he net profits of the mine, the other 5-12ths
'elng owned by Thos. B. Catron, Jas.
1ynoh and himself, and they associated
themselves equally for working the same.
they spent considerable money on the
but were never able to find
'ay streak rich enough for them to make
money out of it. "There is great deal
i low grade ore in the mine, but We were
ever able to make a profit" said Col.
he!by, in speaking of this venture.
The partners named got an English
indicate to take the property about two
ears ago, the purchasers thinking that
aey could make this great body of low
rade ore profitable.
The facts composing the foregoing
'ory OF an interesting and eventfnl life
ere confidentially confided to a NEW
[Ex1oAN scribe by Col. Shelby many
lonths ago with the pathetic REQ uest that
suitable sketch of his life might be
repaired and printed after he was SCALED
way"
After making this request, and being
'sured that his wishes would be res pscted
I'd carried out, Col. Shelby added: "For
70 past ten or twelve years my health has
zen very bad and have been under the
eatment of doctors most all the time. l
q now in critical state of health and
ink that if l can not find relief soon
n not expect to live much longer"
Bon Ton restaurant-Fresh oysters,
h and game; Kansas City meats. Open
y and night.