Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-02-07

NO TRACE OF FOUNTAIN.
Major LleweIlyn's Posse Kefurns ia
Las, Cruces-Deputy Sheriffs
Take the Trail.

Still there are no tidings of Col. Foun-
tain and son. Major Llewllyn and posse,
who have been out since Sunday last in
search of the missing ones, returned to
Las Cruces last night. They followed the
trail sixty miles into the Sacramento
mountains where it was lost. Sheriff
Ascarate yesterday started out posse of
deputy sheriffs with directions to follow
every possible clue.
SOME LOCAL THEORIES.
The following touching this mystery is
from the Las Cruces Independent at
hand this morning:
"Major Llewellyn, who went with the
posse, was not at all certain that any
harm had befallen Fountain. He said
he believed 1t would be found that Foun-
tain left the road for some reason of his
own, and continued his journey ON horse
back after going as far as he could with
wheels. The circumstances of the case
we're 80 peculiar that many citizens re-
fused to believe that any murder had been
committed. It did not appear probable
that man of Col. Fountains reputation
as soldier and Indian fighter would per-
NIT himself to be surprised and held up,
particularly when he expected an attack
and was on the watch for three suspicious
horsemen. Neither is it reasonable to sup
pose that would he attempt to escape by
driving toward the mountains, presum-
ing that the men attacked him on the road.
If, as the Republican intimates very
plainly, revengeful cattlemen waylaid
Fountain, they would have killed him
where they found him, but it is almost
beyond belief that the most vengetul
enemy would kill little child. The
absence of any signs of violence where
the blackboard was found, and the find
and the boy encourage the hope, at this
writing, that the missing ones will be
fonnd all right at some mountain ranch
and that the mysterious movements may
be explained. Mr.. Raymond suggested
last evening that possibly some ignorant
fellows, supposing Col Fountain to be
wealthy, captured him and took him into
the mountains intending to secure a re-
ward for finding him. Mr.. Raymond
says that he learned recently that such an
enterprise was arranged, with himself as
the victim, few years ago.
MAY TURN UP ALL RIGHT.
"Major Llewellyn is following Albert
Fountain, jr., with twenty men or more, and
William Cox has Joined the party with a
crowd of his cowboys. The only officer
now out is Deputy Sheriff Casey, who is
following in a buggy. The posses guess
at the number of horses in the party
ahead seems to be wrong, as one of Col.
Fountains three horses is at Lnna's wells,
having returned there day or two ago.
"Sheriff Ascarate is much incensed by
the return of his deputies and by their
failure to report to him. He says they
were not under the orders of Major
Llewellyn and should not have left the
trail at his command. But if the posse
practically refused to give provisions to
the deputies, as seems to be the case, they
were obliged to return. Either the
deputies were glad of an excuse to come
home, or they were not wanted in the
party.
s'If Col. Fountain has Kept the direction
in which he has Travelled 30 far, he has
struck the road that turns from the main
Ell Paso road and crosses the Jarillas, and
In the mountains ue Will CUne 10 IluQeu q
house. The posse should get news of
him from the man who is holding down
the turquois mine there. Across the
mountains, on that road, is Oliver Loe's
we'll.
ut is suggested that perhaps Col,
Fountain has been joined by the three
Texas rangers, who left Tularosa last
week and rode southwark, and has gone
over to Lees ranch to serve papers. The
disarrangement Of papers in his vaise
might have been caused by his hasty
search for documents that he desired to
take with him. If such be the purpose
of his mysterious journey, all his move
ments may be accounted for, even to his
action in taking the boy along. The
child could be left in safety and comfort
at Hidden's house."
REPUBLICANS PARTISAN HYsTERIcs.
The Independent also prints the follow
ing: