Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-07-17
THE PRETTY SENORITA
COURTsHIP COMES TO GRIEF IN
NEW MEXICO.
House Was Observation-Disclosures
for the Servants and Pistols
for the Young Lady.

| correspondent of the New York Herald,
writing from Albuquerque, N. M. She is
pretty enough to drive a metropolitan
exquisite to the commission of eX raw
agances, and it will be easily compre-
hended that her charm for the lonely
ranchman or the wild sheep herder is
next to Irresistible.
Miss Dow, however, never found any
difficulty of getting rid of her lovers I'M
til she met Don Juan Miguel de la Corda,
fierce and even naughty Brazilian, who
claims lineage as old as the everlasting
hills. Don Juan is dark, not Unlocking
and full of determination. He met Miss
Dow one glorious afternoon when she
was riding a favorite horse, and from
that hour he could think of nothing but
her superb figure, her bronze brown
eyes" and her lustrous hair.
The Dons counting was swift and to
the point There was no difficulty about
securing an introduc ion, and before he
had known her a quarter of an hour the
impetuous Brazilian asked Sallie to be-
come his wife. She laughed at him. and
he began to curse. Then Miss Sallie be-
came alarmed and, altering her tone,
begged for time. She said she must con-
suit her father.
Tonight" said the Brazilian, 81 will
call for my answer"
Sallie rode wildly for her fathers house,
and in a few words told her story. She
was ouI e. SHc Sdlu. llS man was lndu, dHu
as for marrying him, she declared she
would as soon think of mating with the
old boy himself.
Dow pere received Don Juan courteous
ly when the latter called that evening,
and listened to him with a fine show of
patience. The Brazilian wasted no words.
"Senor," he said, your daughter pleas
es me and l will take her for my wife.
l return to my ranch in the morning.
Will now go and get priest and we can
be married Immediately"
Sallie's ia her was naturally somewhat
non-plussed by such winged words. He
told the don that he did not know him
well enough to consider him in that light
and advised that the discussion end right
there.
Don Juan flew into terrible passion
and declared that he would take the girl
without the fathers consent. But Sallie's
father gripped the don by the collar and
threw him out of the front door with so
much energy and good will that Il was
some moments before the teeth of the
noble Brazilian ceased to rattle. He went
away, however, vowing that he would
have Sallie if he had to burn the house
about the stern parents ears 20 get her.
Now, instead of keeping his bitter an
ger locked in his breast De la Corda
went about the country publishing his in
tention of taking the girl by force. Mr..
Dow, however, was not to be caught nap
ping and promp ly fortified his roof tree
and armed his servants with Winchesters
and his daughter with couple of revol-
vers.
Keep one of these for the crazy Bra
lillian. my DEAR said he to Sallie, and the
girl marked BOWS name on the gun and
put it away in a safe place.
Meanwhile love and mortified vanity
were waging a fearful warfare In the
Brazilian's breast. No woman had ever
dared to resist his suit before. He found
Ii tie difficulty in enlisting a band of reck-
less sheep herders under his banner and
advanced upon Mr. Dow's house under
cover of the night.
The sheep herders were promised all the
| booty they could capture. They surround
| ed the house and called upon Mr.. Dow
! to produce the girl, threatening with
death and his house with the brand if he
| refused to comply.
But Merchan; Dow had secured the CO.
operation of few of his nearest neigh
bors, and these, with half a dozen SER
wants who were devotedly attached to
him and his daughter constituted the
party of defense. Dow's orders were to
await the word of command and hen
burn powder without stint.
De la Corda rode into battle on a mus
tang. Although he still treasured a recol-
lection of his desired father-in-laws
strong right arm, he never for an in
slant doub ed that he would scare the
Dow household into submission. Bring
out the girl" he shouted, "or I'll kill you
all and burn the house"
Then one of the stoutly barricaded win
dows Of the Dow mansion spoke in a
flash of fire and the mustang rolled over
in the dust with the Brazilian tangled in
the wreck of hoofs and trappngs. When
Miss Sallie saw her suitors downfall she
quickly grasped the revolver marked with
his name and tried a shot at him. Don
Juan still lives, but the mustang will
never Imp again.
Matters now began to take on serious
look Irritated at the sho;, which had
momentarily disabled De la Corda, the
sheep herders began a rapid fire on the
house. One of the Dow servants fell,
MORALLY wounded, behind the window he
was guarding. Several of the neighbors
lost their heads and forgot to return the
fire of the enemy. Blu: Mr. Dow forgot
nothing. His gun spoke rapidly and with
terrible effect. One man on the don's
side was killed outright by a bullet from
the enraged fathers rifle and several
others fell on the field badly hurt.
The Brazilian, aided by a dozen of the
more desperate spirits of his command,
now made a dash for the front door of
he house and began battering at the
heavy woodwork with the butts of their
rifles. The fire of the defenders could not
reach them there, and every moment the
door quaked to its fall under the rain of
the heavy blows showered upon it.
There was no time to be lost, and Dow
quickly mus cred his forces on a stair
landing which commanded the main en-
trance to the house, and yet did not leave
the rear entirely unprotected. When the
door went down the intruders found them
selves facing a belching volcano of fire
and sho.. No wonder they faltered for a
moment, but when Don Juan, clubbing his
musket, rushed up The stairs with dare
devil courage, others of his party pressed
on after him.
Again Mr.. Dow showed his courage.
He met the Brazilian more than half way.
| knocked the musket out of his hand, and
Selling him by the throat hurled him
back upon his followers, just as Miss
Sallie, who was peeping around a corner
of the stairway a the tide of battle, shot
sheep herder in the shoulder with one
of her revolvers.
1t is conceded by Dow that his daughter
Sallie saved the day. She and her re-
volvers took part just in the very nick OF
time. and shook the courage of the follow.
ers of Don Juan.
The latter withdrew his forces, and nc
more was heard of him thai night Mr.
Dow declares that he will shoot the Bra,
lillian on sight, and everybody hereabouts
hopes he'll see him very soon. Sallis