El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-10-22
A VINDICATION.
The Traducers OF the Late Bepj. E..
Davies COpfounded by the Facts.


Davies COMPOUNDED by the Facts.
ON the Las Cruces Independent Democrat.
A short time since there appeared in
the Sunday Telegraph" of FL Paso,
Texas an article in which the writer
takes particular pains to mako num-
Der Ct false and malicious statements
in regar TO the late Der jamin E. Da-
y.es Il appears from thu article refer
red to hat Mr.. Davies WAS employ ed
by M. Shedd at San Augustine. This
is rot true. Mr.. Davies. just after
beirg honorably discharged from the
Unit. States army in 1865, was en-
traders at Fort Seldeu. After leaving
their employment, he was employed
by II. Lesinsky & Co. Of Las Cruces
until about fhe year 1873. At this
time Shedd, beirg in debt to Lesipsky
x CO.. proposed to settle MS indeb ed
ness by selling them d location for a
sheep ranch. He represented that he
had acquired title from the government
aud sold or at least made a d. ed to
them for all of the section upon which
he was then Misunderstanding his
(Shedd'sl improvements. Davies and
I.esinsky then formed partnership
and Mr.. Dayit went out and built a
house and started in bus ness. At that
time the only land office in this terri
try was Ut Santa Fe. In Septembe
1875, the land office at this place was
cpened for business. In February,
1876, it was discovered by Messrs.
Davies Il Lesinsky that Shedd had
never even filed on the land which he
had sold them, and MIR. Davies then
filed on the quarter section on which
his improvements were located; and n
due course of time OBJ aimed q patent
for same. After this patent was co.
tanned it wss discovered that Shedd's
improvements were on the quarter Sec
ton which had been patented to Mr..
Davies. In order 20 get rid of Shedd
and break up what was known as
Robbers Roost," Davies & Lesinsky.
lin 1888, L think gave Shedd about
$4,000, for his Improvements. The
actual value placed on these improve
ments by Davies Il Lesipssy is il
Illustrated by the fact that they were
immed lately torn down.
In 1880. Shedd fled on 50 acres of
land 40 jacent to that VIII ch had been
patented 10 Davies, and attempted, by
moving government corne"s: to make
1t app 5ar that his improvements were
on tn SO-acre tra ct. After receiving
pay from Davies & Lesinsky for his
improvements, he and otbers-after
Mr.. Davies death-entered into con-
spiracy and attempted to steal the
Grove Spring" from the family of
Mr.. Davies. At least one of the
parties to this conspiracy is dead, and
for that reason the details of it will not
be given.
The foregoing is a fair resume of
the business transactions between Mr..
Davies and Shedd, as can be shown by
the records Of this count y. Following
are the facts in regard to Saed1's
dTmpEt1n AFFAIRS
Davies ad anything to do with them:
In September, 1882, Mr.. Davies re-
celved a letter az dressed to the post
master at San Augustine, from Carrie
Shedd, stating she was mail clerk for
the Chicago Weekly News, and in that
capacity had received a letter from
Warren +. Shedd ordering that paper
sent t. him at San Augustine: the let
ter also stated that Warren +. Shedd
was her fathers name and that he was
supposed to be dead, as he had written
her mother from some point in ColOra-
do in 1S6O-mOre than y years before
her letter was written-that he had
heard of fabulously rich gold find
and was going to it, although the prob
abilities were that he would never re-
turn, as the country was infested by
hostile Indians and the trip was in
other respects hazardous. SIC inquir-
ed as to the social aad financial stand
ing of Mr.. Shedd, and as to whether or
not he was married, etc.
L saw this letter and Mr.. Davies re-
ply to 1t. There was not a7particle of
malice in the reply-on the contrary
some OF the facts were "smoothe d over"
to considerable extent. [ saw Miss
Shedd's reply to Mr.. Davies; she said
there could be no doubt as to Warren
+. Shedd's Identity; he was her father
She also stated that when'he left home
more than 30 years before, her mother
was b. d-rdden invalid with three
little children, the eldest only five or
six years old. and the youngest an in
FAINT at the breast: that their struggle
Sor existence had been a hard and bit
ter one, and expressed in lady-like
terms her estimate of a husband and
faith err who could desert a family under
such circumstances. That estimate, |
think, was a about correct; at least it
was as nearly SO as could be expressed
in Is dy-like terms.
Shortly after the correspondence
between Miss Shedd and Mr.. Davies
closed, | told Mr.. She6d about his
family and his 4sertion of them He
first denied, then admitted his identity,
and attempted to plead number of
extenuated circumstances; infidelity on
the part of his wife was not one of
them. In this connection it may lie
stated that Mr.. Shedd married a wo-
man shortly after his arrival at Fort
Seldom: shortly after her des tn he
married another, who died at San
Augustine in 1879 or 1880; and after he
received the $1,000 from Davies &