The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1897-10-07
1--WE :1inutes after leaving
. house in company with m!

house in company with my
4 host, L. A. Van Patten,
sheriff of Dona Ana County,
came the first exciting experience of
the night" said man from New MeXi-
territory when the railroads there were
new. I'VE had crossed an open lot
and turned up the sandy street leading
to the principal street of Las Cruces
when, bang-baDg-bang! from some
where in the darkness ahead came the
reports of repeating rifle, or heavy
revolver, mingled with the whiZzing
screech of bullets coming straight down
the road with us in the direct line Of
their course. At the first shot Van Pat
ten and | stopped still, and man walk
ing along at a little distance behind US
Jumped to the roadside and went fiat
to the ground in the ditch. He wasn't
hit, and didn't mean TO be. The second
bullet passed between Van Patten and
me, the wind of it Tapping the sheriff's
hat-brim. The third-well, l wasn't
there any more, but was making three
jumps to the second to get behind the
corner of an adobe wall thai fenced an
orchard from the road The sheriff
stood his ground and laughed at me for
running away; then went back TO the
house for his revolver. When we got
up to the main street, we learned that
the firing had been done by a Mexican
taking shots at another Mexican in
quarrel over girl. No one was hit,
and so the matter passed.
THE city's principal street was
ablaze with the lights of saloons, all
open in front on this hot September
night and crowded with customers.
Miners, ranch-men, soldiers, lawyers,
tourists, and Spanish h-Americans, rich
and poor. passed In and out or lounged
about the doorways. The sheriff,
candidate for reelection, talked with
| everybody in English or Spanish, as
the occasion demanded, and set up the
drinks often for the crowd as we
cruised from place to place. At about
ten o'clock messenger with a tele-
gram came hunting for him. and soon
new excitement spread through the
town, and men gathered in groups 20
| listen to such details as had reached the
city of an attempt at train robbery that
had occurred on the AtchiSOn road that
night few miles above Las Cruces.
The robbers had tried to ditch the
southward-bOund passenger train, but
had succeeded only in stopping it, and
after attacking the express-car, had
been beaten off. A mile from the place
the same men, it was supposed, Lad
help up rich ranchman and robbed
him of his money, pistol, and watch.
Messages had at once been sent by the
division superintendent of the road to
the sheriffs Of Dona Ana, Lincoln,
Sierra, and Socorro Counties, notifying
them of the occurrence. Two railroad
detectives had arrived in Las Cruces on
special locomotive, and were in con-
sultation with Van Patten by eleven
o'clock that night.
ivan Patten hunted up all of his dep |
uties that were in town, and sent two |
with posse up to the scene of the at
tempted robbery to trail the bandits |
from that point. He also set inquiries |
on foot as to whether certain untrust-
worthy characters living at Las Cruces
were in town at the time the train was
stopped. Having done everything ap-
pareatly that could be done that night
toward detecting and capturing the out
laws, Van Patten said to me:
Lets go up to Juana's and eat some
enchiladas before We 60 home
I'VE left the main street and its revel-
ries and went up the hill to the east.
among the fiat-roofed adobe houses of
the poorer Mexican residents of the
town. AS we passed these humble
homes, through the doorways left open
for GOODNESS the forms Of the inmates
asleep upon the floor of the one room
within could indistinctly be seen. Ju-
ana's was sort of Mexican restaurant
and here. at midnight, we ordered the
enchladas, which were brought TO lis
OH platter by the dark-skinned come
ly hostess. Enchiladas are tortillas-
thin cakes OF unleavened bread re-
sembling an ordinary buckwheat cake
in size and shape-on which is spread
a mixture of onions and red chill pep-
pers chopped up together. With a bot
tie Of beer to accompany them, found
the enchiladas not half bad to eat. As
we sat at the table n pretty Mexican
girl in white-musiin gown, and bare
headed, came in, whom the sheriff
greeted as JOsefa and invited to
glass of beer. They chatted together
in the Spanish tongue as we ate our
and he joked her about
some person whom he called 'Shifty
Bill Our meal finished, we paid the {
hostess, said goodnight to her and
JOsefa, and went out irto the darkness.
We did not go back the way we had
come. but, taking another route. passed
an adobe house in which a light was
while the door was closed.
That is Josefa's house., the sheriff ,
said to me. We walked on as far as
the next house, few steps beyond.
Van Patten pulled me into its shadow
and stopped.
Wen wait here bit Don't speak J
Dr. make noise he cautioned me. I
"a minute later Ifound myself stand {:
ng alone. the sheriff having left me so I
silently that l had not noticed his 60 :
ng. As stood in the shadow, wonder f
ng what all this mystery was about.
he door of Juana's house, up the hill
side, opened, and the whte-robed form |
If Josefa came through the darkness '
oward her house. Arriving, she went
nto the house, leaving the door partly a
'pen. Then came the sound of foot
steps of some one walking softly TO- G
ward the house, and in the light that
'treamed through the doorway / saw
! man, in dark clothes and wearing a
on the point Of entering the |
louse.
"His foot was at the threshold when l.
lick, came the sound of a pistol ham $
ner suddenly cooked, and the sheriff's =
-oice said, sternly: Hands up! You're Il
ny prisoner! v
"Tbe man ut the threshold started O