Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-10-14
9TIvE llnutes after leaving the

host, IL. y. VAN Patten,
sheriff of DOna Ana County,
came the first exciting experience of
the night" said a man from New MeXi-
GO in telling Of some happenings in that
territory when the railroads there were
new. 1--WE had crossed an open lot
and turned up the sandy street leading
to the principal street of Las Cruces
when, ang-Dang-bang! from some
where in the darkness ahead came the
reports Of repeating.riile, or heavy
revolver, mingled with the whizzing
screech Of bullets coming straight down
the road with us in the direct line of
ten and stopped still, and man walk
ing along at II 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 thrd-weli, | wasn't
there any more, but was making three
Jumps to the second to get behind the
corner of an adobe wall that 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 a
quarrel over Il girl. No one was hit,
ana 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 Americans, rich
ana poor, passed in and out or lounged
about the doorways. The sheriff, n
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
crulsed from place to place. AT about
ten o'clock messenger with tele-
gram came hunting for him, and soon
Il 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 Il 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 sherlifs of DOna Ana. Lincoln.
Sierra, and Socorro Counties, notifying
them of the occurrence. Two railroad
detectives had arrived in Las Cruces on
n special locomotive. and were in con-
sultation with Van Patten by eleven
o'clock that night.
van Palten hunted up all of his dep
utleS 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-
parently that could be done that night
toward detecting and capturing the out
laws, Van Patten said to me:
Let's go up to Juana's and eat some
enchIladas before we go home
I'VE left the main street and its reyel.
rIes and went up the hill to the east,
among the tiat-roofed adobe houses of
the poorer Mexican residents of the
town. As we passed these humble
homes, through the doorways left open
for coolness the forms of the inmates
asleep upon the floor of the one room
within could indistlnctly be seen. Ju-
ana's was n sort of Mexican restaurant.
and here, at midnight, we ordered the
cnchiladas, which were brought 10 lis
on 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
mixture of onions and red chilli pen.
pers chopped up together, With a bot.
tie OF beer to accompany them. found
the enchlladas not half bad to eat, As
we sat at the table Il pretty Mexican
girl in whlte-muslin gown, and bare
headed, came In, whom the sheriff
greeted as Josefa and invited TO a
glass Of beer. They chatted together
In the Spanish tongue as we ate our
enchiladas, and he joked her about
some person whom he called 'Shifty
Blll' Our meal finished, we paid the
hostess, said goodnight to her and
Josefa, and went out Into the darkness
we did not 20 back the way wa had