Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-29
A LUDICROUS STORY.

Under the heading of "The Home of the
Greaser" Mr.. John Bonner of San Fran
cisco, contributes to the last number of
Leslie's Weekly three column article on
New Mexico. Mr.. Bonner is pretty well
known to newspaper readers of the west,
having been engaged in newspaper work
in California for the past rs years.
As rule he is fairly accurate re-
porter, and some of his articles have been
copied as far east ga Kansas City. The
story in question, however, is one of the
most ludicrous articles ever written, and
shows most lamentable disregard for
truth. 1t could not well be otherwise,
for, as Mr.. Bonner tells US, his informa-
tion was gathered in the "middle of the
night while our train was at dead stop,
held up by washout." The chances are
that some traveller spotted the innocent
Bonner as tenderfoot aud proceeded to
tell him all about New Mexico. Santa
Fe time card, had he taken the trouble to
have examined one during his washout
leisure, would at least have given him the
correct spelling of Ration. Geographic
ally he SCENE to have been badly mixed
10 his description Of the country gener-
ally.
Then he finds that the "true life of Las
Vegas lies back from the railroad and Is
found in the saloons and dance halls"
There lie not a single dance hall in Las
Vegas, aud less than half dozen saloons
in a city Of 5000 people.
Las Vegas was not the winter resort of
Billy the Kid. This outlaw never visited
Las Vegas in his life, and he was not
killed by Pat Carrot ground the corner Of
a wood pile in the gray of tho morning"
The Kid met HIS death in the black of the
night in room where he had taken
refuge from his pursuers, aud Garret
was sheriff of Lincoln county not of
Socorro.
Perhaps the most laoghable error in
the article is where Historian Bonner says:
"At this present writing the boss of New
Mexico is Billy Green, a deputy U. S.
marshal at Socorro."
AS Green had the misfortune to die
over six months ago, he is scarcely in q
position to exercise the prerogatives of
ID h., IptE nd
States marshal, but a special deputy
sheriff of San Miguel county and was not
a prominent man in any sense of the
word.
Crosse & Black we'll at Las Vegas, are
not the manufacturers of Durham chew
ing tobacco, as we learn from this re
article.
Mr. Bonner probably refers to Gross &
Blackwell, one of the largest mercantile
firms in the southwest, dealing in hides,
wool, grain, hay, provisions, agricultural
i'm plements, etc. The business of this |
firm last year amounted to abont Sl,0C0,-
600.
The Maxwell land grant is not a sheep |
farm, and S. W. Dorsey's ranch is not on
the Maxwell land grant. Dorsey never
owned an acre of land on this grant in
his life. But it would be easy enough to
waste the space of two or three columns in
refuting the statements contained in Mr..
Bonner's Wild story. Suffice it to say
that ii contains scarcely any truth except
that embodied in the following sentence,
viz: "The real industries Of New Mexico
are cattle and wool"
How he happened to get on to this fact
Ia mystery. Possibly his informant
told him that the principal industries of
The territory were blackberries and water
Melons. 1t may have happened after this
manner. Who knows? If he has any use
or facts at all in his writings, Mr.. Bon
Ter should visit New Mexico. His artl-
lies would sell just as we'll if based upon
,be truth, and then "faking" is most
.eprehensble habit which grows upon
,ne. It is especially unbecoming in old
,ge, and when found in combination with
alleged scholarly Attachments.
A GREAT INVENTION.