El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-03
LAS CRUCES MEMS
Something About The Town The
People Favor FL pdso For The
Rough Riders Reunion.-A Cat
tie Smuuulinu Case

tie Smuggling Case
Special Correspondence of the Herald.
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico. Mar L.
Las Cruces, A miles up the Rio Gran
de from Ell Paso, has a population of
three - thousand to four thousand
lpeople, of whom about one thousand
are white and the balance Mexicans
or Indian mixed bloods. sTbe town is
situated about II miles from the head
of the Mesilla valley and 60 miles
from the Organ Mts. II Is the county
seat of Dona Ala county and the place
for holding the United States court
for this third judicial district. The
United States land Office for
IChurches and benevolent societies
are we'll represented. The town is we'll
supplied with schools, and two miles to
the south of the town at Mesilla Park
Is located the territorial and govern
ment agricultural college and expert =
ment station, which has q good faculty
and some two hundred pupils. The col
| government each year for mainten-
snce. The town is well supplied with
| stores. Here is also located the Ron
ault canning factory for canning valley
fruits, etc. The people are industrious
and as energetic as any in the south
west.
Capt. Falls company have about all
returned and the captain himself came
up from Ell Paso Saturday last.
| The few with whom 1 have con-
| versed upon the subject seem to think
that Ell Paso would be the best point
for holding the Rough Riders reunion
If Ell PasO shall make the proper effort
for it, it having railroad facilities that
no other town has. and cheap excur-
al "a n unr n
points of interest in New Mexico,
Arizona. Texas, and Old Mexico if de-
sired.
These Is on examination before U. 8.
Commissioner Peno the case of U .S.sv.
Jose Marrujo and Jose Aldays. The
charge is smuggling some twenty-three
b lead of cattle and two horses or one
horse and q mare rather. 7. b.
Hall testified he helped to trail q
Started at Msson's ranch Feb. 7th; fol-
lowed the trail about one half mile.
That night went back and camped un-
til morning. 1--WE followed the trail
from the 7th to the 18th ION the 18th we
met the defendants; they were coming
down the river on horseback. Their
horses we're jaded. It was about Is
miles above Palomas. where we met
them on the Rio Grande. One of their
which were following the cattle was
also shod. The shoe of the horse that
was shod was peculiar. l measured
the track Of the shod horses and of the
horse one of the defendants was riding
and the tracks were Identical. The
trail showed that part of the time
there were four men on horseback and
met the defendants Mr.. Williams ques-
toned them and arrested and dissrm-
ed them. They were heavily armed,
One of these horses had
the brand of Nicholas Mepoce.
I knew the horse as we'll as the brand.
This brand is owned near GuznRn in
Mexico at Carrizal."
Ben Williams testified that be left
Las Cruces on the 5th of February, on
Information that q bunch of cattle
were being driven from Mexico west
of the river through Dons Ana Co.
I'VE I'VE cut the trail at Mason ranch.
the ae"' trail sTen'ns about we one f0iisT hsif
mile and came back to Mason's
ranch and camped. That night snow
fell and So covered the
Halls ranch. After the snow went
off we went back to Mason, 9 ranch and
took the trail again and followed same
There appeared to be about 40 head of
cattle and four men on horseback
driving them. Some times there was
the tracks OF only two horses. They
apparently were driving SO as not to
be seen; they passed near water and
did not water the stock. They watered
the stock at the ditch near Colorado,
there we lost the trail for short dis
tance, then we picked it up again und
followed tn Iona Parda. there we
were told that four men were seen with
the stock. Near Pslomas the men had
dismounted. About Is miles above
PalOmas we met the defendants.
questioned them separately: one said
he was looking for his brother. 1 ask
ed him if his brother had small pox
marks; he said no. l asked him how
was with him; he said one year, said he
lived at Parcel, Mexico. The other
said the brother of the other had
small pox marks. That he had
known his companion for the last four
years. They were heavily armed and
their horses jaded. 1 arrested them
and dissrmed them. The mare had
been SO badly used she lost her colt
that night. There was twenty-three
head of cattle with the &C brand. thir-
teen branded F. p. branded A. P,
and two calves freshly branded in Felix
GOnZsleZ's brand. He said they were
his. AS soon as they were turned
loose they Immediately went to the
COWS branded &C. 1 turned the cattle
overlto the sanitary inspector
The testimony of several other wit
nesses goes to show that Gonzales and
three other men brought the animals
but so far your correspondent sees
Defendants