The Elbert County tribune., 1899-08-31
WESTERN NOTES.


The Court Of Private Land Claims
held session NJ Santa Fe on the 2iti.
The survey Of the DE Vargas grant
was approved allowing the plaintins
| 13.J34.3s ncres In Santa Fe county. IN
stead OF the $1,000 acres chained. The
plaintiffs were Louis 7. Purdy OF NJ.
The grant was made prior to lI2s. inc
court was engaged the remainder OF
the day ON the case OF Eutimio Mon
toya vs. The United States. The suit
Involves the Socorro town grant ana
the main points ai issue are number
OF legal documents dating back TO islI.
which II Is claimed are forgeries. The
grant was made by the Spanish gov
ernment November IS. 1917, and com
prlses over 300 squire miles OF the
most fertile and prosperous region OF
Socorro county.
Wyomlng's big coal camp will put
out this year MT least Go.Ooo cars OF coal
as against $1,000 cars last year. The
mines have now working forcc-in-
side and out--of LOO. being nm in
crease OF $50 over the force last year,
There win be i.5O0 more cars of coal
shipped from Rock Springs during this
month Of August than during the
month OF August of last year. The pay
roll of the mines for last month was
about S15.00O: for this month II viii.
doubtless, be In excess OF 100000. The
business of the Rock Springs Union
Pacific station last year Very closely
approached S2.O00.O0O. This year II
will be much in excess of that great
sum. Tc the coal business OF Rock
Springs has been added during the last
ten months the supplying OF the Union
| III, IN.
fifty cars per month. The shipments Of
the station included this year over
1,OOO,O0O pounds OF wool-an increase
over the wool marketing of last ycnr.
As a result of Illegal bnlloting for
maid OF honor In Logan county, the
commissioners have declared the clec
tlon void and the county will not he
represented.
While being conveyed from Triui-
dad to the pcnltcntiary nj Santa Fe,
New Mexico. Tom ketchum. alias
"Black Jack broke down and con
fcssed his identity to Sheriff Stewart
of Eddy county, New Mexico. Stewart
| had known him for years. and to him
Kefchum said he hnd planned the rob
berry of the Gulf train near Folsom in
1897. He was In Arizona when the
robbery occurred and his share of the
haul $500. was taken to him by Il
member OF the gang. He states that
the gang had place near Bnldy. New
Mexico. and had spent much of their
time there for a number OF yenrs. lie
declared that he did not know of the
Colorado 4 Southern hold-up of July
nth until Informed of II nfter his cap
turc. He and n companion spent a
year in Old Mexico having returned
from there n short time ago. He told
the officer he had been In constant
drend of losing his life. and had de-
sired TO go to South America. For
this reason he planned TO rob the
Colorado Il Southern train this month.
and determined thnt n he got $500
from the express ear he would 20
there. Sheriff Stewart states that
Ketchum was In n bad condition when
the officers left him. and II Is not
thought he can survive much longer
Black Jack" himself. has been cap
turcd md the gang that has borne his
name aud ierrorlzcd the southwest for
yenrs has been broken up. But one
man of the four leaders Is at large.
and the chances are he will be captured
before lie can reach the mysterious ren
dczvors west of Clayton New Mexico
The Colorado Il Southern hns received
4 u ifitEtiin s'l''itt -tk'h' " -
Reno stating the wounded bandit who
held up the Texas express single hand
ed. Wednesday. August 10th, and who
been positively identified by hnlf u
dozen men, all personal friends. ne
Tom Kctchum, the original and only
Black Jack. Last Tuesday night he at
tempted suicide by strangulation. but
was discovered In time. A reward of
10000 Is on the body. dead or alive.
of Tom Ketchum. the notorious Black
Jack Arizona and New Mexico both
offer rewards. In addition to the sums
put up by the Wells-Fargo Express
Company and the Colorado Il South
ern. Black Jack has been hunted for
years. The gang achieved Its first no
toriety In August. 1896. when they rob
bed n store and killed man. near
Kingman, Arizona. Since then railroad
trains. banks and stores have been held
mp and robbed In n sensational man
ner. The bank at Nogales. Arizona.
WAS held up, when the teller began
shooting and the robbers were foiled.
They took to the mountains and es-
capped. Nearly dozen men have been
killed and something like S200.OOO ha q
been secured by The gang. Three times
the Colorado X Southern has been held
up and once the Santa Fe California
limited.