El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-06
Local in the m
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Written for The Herald by x. 3. Hoieman

ronimO-made the Sierra Madre noun
tains to the southwest of Ell Paso. Tex
as. and in northern Mexico his hiding
Mace when he would be hard pressed
by the American officers. To some Sc
cJuded spot he would retire for few
months. or until his Indian spies would
bring him word that everything was
again quiet in the United States; then
he would make another one of his Ia
nous raids, and again retire TO re-
gion where pursuit would be impossl-
BILE. He would too. generally hide one
time in one place and at another time
some where else thus it was 1mpossl-
BILE to intercept him. Geronimo SEEM
ed to be under the special care OF Dame
Nature for she had provided many
place to which he could retire ana De
safe from pursuit by the officers OF the
law. One of these places / once had
the pleasure of visiting.
eleven years ago / came to TINS
country fresh from college in the east
and I knew about as much about min
ing. as a savage of Central Africa This
was not long after the capture OF Ge-
ronimo and all the excitement had not
died down, especially when tender
foot like myself was around, and when
an old miner from Mexico offered me
a position as bookkeeper at his mine.
about twenty miles northwest OF Te-
mosachic. Chihuahua. Mexico. or
course, / was rather reluctant to ac-
cept. for I feared that it would be the
end of me: but when / reflected on the
plight I was then in, for / was penni-
less and with hardly a change of
clothes, / accepted the position
Consequently the next morning
found me vending my way towards
the Mexican Central depot at Ell Paso.
with plenty of expense money in my
pocket and transportation through to
Chihuahua. that then being the near
est railroad station to my final desti-
nation all being furnished by my en-
ployer.
From Chihuahua We had TO make a
tourney of several days overland and
by burro back; now. however. we can
make the trip in much less time via
rail to Casas Grandes. thence by good
wagon road to within about thirty
miles of our camp
With part of my expense money |
purchased d large Colts revolver and
belt of cartridges, as | was under
the impression that such articles were
absolutely necessary for bodily protec-
ton. However | have never had oc-
casion to use them during all the time
/ have been in Mexico. except to shoot
at jack rabbits.
I'm due course of time | arrived at
camp. having joined a party at Chi
huahua who were bound TO the same
section. On my arrival at camp
found everything entirely different to
what / had anticipated. yet it did not
take me long to get acquainted with
things. and to be of service to the mine
operators. though | was pretty awk-
ward at first
Everything went smoothly all that
summer and fall. and / was becoming
perfectly fascinated with my work and
surroundings. and while we had been
able to have fresh deer meat on the
table most of the time. We were wish
ing to have afew days rest and take
a hunt in the mountains.
About a week before Thanksgiving
our foreman made himself dear to our
memory for all time TO come by pro-
posing that we close down the works
on the morrow and all go for a hunt
over on what was known as Geroni-
mos Fortress OF course we readily
fell in with the plan. accordingly,
bright and early the next morning
twelve of us We're to be found making
our way over the trail to the fort. to-
gether with a weeks supply of provis-
ions. plenty of ammunition and fire.
ing I was rather impatient to get there
as | had heard a great deal about the
place especially its beautiful scenery
and the large quantities of game of
all kinds to be found there.
''Geroninfo's fort is located on a
broad mesa about ten miles straight
across on an air line from our camp.
but to reach it by trail it took us near
Iy all day. for the distance is about
twenty-five miles over an old unused
trail. that is very dangerous to trav-I
erse by foot much less horseback This
mesa is some two hundred thousand
acres in extent and is completely sur
rounded by deep canons. The Paphigo-
chic river flows along the eastern.
northern and western sides of the
mesa, making a giant horseshoe in it's
course. The banks of this stream are
almost perpendicular and from $50 to
400 feet high, and generally about 100
yards across from brink to brink
though in some places the distance is
much greater. thus making it impos-
sible to cross to the mesa from three
sides On the southern side the Verde
canon runs. This canon is what is
known as a box canon. and its walls
are from $50 to 300 feet high and al
most perpendicular. except Gin two
places: these places are mere bride
paths along the canon walls. the lower
one being practically impossible to
man on horseback. while the upper one
is only a shade better. it being a very
tedious and dangerous undertaking to
pass over either trail. After our arri-
val on the mesa though, We were full
ly rewarded for all the risk we had
incurred in getting there. for the beau
ty and grandeur that met our eyes as
we emerged from the canon was some
thing grand to behold.