Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-20

The story OF 'COronando, the Spaniard,"
who led a band of his countrymen from
Mexico to Kansas in search of a mountain
of gold, while De Soto was exploring the
Mississippi was written by the editor of the
GLOBE two years ago for the San Francisco
Chronicle. We mention this fact because
we have recently read in the press that the
new Commissioner of Pensions uuearthed
this story and gave it to the public.
The circumstances under which we COM
posed the article are these
The correspondent of the Chronicle in
this city was instructed by his paper to
write something on the Shafroth bill for
the preservation of the prehistoric ruins in
Colorado and New Mexico.
The Casa Grand and other majestic and
interesting ruins of prehistoric races were
particularized. The correspondent turned
the matter over to US and we made some in
vestigations N the Congressional Library
and Bureau of Ethnology.
AZ this latter bureau we obtained plate
illustrations Of many Of the more important
ruins Professor McGee was absent in the
West Indies, at the time, but from his rep
resentative in the bureau we incidentally
got the irst inkling of the wonderful story
Of Coronando's march. Following up the
lead we developed the matter and covered
the entire front page Of the Chronicle with
the story aud illustrations
We delivered copies Of the Chronicle to
Congressman Shafroth and the Bureau of
Ethnology. The officials of the bureau
were much pleased and highly compli-
mented us on the production, while Mr..
Shafroth also expressed his thanks and ap-
probation
No writer on the American press, up to
the date Of the publication of our story on
Coror&a6o's march, had ever written on
the subject, either in magazine, newspaper,
or book. The article was published in the
Chronicle over our full signature and was
thought so highly Of that it was given the
place of honor
Now if the new Commissioner of PEN
sions who is being credited with having
recently discovered this wonderful Span
lard, will apply at the Bureau of Ethnology
or write the publishers of the San Fran
cisco Chronicle he will discover that poor
space writer, disqualified by politics) from
holding a clerkshlp in his bureau, wrote
the history of the adventurous Coronado
and his celebrated march from Mexico
across the plains of Texas to the present
state of Kansas with 6ye hundred men, all
but few of whom left their bones to
,whiten the long and dreary trail
most remarkable incident happened
during .Coronando's march. An Indian
woman who left or deserted his camp one
night after walking throughout the night
and a portion of the next day came sud-
denly upon the De Soto party in their boats
on the mighty river he was exploring.
Thus De Soto was within one days march
of CoronandO's expedition in search of
mountain of gold and when his men discov-
cred from the Indian woman the character
OF the enterprise few of them we're con
templating deserving the exploring party
and following the trail of their gold-loving
and adventurous countryman, but were de.
tered by the more perilous nature of Cor.
onando's expeditiOnl
If the new Commissioner Of Pensions com
posed and published his CorOnando story
within the past two years we can certainly
claim priority Of discovery and publication.
If, however, he anticipated US it is not at
all Aattering to his ability or the romantic
interest of the story he produced that there
was no record of it anywhere this or the
other side of Kansas when the Chronicle
published our full page article, for which
it paid with generous check.
And it is possible, too, that the new Com
missioner never heard or read of our article
any more than we have his but there is the
puzzling distinction. where in the deuce
could the Commissioner have gotten the
material for his story2
Ours was dug up principally in the
Bureau of Ethnology, where it would have
been otherwise safely inferred until Gabriel
huttered it with his trumpet
It is up to the Commissioner, and if he
discovers that the Chronicle was the source
Of his inspiration we shall claim, ten years
hence, a job as watchman at the bureau
There will be but few old Civil War vet
erans alive in the next decade, and of
course we will be of the number sur
viving "kickingw