Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-03-18
THE LIFE
OF AN OLD
PIONEER
Some "Reminiscences From an
Autobiographica| Sketch Of
the Late Elias Brevoort.
FRIEND OF KIT CARSON
Stories Of the EARLY Days Of the 0ccu-
patton Of New Mexico by the
United States.

The late Elias Brevoorr who died at
Sllao, Mexico, few days ago, had an
interesting career. He was an old
timer in New Mexico, possessed of
some literary ability and well versed
: in the history Of New Mexico pioneer
days The New Mexican herewith re-
produces from a short autobiograph phi.
cal sketch found among his papers, a
number of incidents which he re-
lates.
Elias BrevOort was born on Septem-
Der %, 1922, at Detroit, Michigan, of
French parentage. He was therefore
in his 82d year. He left Detroit for
st. Louis, Missouri, on November 2,
1S43, where he arrived in December of
the same year and entered the en-
ployment of w. G. and G. w. Ewing,
a trading firm, which carried on a con-
siderable business with the Potawa-
tomie Indians. In 1874 Mr.. Brevoort
was sent to the Usage Indian country
to open trade in opposition to the
American Fur Company and remained
until 1S49, in which year he came to
Santa Fe as super cargo or agent for
contractors for the delivery of 100000
pounds of merchandise, including COM
missary and quartermaster supplies for
the United States Army. Three large
OK trains were loaded at Fort Leaven-
| worth. He returned to st. Louis the
same fall with the proceeds of the
venture, large amount being in sill
yer, received from Lucien B. Maxwell
at Rayado, who purchased an entire
train of wagons and oxen. Travelling
with Brevoort was Samuel Withered,
who had about 100000 in gold dust
from the Ortiz placers south of Santa
Fe. In tire party We're Judge Tuley
and other men. On the night before
arriving at the Cottonwoods, the
cavalcade was overtaken by Kit Car
son and troop of cavalry. Carson in
| formed BrevOort that a man by the
name of Fox was with the caravan and
intended to murder the others. This
was about midnight. Brevoort awoke
his companions and requested Kit Car
son to surround the camp. the team
sters being asleep around the camp
fires. Brevoort hunted up Fox who
was taken back to Rayado and thrown
into a military camp.
Several of Brevoort's drivers were
in the conspiracy with Fox and their
places were taken by 20 Shawnee In
dians The caravan arrived on sched-
ule time at Westport, Missouri. A
| pair of six shooters were ordered from
Colts factory, and presented to Car
son. They had silver plate upon
which was engraved an inscription
commemorative of the occasion. Car
son carried these six shooters on many
trip against hostile Indians. In the
spring of 1850, Brevoort returned to
Santa Fe with C. E. Kearney and
merchandise train. In 1852 he went
to California via Ell Paso, Chihuahua.
Durango and Mazatlan. The party
consisted of BrevoOrt, Henry O'NeiI,
and Vicente ST Vrain, John Frisco
and a man named Rohrman.
The party remained at Mazatlan two
months waiting for ship. The even
ing before the vessel was to leave,
the eguinoctial storm came near
wrecking all the ships in the harbor.
He arrived in San Francisco on No
vember o. 1t rained for IS days with
out the sun appearing once. This dis
couraged Brevoort and he went down
remained there until the next fall.
when Kit Carson and party of old
mountaineers who had driven sheep to
California two years before put in
their appearance. They were return
ing to New Mexico loaded with gold
slugs $3.50 pieces). They had several
mule loads of the stuff which was so
heavy that it broke down nearly all
the animals. The caravan ran short of
provisions and Brevoort gave up the
mule he was riding so as to help carry
the gold. He walked the entire dis
tance from Yuma, Arizona, carrying an
eighteen pound rife. a pistol, and yet
showing no evidence of fatigue. 1t
took two months to make the trip from
Los Angeles. At Santa Fe BrevOOrt
entered the employ of Preston Beck.
as clerk, but was appointed sutler for
the troops in 1885, who were ordered
to take possession of the Gadsden Pur-
chase for which $10,O00,000 had been
paid Mexico by the United States. AT
the breaking out of the civil war, Bre-
WORT returned to Santa Fe from Ari-
zona where report reached him that
one of the wagon masters of the quar-
termaster's department while carry
ing supplies south had taken advan-
tage of the situation and had run his
train across the boundary into Chihua-
hua, where he was disposing of the
~ Continued on Pace Eiuht.