Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-01-16


Mexico Bar Association, Solicitor Gen
eral Edward L. Bartlett, read the fol
lowing photographed sketch O
Judge Murray F. Tuley, as furnished
by the Judge himself. who was prob
ably the first American lawyer to prac
tice in New Mexico, and the first soil
citor general of the Territory. He is
at present serving his forty-second
year as Judge of the circuit court ol
Cook County, Illinois
II was born in Louisville, Kentucky
writes Judge Tuley. II came to Chica
go before the flood. at least it seems
that long to me, and old residents will
recollect that prior to the Chicago fir
we dated everything from the flood G.
1S48, which swept all the shipping in
the Chicago harbor out into the lake.
l came to Chicago as early as 1S43. 1t
was then little village, claiming q.
500 inhabitants, but had really about
5000. 1t still keeps up it's reputation
in that regard.
"In this paper | will confine my re-
marks largely to my experiences in
the Mexican war. 1t is not often that
man in the full vigor of life, who
has done service in the Mexican war,
is called upon to relate his experiences
at this date
"How did happen to go to the Mex
ican war? My experience was that of
many Others 1t was not through
patriotism; patriotism does not oftce
decide those questions. But had
been through law school in Louis
Vile, Kentucky, in the winter of 1S46,
and 1S47, and being very poor 1 had
determined to take two winter cOur-
ses of lectures in one, both the senior
and the junior classes. l attended the
senior class lectures in the morning,
and the junior in the afternoon, and
worked so hard that before the winter
was over l found myself Frustrated
with very severe cough. believed
then and l believe now that consump-
ton had attacked me.
ut was foe to my fathers family,
and had always been family terror.
came back to Chicago having been
obliged to rest for few weeks after
the close of the law schools, in order
to get strength to return. was stand
ing one day in the spring of 1S47 on
Lake Street, with my stepbrother
Richard N. Hamilton. A band of mu-
sicians came down the street, drum
ming up soldiers for the Mexican war.
The call for volunteers was for three
years, or during the war.
Il was feeling very low spirited on
account of my sickness-the state OF
my lungs-in fact both my stepbrother
and myself were down in our boots
with the blues. turned to him and
said: "Dick, let's go to the Mexican
war; He said, Murray, l will go If
you will" "All right" said I, so we
followed the band to the st. Charles
saloon, where we put down our names.
'At the supper table that night
there was the whole family, my moth
er's four children, my stepfather's five,
and the two old people. At the close
of the supper managed to tell my
father what we had done. "Pa, that
is the very best thing the boys could
have done, it will make men of them,'
said my mother.
"My stepfather said he would try to
figure us into some Office, and when 1t
came to the election of officers,
found the old gentleman had figured
his son in as a second lieutenant and
myself as fourth corporal. Before the
company was finally accepted at
Springfield as Company F. of the Fifth |
Regiment Infantry, only sixteen or ,
eighteen out of the eighty remained.
Among others that fell out were the
first and second lieutenant. my brother
being what was in those days known
as third lieutenant. When I found out
about these vacancies I thought
would try for one of them. and also
thought that would do my own hgur-
Ing this time. l made bargain with
the barkeeper of the saloon where we
met that he should run for second lieu
tenant, and for first lieutenant, and
We were both elected. From that DAY
70 this l have always depended on
Murray F. Tuley to do his own hgurlng'
I'VE started to the Mexican war
going down to Peru by stage, took the
steamer at La Sale. went on to 81.
Louis and to Alton. From there we
vent up the Missouri River to what IS
low Independence, Missouri. we hao