The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-08-11
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g OLD SETTLERS COLUMN. g
g Contributions Welcofne.) 8
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NJ. L. Pierce is the first ofathe
pioneers still living here who arriv-
ed full grown in the Pecos Valley.
Mr.. Billiard, mentioned yesterday,
was born into the life of the pioneer
days a helpless babe, requiring he
care of a whole family to prevent his
knowing anything of the ~hardships
around him, that called for strong
men to conquer. Mr.. Pierce started
his career in Illinois. He left there
in 1866. stopping to try his luck in
Missouri and Texas, and arriving in
the Valley in 1872. He worked first
as a cowboy, and later vent int
ranching on his own hook, buying in
with a man by the name Of Paxton.
He had such adventures as were COM
being a captain in the Lincoln county
war, and participating in another war
in Texas. He was fresh from the Civil
Var when he started west, and the
cattle war n battles with outlaws
referred to made him a veteran of
three wars.
AS the day of civilization dawned
in New Mexico, Mr.. Pierce decided
to settle down to quiet enjoyment of
domestic life, and he was the first
white man married on the site of
the present city of Roswell. He was
married in 1882 to Mrs. Calfee, a sis
ter of the late Capt. j. c. Lea. The
wedding occurred in the Les adobe
house which still stands on Main
street, opposite the court house. The
ceremony vas performed by Justice
of the Peace A. H. Milestone.
When Mr.. Pierce came to this
country there was on the site of Ros-
well the adobe house in which he
was afterward married, n another
near it. One of the buildings was us
ed as a store and the other as a hotel
or boarding house. At that time
there were twelve cottonwood trees
along an irrigation ditch that ran
partly through the block where the
court house now stands. There was
not a tree in all the Valley east and
III VI Ii CdIhp, ~ Il
was little more at that time, was
called Spring River, the town being
afterward named for Roswell Smith,
who bought an interest in the first
store which was started by Wilburn
& Stockton. The ditch which ran
along the north side of the Record
block and the court house block was
the first irrigation ditch taken out
OF Spring River, and the presence of
artesian water was not discovered
for many years after Mr.. Pierce's
coming to the country. According
built in Roswell by George Pippin.
This house and lands were afterward
bought by Captain Lea.
In the early days there was a race
track down Main street to the ond
river, and when there was a horse
race on all business was suspended
until the fur was over.
Mr.. Pierce tells the story of a tri-
al by jury and hanging that took
place in 1878 on the Pecos. A boy
about Is years of g travelling with
the Chisum outfit. moving cattle.
shot the foreman of the gang of cow
boys in cold blood. A jury of the
cow-punchers was selected, and Mr..
Chisum acting as judge, h boy was
tried n found guilty. There was no
tree for hanging him, so a wagon
tongue was propped high in the cir,
the boy was placed or a horse and
after the % was properly adjusted
the horse vas led out from under
him, n he hanged until dead. So
speedy Justice, was sometimes END
cred without lawyers, warrants OF
officers, but no doubt the trial was
as fair and the result as effective a
warning to wrong-doers as though
hedged about with all the majesty
of the law.
An Honorary Member.
r 7. PadolI Uhn ~orria1 Mics III