The copper era., 1905-06-15
HISTORIC AND ANCIENT TOME.
Its Settlement in the Seyenteeth Century The Romance of Beatriz Baca.

ritory will learn with sincere sorrow of the destruction of the town of Tome by the flood waters of the Rio Grande as announced in the New Mexican last week. Tome was one of the oldest of the Spanish settle ments in New Mexico, and for many, many years was the leading town. It was settled in the 17th century by a colony that came direct from Spain to Mexico and from there to the province of New Mexico. The colony consisted of seventy families under the leadership of a Spanish grandee by the name of Don Ignacio Baca. The settlers were very proud of their origin and descent and it was a great privilege for the best young men of the province to secure wives in that historic, aristocratic, town. The inhabitants of Tome celebrated as their annual feast the Sth day of September each year. The fiestas were famous throughout the province and were very well at tended. Hundreds of families would f1olI 4OlnC Ol llC OOCdSlOA Ol IllC annual feast. For over a week there were amusements of all kinds, in- C1dding horse-races and bull fights. Fire works, the best of that period, were features of the feast. In those days, gambling in races was very much in vogue and the best horses in the province were sure to be found at Tome on the Sth of Sep tember each year. It became GUS tom to have family reunions in Tome each year. When families became separated by marriage or otherwise they would make it a rule to meet at the feast of Tome. It was impossi- ble to accommodate the crowd in the houses of the town so hundreds of tents would be used on that occasion. Many pretty jacales of evergreen would be constructed for the use of the visitors.
 THE HOME OF THE FLOWER OF THE
 ARISToCRACY.
 There lived there then the flowers of the aristocracy of New Mexico, the Bacas, Castillos, Oteros, Chaves, Salazares, Lunas, Romeros, Jimenez, Moldonados. The lands granted by the Spanish crown to the settlers of Tome were of the very best and it soon became a rich community. It was customary for the farmers to go to the staked plains or Llanos esta- cados to the east every year in the fall to hunt buffaloes and to bring the meat dried for winter uses and the hides nicely tanned by the Com manChes to be taken to Mexico where they were sold for fancy prices. Each family had one especial fast horse reserved for the buffalo hunt ing service. Many were the fights that the people of Tome had with the many savage and hostile Indians to the east and west of them and could their history be written it would be full of the most romantic incidents.
 IA ROMANCE WITH A SAD ENDING.
 One of the most pathetic of such incidents took place about two hun dred years ago. During the annual visits of the Spaniards to the Com. manche country in the staked plains Don Ignacio Baca became a great friend of the then principal chief o1 the Commanches, who was known as Cuerno Verde, a lineal descendant ot the original Cuerno Verde who was farnOI1S in tbOSa fir,ac for iS and sagacity. Don Ignacio was ac- customed to take his Indian friend many presents each year and the Commanche took to Don Ignacio hun- dreds of buffalo skins beautifully tanned and painted on the inside in the characteristic Indian fashion. On one occasion the chief visited the town of Tome during the annual feast and took many presents to his Spanish friend. He was accom- panied by hundred of his warriors and they were royalty received and entertained by the inhabitants of the town. Many presents were made to them and at the end of the feast they returned homeward very much pleased with the treatment they had received. During that visit the In dian became acquainted with all the family of Don Ignacio Baca. One ot the children was little girl named Beatriz Baca, then about ten years old. The chief proposed to Don Ignacio that when Beatriz should be fifteen years of age she should be come the wife of his son, who was destined to become the chief to sue. ceed his father.
 PROMISES HIS DAUGHTER TO THE
 CHIEFS SON.
 Don Ignacio said that it should be so, not meaning it, of course, but the Indian chief was in dead earnest After that, the Commanche used tC send many presents to the choser sweetheart of his son and when the time arrived that the girl reached her fifteenth birthday the Commancht