Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-02-05
CHARLES NEWMAN DEAD
From Thursdays Daily.

| ing, ana passed from place To place
from the street TO the home. and the
phones were bearing the sad mes
sage all over the city None felt
that Durango could spare Senator
! Newman. whose life for more than a
quarter of a century had been so i'm.
portant a factor in the life and prog.
ress of the San Juan country. He
was known throughout Colorado az
the man who always demanded some
thing for the San Juan. In the state
senate he had given the senators q
better Idea of the map OF the San
Juan ana the kind of people that
made II UP. He travelled more than
any other Durango man and the words
'Dnrango' and san Juan" were
heard wherever he went, whether at
the Atlantic or the Pacific.
He was king of the pushers and In
ms heroic mining ventures the last
dollar went as courageously as the
first.
When other men who had made
fortunes in the San Juan became
taint-hearted with the decline OF sill
yer and dull times. Charlie Newman
plunged on, and the great mine work.
ings In the Red Mountain and Rico
districts will stand as monuments to
his peerless energy, courage and
hope.
When Charlie Newman had any
thing 10 do he did II well. whether
mining or building, or giving I'm a
snug sum to help public enterprise.
Thousands of his money went for the
early day trails and roads In the
mountains.
He never figured that any dollar
ne had was his last dollar, or that II
were gone another would not take its
place.
Charlie Newman was liberal To
fault. He was not born to turn down
IN appeal for mercy, nor to fail to
respond to any public call 10 the duty
If citizenship.
for health and fortune. and he won
10Th, living, as he said, 25 years
onger for coming to the Rocky noun
aims. and the majestice hills of the
san Juan he loved: he had trampad
heir nearly every gnlch and slope.
ma mis- money had gone In thous
md enterprises. that IL successful
would enrich others too. Many
Irospector had gone TO Charlie for
lttle more money, too, to do a little
more work on something that Charlie
iad no interest in, and when he pass-
I'd 10 the other shore this morning
hundreds of men. dead and living
we're In his debt. but he claimed only
heir gratitude.
Next September 1t will be 30 years
since Charlie Newman and Tom
'hestnut camped in the Rio Grande
'ottom at Del Norte, coming via
Denver. They were looking for
lew country and found 1t. They de.
ermined that Del Norte. the then
'ateway to the San Juan wilderness
which has since produced so many
Millions In gold, siver and copper
md coal, would he the place to do
business. They purchased little
irug. store from Il Mr.. McCrary and
little later Charlie was appointed
postmaster. a printers devil on the
irst San Juan newspaper. the Pros
,ector, carrying his petition, which
vas presented TO the department
'harlie and Tom were old schoolboy
riends; when they had prospered
we'll for year or SO. Charlie married
TOMS sister, the good woman who
must bear the greater burden of grief
oday.
w. l.. Stephens. whose wife is
sister of Senator Newman, joined the
lrng firm In 1876, and for years II
vas one of the largest mercantile
irms in the San Juan, having stores
Del Norte. Alamosa. Silverton and
Durango.
These three enterprising men have
'ontinned together in mining up to
he present day, and 1t has been
continuation able 10 withstand the
'tOrms and adversities that have
'ome TO men who have done most to
nild and progress the greatest min.
RAJ area III int WoTlu. Inc pains
we're not always rosy for them. Had
they been more conservative, more
loosely outstanding their fortunes,
hey doubtless would be from half a
million to a million stronger today.
Durango has missed no other great
public spirit as 1t will miss the great
'pirit of Charlie Newman. Coming to
Durango In the fall of 1880 and build
ng one of the first three mercantile
houses on the present site of the
Y, at Main avenue. he pushed wag-
d after wagon over the snowy rang.
IS to give Durango the goods carried
~ a complete drug and stationery
house. Considering the vastness of
his mining holdings and the money
required 10 carry and protect them,
he had been liberal with his invest.
nents In Durango. the best building
in the city being his. besides numer-
ms other investments.
When his pulse was stilled this
morning many enterprises became
pulseless. and who will begin where
ne left on to revive them and carry
hem on to success? He must be
nan of great courage and hope. one