The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-01
Copyright

The events of the second day of May,
1898 brought a ray of comfort to Los
GaTpillOs. For on tie morning of that
day party of loafers in the postoffice
saw the station master run out Of the
railroad station anC down toward the
office of the Los Garpillos Screamer.
The sight of such all unwOnted activ-
ity aroused an indOlent curiosity in
them.
What's struck jerry" drawled Sam
Spe!man. He's running as if the pay
car d struck the pike. Must hev
something happened"
Here, you boys 1t was John T.
DTOsal. the editor, who appeared at the
door in a sleeveless shirt ana wiped
the puerspiration from his face which
was red with the heat and excitement
He was waving a, long, yellow Paper
Listen TO this:
Commodore Dewey's squadron de-
strOyed the Spanish fleet in Manila
harbor early yesterday morning. Three
of Admiral MontejO's ships We're burn
ed, one sunk and the rest disabled"
The stolid crowd became suddenly
energized. and they let our scatter. I
cheer. Then for the first time in a
month they bestirred themselves. With
I'm fifteen minutes the great news had
spread throughout the town and drift
ed up the mOUntainside. 1t was passed
along from gang to gang down the
shafts and along the tunnels. At noon
men coming out Cor lunch appeared on
all sides. punching each other in the
back, Tecklessly waving pistols IN the
air and pulling the triggers with haT-
rowing indefiniteness OF aim. By aft
ernoOn the two little general stores Of
town had sold out every flag and every
bit of cloth which migh- be used to
decorate the adobe houses and build
ings. The cracked bell on the Catholic
Mission church was jangling a peal as
continuous as could be made by relays
of volunteer bell ringers. Even the
dirty greasers on the outskirts of the
town reused themselves from their
blankets spread out on the sunny ex-
posture of their weather-wOrn adobe
huts to find out the cause of the up
roar.
Before the Spanish American war
Los Garpillos had been a contented
town. Its superiority to the rival town
of San Jago admitted in its own eye
of no possible question. Los GarpillOs
boasted in material possessions of 4
real doctor. a billiard table. a Palace
hotel" a local paper and little
branch railroad running from Tuflex
Junction on the main line down to the
mines. San Jago had no doctor. no
railroad, no hOtel-strangeT being
obliged to take rooms over the saloon
and no newspaper, the New Mexican
Sunbug's office having been raided
and shattered by Over-sensitive citi-
Zens within two weeks after the first
publication of the paper.
The moment the war broke out, how
ever, San JagO, metaphoTicelly speak
ing, leaped to the front with an exult-
ant yell. For San Jago, being in the
valley, was a center for cattlemen, and
its three hundred and forty inhabitants
were all capable Of riding roughly any
thing and anywhere.
Los Garplllos, however, on the other
side of the San Jago mountain. was
exclusively a mining camp and had
been unable TO find a single citizen
qualified or fitted for cavalry service
So in bitter silence and with pro-
found depression at the offensive airs
of superiority assumed by its San
Jago neighbors, Los Garpillos had wit
messed eleven prospective military he
roes ride out from San Jago, amid
shrieks and cheers and pistol shots, to
ioin the Rough Riders at San An
tonic. The depression had continued
until the second of May. Now the
news of the great victory had reused
Los Garpilios TO something like joyful
action.
Before evening George Dewey" had
become almost one of the local celeb
rities.
In the midst Of all. however. there
was one flaw. These rejoicings were
really more national than local, and
Los Garpillcs WAS forced to admit that
San Jago still held the advantage of
actual personal participation in the
glories Of war. This advantage San
JagO held. however, only up to four
minutes past five on the afternoon of
that second day of May. For at that
precise moment Mr.. Pete Watkins, one
of the leading spirits of Los Garpillos, !
on feeling in the pocket of his coat for
a match. pulled out with the matches |
a very dirty, torn and crumpled piece |
of paper. He looked at it carelessly for |