The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-07-11

! FdCSoLhEIliShCu SOou III al CotihS 8
and ridding that country of dangerous
thieves and stock rustlers. His actual
| residential experience in New Mexico
started in the spring of 1881, when
| he came here on official business, en-
| ployed as detective by the Canadian
| River Cattle Mems Association, and
he came to Lincoln county, then COM
prising all of the present counties OF
Lincoln, Chaves, Eddy, Roosevelt and
part of Otero, to do all in his power
to put stop to the stealing and dep
relations of Billy the Kid" and ma
! ny of his stripe, who were operating
| in full blast from the Rio Grande, in
the southern and central part of New
desperate thieves in those days were
called cattle rustlers," and they
| would round up" thousands of head
| of stolen stock and drive to FIT. Stan
| ton, the Indian agency, and dispose
of the ill-gotten gains.
AS soon as Mr.. Poe arrived on the
| scene he explained his mission as
special officer and detective to the
| late Pat Garrett, who was then sher-
| iff of Lincoln county, and the sher1n
Immediately appointed him deputy
sheriff. which added to his power of
/ Investigation and arrest. Intuitively.
somehow or other, when determined
officer puts in an appearance the ras-
Gals and thieves go to the cactus.
| This condition did not long prevail,
and Deputy Sheriff Poe soon had 1T
broadcast among the lawless element
| that he was a special detective and
deputy sheriff in Lincoln county. Mr..
Poe did good work in assisting Pat
/ Garrett, and he was a member or the
party of three. Sheriff Pat Garrett,
Deputy Kip Mckinney and himself
when Sheriff Garrett shot and killed
Billy the Kid" July Is, 1881, at the
old fort, near FIT. Sumner. Mr.. Poe
accomplished good work in bringing
many outlaws and criminals to indict,
ment and trial at Lincoln and Las
Cruces. Quite number were sent to
the penitentiary and some went free,
but it is freely admitted that the ad-
vent of Mr.. Poe as an officer was
| the beginning of the end of brazen
thievery in Southeastern New Mexico.
In the spring of 1882 he resigned
mis- position as special detective and
deputy sheriff and went into the cat
tie business in company with the
late F. NJ. Goodin, forming co-part-
nership, locating the ranch near FIT.
Stanton, n. NJ, and went to the Re
public of Mexico and purchased a
herd of cattle and brought them to
New Mexico to stock the ranch.
| In the summer of 1882 Mr.. Poe
was nominated as candidate for sher-
iff of Lincoln county, and was elect
ed In 1884 he was re-nominated and
reelected as sheriff, but before his
term expired he resigned in the lat
ter part of 1885 and disposed of his
stock interests, with the intention OF
locating in South America. In Febru-
ary. 1856, he went to Argentine Re-
public with a view of locating in that
country in the cattle business. He
was accompanied by ]. Smith Lea,
the present treasurer of Chaves coun-
lty. After thoroughly investigating
that country for six months and visit
ling the irrigated districts of Argen-
tine, Uruguay and Paraguay, Mr.. Poe
decided that New Mexico was a bet
tier place to locate than South Amer
ca, and returned in company with
Mr.. Lea in the fall of 1886.
Although knowing every foot OF
IRosweIl, he had never made any In
vestment in this city, and shortly
after returning from his southern
"trip he purchased the farm and ranch
tnow known as the L. F. d., and rails
ed alfalfa ON large scale, good cat
j tie. mules and horses, and also org.
lanfzed the general mercantile estab
flfshment of Poe, Lea & Cosgrove IN
the fall of 1856. The store was locat
led in an adobe buikuing at the corner
iof Main and Fourth streets, the room
now occupied by the u S. Meat Mar
ket next to the ONCE OF The Daily
Record tn the Pioneer Block, which