Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-24
HORSE THIEF CANON.
A Rendezvous of Notorious Mexican
Outlaws.

The old settler pointed to a weed
grown track that veered from the
main road and led off across the stage
dotted mesa toward the mountains.
Ever been up Horse Thief Canon:
Mighty pretty sp0t-when you get VI
into it-big live oaks and sycamore:
and bay trees, and when you get W
toward the top. mountain lilacs and
then pines. Lilacs must be in bloom
up there now. Ever see EN-? Just like
a blue spring morning cloud a-settine
down on the hillsideS The old lilac
at home, by the gate pOsts-I used tC
think they was the sweetest flowers
God ever made-but them mountain
lilacs, they're like a baby's face, Sc
fresh and tender and delicate. The Of
home lilacs always looked to me like
grandmas' faces, sweet and sort o fad
ed, and yet with spring in 'em. Mebbe
it was the lilacs they used to wear in
their bOnnets made me think that
Horse Thief? How'd it git its
name? Well'-the old man showed
back his sombrero, braced his feet on
the brake rod of the blackboard and
shook himself down comfortably
want to near yarn-a genuine CAL
iforny stOry?" he inquired; then added
with a chuckle: You folks back east
we tell the plain truth about things as
they are, you see. So we might jest as
we'll tell 'em big and make a good story
while we are about it-thatS the way
jest plain lyin'-but 'tain't our fault
r you mOSsbackS wasn't so afraid O.
believin' anything that you didn't see
happen in your own little township. we
would be satisfied relatin' facts. This
story mas a foundation of truth, at any
rate. 1t was tor to me by a Califor-
nian, 4 native son o the native sons.
He was born over yonder in the SAINT
Ana Valley: his father was a Forty
miner and his mother LopeZ-or CAL
iforny family-blue Castilian blood
touched up with native American-an'
that combination made some o the
finest wimmen that ever wrastled with
the meanness of men. CheS had Yam
kee horse sense along with Don
Quixote imagination and the legs O. an
Indian under 'em. He got his eddica-
tion, for the most part, from a gun an
fish hook-knew ev'ry valley and
peak, an all the deer runs an trout
holes in this here range O mountains.
AS q young feller he did have some
great adventures. He spent a good
part o. his later years tellin' 'em-an'
they never lost nOthin' by the tellin'.
well. this particular incident hap
pened along early in the COS. This
country was pretty primitive then-not
much doing but stock raisin', an horse
stealin' was one of o the principal oc-
pick up a band and run 'em down
through the mountains to Mexico.
Twas bout the time ValesqueZ was the
headliner in all the papers, an when
country papers of the eos wasn't so
fur behind the big dailies O. today. But
for a fact, that gentleman kept people
guessin' No rancher was surprised
when he got up in the mornin' to find
the pick o mis- herd or the best horse
gone. Chess father had imported a
stallion an was raiSin' racing colts. He
took mighty good care q any promising
deal of q sport; but fer all of his
watchin' ValesqucZ an his men slid in
an got away with his best. An when
that gang ran an animal off that was
ranchers, ner the United States troops
couldn't never locate the stock ner
catch the robbers.
well, one day in springtime-there
is a springtimc even in this climate
Ches and ol' Dent Peters's boy set out
fer a big deer hunt. They was goin'
to fetch home venison enough for the
summers supply of jerky. they said.
They crossed over the mountains by
the Lonesome Trail, down below here,
without sightin' n single deer. They
worked up along the foothills an at
night they camped down here at the
foot of Dos PinOs Canon, the MeXicanS
called it then. Ches had heard that
there was q trail up to the divide
4 Irh Got
SAINT Ana side; but no white man had
ever been over that way, so fur's he
knew. He was amin to have a try
at it an find out about that pass. And
he reckoned the deer must be some
where an they ought to be up there.
He couldn't understand their not findin'
'em right alOng-deer was about as
common, and as easy to kill, in them
days as jack rabbits are now, accOrdin'
to Ches.
Before they was up in the mOrnin'
a Mexican come down the canOn-a
man, Chcs knew He said he'd been
huntin' deer, too, an that he'd come
down Dos Pinos and not seen a sign,
but an Indian had tOr him there was
a herd over i'm San Pasqual Canon. He
declared twas all nonsense about there
bein' n pass through this way. and he
seemed so blamed anxious for the boys
to go over to the San Pasqual or to
Oak Canon, or most any other place,
that Ches made up his mind there was
sOmethin' back of it. The Mexican
said he'd been travelin' all night an
was goin to camp right there an have
Il sleep. The boys, to throw him off the
scent, made for San PaSqual; but as
soOns they could find n way across,
they worked up over the ridge and
come down into Dos Pinos. 1t was
tough work-lotS q chapparal and a
turribe steep, stony backbone. 1t was
noon before they got down to water,
an they was ready tn rest and eat.
Before they got through along came
two more MeXicanS down the canon.
They was armed with knives and guns,
and StickcrS in their boots, an they
looked ugly when they seen the boys.