Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-12-25
RATCHET BURIED;
SOC0RRO BOOSTS
FOR FUTURE
.ClTIZENS ALL WORKING
FOR VALLEY PROSPERITY
Tells Of Grim Tragedy
Of Early Days When Socorro
Had 5000 People and AIbu-
Querque Was Only Corn Field.
fBX a. IL. IIIIton.l

SocOrrO, N. M, Dec.
years ago, when the present city OF
Albuquerque was a corn field and the
Santa Fe was grading its line down
the river toward HI Paso. Soeorro had
a population of over 1900 people, the
biggest kind of a boom and tremen-
dous prospects, were ahead of what
was even then known as the Gem
city" Two of the biggest jobbing
houses il New Mexico were being
bullt there and thirty mining districts
were tributary to Socorro and doing
their trading there. These included
the present prosperous camps of
Kelly, Fairview. Chloride and Hanson
burg; several mining camps in the
san Andreas mountains were then ac-
tive; and development work was CO.
ing on in the Lemitar and Ladrones
At that time Socorro was
looked upon as the coming metrop-
oils of the Rio Grande valley. Town
lots on Manzanares avenue. the street
leading up from the depot in the new
town, old as high as $4,000 per lot.
Buildings We're going up everywhere.
one of the earliest merchants of
Soeorro. named Woodman, built a
hotel at a cost of 100000 which he
called the Windsor. After some years
he sold II to Captain G. Il. Brown
for $1,000, as he said he would rather
give il away than pay the \ on II
longer. The writer paid three dollars
a day for accommodations at the old
Nicolet house, o occupied as a
storeroom by the Rio Grande supply
company. and he had to sleep in ms
own blankets on the rare floor at that,
the room with three or four
other men in the same fix. Socorro
was the main jobbing center of the
and hundreds of teams were
being loaded daily for western So
zorro county clear to the Arizona me
There were many reasons for the
oppag of the growth of the own
The building of the Magdalena
branch made Magdalena instead OF So
zorro the outlet to western socorro
Magdalena being located near
the top of the hill near the a
Augustine plains, where there are
trails and roads leading in all d.
to the Black Range, Chlor-
and Fairview: to Rita, Quemado
the Salt Lake country and further
to Luna, Nutriosa, Alpine, spring
erville and st. Johns, all of which
or nearly so draw their supplies from
Magdalena.
The biggest reason, however, for the
''crimp'' n Socorro was a rageay
which took place just thirty years
at a little Protestant church, In
was known as the Chihuahua OF
1t was Christmas eve, just
years ago this month, when
Conkllng of the first Ameri-
can paper published in Socorro, was
murdered on the church steps while
walking arm in arm with his wife.
He had just distributed the Christ
mas presents to the little children
gathered in the church with their
The participants in this trag-
adv were three young native boys be-
longing to a leading and influential
family of the town. Their uncle was
he sheriff and for three days there
vas no arrest. Finally Colonel Il. W.
Eaton, now living at the ~ of ~
and a well known grand army
veteran. came in from the sawmill at
santa Monica in the a Mateo noun
aims. Colonel Eaton was then United
states marshal; and gathering to-
.ether all the American citizens in
town, he gave them straight talk
said If they did not insist on the
arrest of the guilty parties they were
worthy the name of citizens. AT
8 O'Clock one night, three hun
bred men marched behind colonel
Eaton to the home of the sheriff and
demanded the arrest of the boys who
we're then down at Cuba, two miles
south of the town. The boys were ar
'ested. and there being no suitable
all to hold them, they We're put in the
Park house cistern for safe keeping
night. Some time during the
hight the three boys made a break
or liberty. one was killed by the
,uard and the other two got away
Dne of the fugitives was caught sew
raj weeks later by a Texas anger.
rhe night the latter brought him i'm
o the Jail at Socorro, he was taken
,ut by a vigilance committee and
to the sign in front OF his
store. His uncle knew moth
of it until he woke up next
morning, and saw the CHASTITY sight
n front of his place of business. |
Several years afterward the other
10Y was caught and tried at Socorro.
late Colonel j. Francisco Chavez
vas then the able prosecuting attor-
icy, and he secured the acquittal of
boy at the hands OF the jury. A
Iorse. already saddled, was ready ut
ide the door of the court house and
fter the verdict of mot guilty" the
,oy sprang on his mount and es-
aped, remaining cut of this section
or several years.
The "vigilantes' then turned their
ttention TO Colonel Chavez and
creed hat venerable veteran and
ONE 500 men to leave the city. Hat
ed that resulted from this tragedy
nd subsequent acts OF the vigil
ntes'' lasted for nearly a quarter of
century. but all races of 1t have
Inally disappeared n American and
.panish-American, oldtimer and new
omer. work shoulder to shoulder for
interests OF SOcorro. The people
{ Socorro are boosting unitedly as
ever before, and Albuquerque will
Don have to reckon with her as a
ormidable competitor. The prog
Of Socorro and the general har-
lony which now prevails. has been
due to the present mayor. II.
}. Bursum. Socorro now has miles
( cement sidewalks, electric lights.
ne best and softest water IN the
United states; and water counts in
lis neck of the woods.
Mr.. Byers, n OF the pioneers and
rominent citizens, has demonstrated
nat there Is soft water enough under
ocorro mountain to supply a hun
red thousand people. The present
OF springs. located some hundreds
T feet above the level OF the city. at
resent supply enough water for all
rpOsr Mr.. Ryers. who I