El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-14

on the Red river, in New Mexico i,
1860, and when the war broke ont 7
didn't go in to fight either for en-
SAVING the negroes or to free them h1Ir
enlisted in another army to uphold the
monroe doctrine" he says. Then he ex-
plains that he enlisted under the re-
publican banner of Mexico, Joining the
army Of president Benito Juarez him
self, then camped opposite FL Paso. and
was in the Mexican service until Maxi
milan was taken prisoner and the for
eign troops that were not CAPTURED.
hastily withdrew. He was mustered out
at Chihuahua, and that is about as far
as he has been away from Ell Paso
since he came here with the United
States troops in S5.
Although porn IN the east. he has
never had a desire to go back There he
says He was born in CITY. too and
lived in one until he grew to manhood
but says he prefers the free life in the
open TO the cramped life in a civ
motel or cottage. He is a native Of
Maryiand ana came into the world In
Baltimore on July 8, 1885. His parents
lived alternately in New Jersey De1o0
ware and Pennsylvania while he was a
BOY and young man and the Sapps are
stu well known in that section of the
country Desiring to see the frontier
and kill indians" the army attracted
him as the best way of getting there
and he enlisted when a young man h.
fore he had reached his majority. and
came west and has been here ever
since.
Has Lived Under is Presidents.
Mr. Sapp was born wheel the eighth
president of the United States was in
office and has lived to see IS men fill
mat offlce-and has been able to vote
in 1S presidential elections He was of
age when Willard Fillmore was elected
and was old enough to cast his first
presidential vote at that time. -Texas
has always been his legal residence
although he has lived but little in EI
Paso- Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico
have known him more, for he has pros
pected and mined in all Of them.
Explaining why Ell Paso, or Franklin
then, came to be known as New Mexi-
can territory, the aged soldier of for
tune said: 1t was impossible for Texas
officials TO reach Ell Paso to attempt TO
administer the laws. Only trooDs
crossed the country between here and
San Antonio in those days. FL Paso was
an important point On the border mas
much as all the business between Santa
Fe and Mexico was carried on over the
border at FL PasO- Santa Fe was the
headquarters for all the troops west of
the Mississippi river al that time and
was virtually the center of government
for the great uneXplored region that
lay in the path Of advancing civilizat ton
headed for the Pacific. Customs law
had to be enforced between the two
countries and the United States had to
have officials at the Port of Paso del
Norte, so they were appointed aSd sent
out to Franklin. These officials had to
be under some authority with whom
they could communicate, and, it being
impossible to place them under the col
lector at Galveston, Texas the only
other customs port in Texas at that
time, they were attached to the terri
tory of New Mexico for administrative
purposes
New Mexico Courts Held Here.
The matter did not end there The
courts of New Mexico took jurisdiction
here also and all the laws were admins
tered from Santa Fe, hence, all COM
munications from Washington that
were intended for officials at FL Paso
in the fifties and earlier, were directed
to Franklin, New Mexico, and the fed
eral government knew not the state
of Texas in the administration of the
laws in western Texas. l suppose Texas
had enough to take care of elsewhere
for I never heard of a protest at anv
usurpation of authority on the part of
New Mexico. Anyhow, the western part
of Texas was not considered worth
anything then-there was too much