El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-05
COL. ". c GREENE
DIES FROM
PNEUMONIA
CONTINUED from Page L,

smelter on the mesa northeast OF nj
Paso and was directly concerned in an
effort TO build a second street railway
and power company in Ell Paso in 1905.
This was one of the sensational events
in the city's history.
Both companies were laying rails on
San Francisco street at one time,
strikes were instigated and bitter
fight before the council resulted from
the effort Of Greene and his associates
to build a second car line. The project
was finally absorbed by the Stone-Web-
ster company and the fight ended.
Loses valuable Properties.
Col. Greene's holdings in the Cananea
Copper company were taken over by
the Cole-Ryan syndicate in 1907, the
Sierra Madre railroad and the Pearson
Lumber company we're acquired by the
syndicate CT foreign capitalists headed
by Dr. r s. Pearson, the Greene Gold
and Silver project was also lost by Col
Greene and he confined himself to more
OF less local enterprises in Arizona and
Sonora.
He was promoting an irrigation
scheme on the Santa Cruz river at the
time of his death and was directly in
terested in many other enterprises In
the southwest. But his operations on a
gigantic scale had ceased, he. had
dropped from the financial affairs of
the country and had ceased to be the
commanding figure in the affairs Of
the southwest that he was in 1905 and
1906. when he was at the zenith OF his
power.
Interesting Personality.
Interesting as was mis- financial and
commercial history, the personal side
of Col. Greene was by far the most in
teresting. He had career that read
like novel and his feats are being
told and retold throughout the south
west by the COW punchers and pros
pectors who slept and ate with the
fighting colonel during his early ca
reer Col. Greene was born in West |
chester county, New York in 1857, being |
so years OF age at the time of his death |
He came from a family of land owners, |
his grandfather owning practically all |
of Orange county. New York, at one |
time. He was educated in private /
schools and at Chappaqua college. but |
went to New York at the age of 16 and |
worked one year to make money |
enough to go west. He worked with |
surveying party on the Northern Pa |
ciffc. but found this too slow and /
founded a town where Fargo, n. D., /
now stands. There he engaged in the |
business of cattle raising, a business
he followed throughout his life.
In spite OF the varied and vast ex-
tent of his other enterprises, Col !
Greene was never without herd OF
cattle grazing on his lands in Arizona |
or Sonora AS a herd to him meant
from 5000 to 100000 cattle, Col. |
Greene was known as one of the big |
cattlemen of the southwest.
Moves TO Arizona.
Seeking a wider field for his cattle l
business. Col. Greene moved to Cochise
county, Ariz-, where he bought ranch !
on the San Pedro river Until that time
he was strictly a cattle man. But 1T
was Impossible for man to live near
Tombstone. then in its glory, and not
get the mining fever Col. Greene Ola
and applied all Of his energies to the
business Of prospecting the field in
that vicinity. 1t is said that he made
$500 prospecting trips before he finally
struck it rich at the Cananea field by
discovering the Massey mine, the par
ent of the great Cananea Consolidated
Copper company's copper fields in the
Cananea district. That was in 1898 and
he invested everything he had in the
prospects he had discovered
At one time he offered to sell for
100000. but could find no, buyers. The
Cananea district mines are now worth
millions and are among the greatest
copper producing mines of the world.
Always n Fighter.
Col Greene's career has been one Of
struggle. He got nothing without er-
fort and. every step in his advance was
gained by fighting and as a fighting
man Col Greene had the courage of
lion He fought the Cananea claims
through the Mexican courts and Won
He fought the New York exchange over
the Greene Consolidated Gold company |
and won When the riots occurred in
Cananea in 1906 he gathered a crew of
faithful men around him and stood off
the rioting strikers with Winchesters
until troops came. 1t is told of him
that when he was driving a stage into
Tombstone one day he alighted to fix
the harness The horse stamped its
heavily shod hoof to drive the flies
away The steel shod foot came down
on Col Greene's foot, MASKING it al
most to a pulp. Gritting his teeth, he
drove into Tombstone, distance of IA
miles. without even stopping to exam
inc his injured foot.
"Bill" Greene las the type or pioneer
prospector and promoter who breaks
the ground for the men who follow and
reap the harvest that he has planted.
He was q dreamer and a plunger.
Worth more than s5000O,000 at one
time. he lost everything he had, started
over again and died fighting. He was
prominent citizen. When he would
come TO Ell Paso in his private car, he
was too busy to trouble with ordinary
trains. he would be banqueted and the
keys Of the city would be presented to
him with elaborate ceremony by the (
mayor. Closely associated with him /
was Judge A. B. Fall of New Mexico 8
Judge Fall was his legal adviser in all 7
of his enterprises and the two were IN l
separable.. It has been said of Col. 7
Greene that he never forgot a friend c
or a former comrade of the old cattle Y
days To each Of the men with whom {
he had been associated he gave a good 9
position IN the Cananea company's or q
ganization s
The Funeral Arrangements.
The funeral of Col Greene will be
held from his home on the mesa in
Cananea at IL o'clock Monday morning
For the first time since 1907 the smell
tiers. concentrators mines and ma
chinery of the great copper camp will
pause TOT honor its discoverer and
guiding genius. 7
The body of Col Greene will be f
shipped to Los Angeles Monday after 7
noon. w