Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-10-04
WHAT HAPPENED
The Rocky Ford Historical Society
Holds a Preliminary Meeting.

Freeman NJ smith OF Kansas lily
hit Rocky Ford the middle of last
week after an interrupted absence of
eighteen years Mr.. Smith and his
father formed one of the first mer-
camille firms of Rocky Ford, doing
ture that occupied the present site OF
Geo. Maxwell's clothing house. His
mother (peace to her blessed ashes),
was a dear old lady of education and
refinement who was prompt to speak
the word OF encouragement and COM
fort to the many 'lungers" who made
this promising little village on the
line of the Santa Fe their Mecca at
that early day. And Freeman was one
OF the boys who helped to boost the
town. When he arrived last week he
went about town looking for some
old landmarks by which to get his
bearings and tell where he once lived.
He was the special guest OF Mr.. and
Mrs. Sherman Beall while here, but
was entertained by some other old
timers as we'll He has been up in
Idaho chasing up Il lead on very
promising mining property he is per
sonally interested in.
On Sunday morning there blew in
from the west. Richard c. Herrick,
the pioneer editor of the Rocky Ford
Enterprise, who had been making one
of his periodical tours of the Pacific
coast for the purpose of dumping a
few carloads OF his sacred Indian wat
ers from the French Lick Springs ON
a confiding public. On Sunday even
ing Smith and Herrick took dinner
with G. II. Taylor, and Will c.
Steele, another pioneer. who has al
tn, ,nI h.rs nj lad
in as Moderator. At this convention
were revived and the data verified for
record nthe local historical society
department of the public library. One
of them was as to what happened to
Mrs. Johanna Manning's goat. The
year the town site was laid out the
Townsite Co. went to the expense of
planting cottonwood trees along all
the main streets of the town every 10
feet. This gave the town the fine
grove of giant cottonwoods that it
now enjoys. Particularly in the cot
ton season. But the town goat came
near to being their undo,ng. 1t
learned the. trick-of~throwing IT'S fore,
feet well up on the trunk of the little
sapIings and eating off the young
twigs ,as fast as they started. The
Civic Improvement Society OF that
day. of which Taylor was president
held an indignation meeting, and
shortly after the goat disappeared.
At this old boys reunion Sunday
night it leaked out what happened to
the goat. One dark night il was tied
to the tail OF the last sleeper on the
Santa Fe's Chicago limited. And the
general belief is that three of the ear
ly residents who met up with each
other last Sunday night were the ac-
tive participants in the deportation
OF the goat. Herrick denied that he
was accessory 10 the departure of the
undesirable citizen and was only there
as the representative OF the great
family journal he was editing at that
time. He says he really discouraged
the proceeding on the ground that the
goat and two Texas steers, owned by
Smith, and which he persisted in call
ing cows. furnished the only visible
milk supply of the town at that time.
Some regret was expressed that in
the haste of calling this impromptu
historical meeting of Sunday night no
invitations were sent to Mrs. Mary J.
Anderson and Uncle Billy Matthews.
both of whom Herrick claimed would
back up anything he said about the
early history of the town. Herrick
said it nearly broke his heart to have
to forego a praphic write UP of how
the goat was caught and how it wav
ed them all a sad adieu with its hind
legs as the train speeded up down by
the old Swink warehouse. But he
was afraid Mrs. Manning would come
round and interview him and some
thing would be said. So he made
good the next week, when the trouble
had blown over somewhat, by putting
an ad. i'll his paper reading:
Wanted-A good steady boy to
herd the new lodge goat. Apply to
Ben Wilson, Past Noble Grand /. o.
o +.
Ben reported that every boy there
was in town at that time, and some
girls, came to his store applying for
that job.
Steele told Herrick that il he
hadn't desrtcd the town when it was
small Rocky Ford would have got on
the map sooner than it did, as some
of the eastern journals were just be-
ginning to see through his jokes and
copy them.
Herrick declared that although he
had left the town early, he had always
been loyal to it, and in support OF
his claim he pulled newspaper clip
ping out OF an old pocket book and
gave it to the presiding officer to
read. 1t had been taken from the
San Antonio (Texas) News, and read
as follows:
The Baron Munchausen OF the
knights OF the grip is at the Gunter
hotel. He told yarn to party OF
friends in the lobby OF the hotel the
other night that made the lamented
Baron look like a plumber going af-
ter his tools.
The Baron's rival is Dick Herrick,
known all over the country as a min
eral water salesman and incidental