The chronicle=news., 1913-08-18
Reu,iniscences Of
The Frontier Days

A tale OF u town such AZ this has
no moral and is quickly told. II Is
the story Of II little frontier place
called Otero In Colfax county. New
Mexico. and In u sense IL reminds
one Of the MoEra flower which lives
but for u single hour" rs they say
in India where II grows. The Santa
Fe railroad laid the first rail into
New Mexico by crossing the Ration
pass In the late autumn Of 1878. The
company was In such a hurry to en-
ter the mystic land OF the Montexu.
mas that II could not walt to drive
the tunnel through the Ration noun
tains hut built u temporary ShOO-fly
over the pass aud WAS thus enabled
TO jiEsle Its way Into the promised
land without much delay.
Twelve miles further on where the
line had struck the level out beyond
the mouth Of III. canon II stopped
long enough To set the stakes for
Oter0 and for few progressive
months the town stood only 10 fade
like the !.imsy fabric Of = dream an
ten psstuous civilization pushed ON
toward the settinx sun. The town
stood on broad plateau ndjolnIns
the ranch OF Tom boEIs and In \ re-
markably short tim. II had acchmu-
n, .I +. h.s.vn~.onn.s ,.nnut, io., -
two thousand husky souls such as ar.
wont To trapsc aion. with the ad-
vance of great transcon'incntai
railway. Like sn Irish stew the mru
was made up Of many elements such
M camp followers. gamblers. advent-
urrr~. husincss and professional
men. funny looking women aud tn.
like. aud the soldiers Of forum.
benton doinx their ~oYs, to make III.
he's, Of things
The main establishment ~ss that
oS the Madden Hrothrrs and Ei~ood
WAS without SAYING NJ tho mayor 81:
tho town which by tho way had no
municipal organization and needed
none other than the un~rit'-n law
of the frontier which d~csrcd that =
mAa had tn behave himself halfway
d-c~utiy os suffer the consequences
There was more or less violence. of
course. snd everybody carried ~~sp.
on>. Vet an honest effort was mad.
To establish snd maintain Justice.
All men believed In IL and tried tn
xiNr II and tn get IL. There MAS
shooting and there vas sssbhinx. hut
Justice Was the si~s, un~ri,'-n Law
Of the place
Many a good. p~~s~abi- msn ~as
pictured a. a rutiisn and xiven =
ssnaasionai record simply because he
att~n,picd IN obey the Law aad Ia
uphold II In his own case. Som~l,oi,
would make good marshal and
proved his fitness by killing John
Wooion In front at The livery sisblc.
These circumstances pr-dicai-d the
need of 4 hospital and Dr. Robbins of
Las Anina. Got "nr soinR in ho',ss,
'-ui and pu' Co-k-y~d Charlie Hall
in charge Of II I'd \. sashy. now
the publisher .. saAby's Magazine.
.s~ the sporting '-ndcncy Of the cn-
bryonic ,iilae~ aud r.ia biishcd q rae
Ing association and track No as io
give Old Belts job.
Tho top shcaf Of the towns impor-
'ancr VIA. guided with rcfuixcnt
glory ~ncn Russell a. Qisticr vert
over from Trinidad with a boot fui
OF secondhand type which the writer
loaned him and SC, up a prin, shop
from which was iasicd the O,cro OPP
tic because II could .ec ,hinxs and Il;
proved the nucleus of great pub
lishins enterprise. Peace no less
than war hath iis conaucst.' and the
printing press ha. ever been the ar
INQUIRED cruiser that srt the .tandar.!
cf progress IN the arid places. Like
all good and noble things. ho~cvc'.
the destiny OF little old Otero ~.s
room doomed to ~i,hcr and fade like
q flower cut down by the mood day
sun. The railroad the white WIS
pushing on and reached Las Vega.
when there was the usual pulling
up Of stakes and in the stamprdr
many pcor little Jakey was aimo-t
killed in the crusn. Day by day tn"
dogs barkcd and the caravan moved
on. as they say In Roumania. AMI
Wcro was soon destined TO suffer the
fate of Leah. the tpr.akcn.
Ono day In August the weekly On
tic was loaded onto a flat car and
Bill Barnes hauled the outfit aud
some Of the sauatt.rs down to Las
Vegas. The printer. were In such a