El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-05-11
PIONEERSHA
REUNION IN PASS
Annual Meeting of Pioneers
Association Is Held at
Harris Old Mill,

! probably the oldest structure IN FL
Paso, for the 18th annual get together
! dinner OF the FL Paso Pioneers asso-
The building in which they met was
I built by Simeon Hart in 1851 and It's
] thick adobe walls seem as strong as
Z ever. Nearly 100 men. guests and mem
/ bers of the association, sat down 10
/ table when the meeting was called 70
I order at l o'clock by Capt. Hart The
I meal was laid in a room over zoe feet
! long. It was meal Of FL Paso S
[ younger days and included enchiladas,
! tamales. sopaipias, chile. frijoles, beer
! and coffee. And Notwithstanding ethe
I number Of years their digestive ma
| chiuery has been running. the pioneers
ate until, as one Of them remarked
they tasted the pine Of the table
Mayor Is Guest.
! Among the guests were mayor Tom
! Lea and the city council, collector Zach
I Lamar Cobb and members Of the Fl
] PasO-SOuthWestern Architects dSSocl-
| alton. Informal speeches in which the
) Wit Of Capt Hart Park Pltmaus Lach
! Cobb, Edward kneezel and judge
! James r. Harper was given voice kept
! the pioneers and. their guests laughing
{ for hours. =
{. E Kelly was chosen president OF
! the association for the ensuing yeaE
! succeeding Edward kneezell, who has
/ held the office for three years J. A.
/ Smith, eXpOstmaster was chosen vice
president, taking the place of Lee Rob
[ ersOn. Herman Andreas and a. T sam
worth were reelected treasurer and
Z secretary, respectiN ely. The new BOARD
I Of directors is composed OF = hrause,
! Park Pitman, J. A. Buckler. l. 9. Gaal
! and Lee RichcrsOn. Resolutions or
thanks to. the outgoing officers were
! passed. -Four members Of the Organi-
aztion, H A. DOnnelly. ). II. Newman,
! J. l. McAfee and c. e. Black, died dur
I ing the year and resolutions Of regret
were spread upon the minutes OF the
/ business meeting which followed the
dinner
Plan to Erect Club House.
Before the next annual convention is
l held the pioneers hope TO have erected
a big club house on the acre OF ground
! which Capt. Hart has presented to the
association. The ground lies close %
the santa Fe railway al the viaduct
and extends almost TO the river bank.
Speakers yesterday urged the old
timers to work on the club house
proposition and Capt Hart offered $500
toward a building fund Although no
dictated by the interest displayed that
a home for the pioneers viii become
a reality this year.
Two Presidents.
Edward kneeZell was POSTMASTER at
the dinner. Mexican girls served and
at one end of which sat president Knee
zeu and at the other end Capt Hart,
who Is honorary president for lie The
food was served on pastebOard plates
Three Mexican cooks were kept busy
over q big range in an adjoining room
When the meal was ended president
KneezelI introduced Capt. Hart, who
made the address Of welcome. He told
the guests that the pioneers babe them
welcome. This old MILL said the cap
tain, is closed all the year except when
we pioneers come here and scare the
birds out. j wish you'd come and scare
them out Oftener. This building was
erected by my father in 81 and IL is TO
us a place Of reverence for II typlfles
the pioneer spirit We have an acre Of
ground over there near the Viaduct and
/ am eager TO see a club house built
upon it. Let's establish a home there
that we viii be proud Of Let's not have
people think that, even though our hair
Is touched with white we cannot still
do things. Of course. there are some
things we can't DO any more like We
used TO. but we suruely ought TO be able
to build a club house There are eight !
or 10 former mayors Of Fl PasO among /
us, which shows that YOU can't die If /
you belong TO the Pioneers association. !
Besides, only the good die first
Praised Pioneers.
Judge T r Harper told the diners that [
the Il Paso pioneers were the men who Z
had made Fl Paso what II Is today and /
who will make ii a grander Il Raso yet.
They are the men who started this city !
and they have seen il grow from nothing /
10 the chief community OF the whole south :
west And they viii make 1t grow greater {
yet" he said.
The views OF the government regarding /
the pioneers. was asked Of Zach Cobb by I
8fr. KneezeI. Mr.. cobb said he could not !
speak for the government. but so far as I
he. personally, was concerned the whole !
view could be expressed in one sentence.
Il wish was one Of you He added: {
We have received the benefits or your (
way Il was you who broke the trail and 4
to you belongs the credit for what we have Z
and are today We cannot too highly appre- /
ciate the work you nave done j want TO 4
cay that Capt Hart deserves a big share /
Of the credit. for he has done more OF the 1
pioneer work than probably any other man.
a NJ VII Inf let mo az
to pay tribute 10 that grand old nObleman.
judge Joseph NagOrrfn, who is lying on a
sick bed far away in the east 1 see for
FL Paso a future greater than any petty
or personalities
Enter City Officials.
Mayor Lea and aldermen J. P OCOn-
nor. John Fisher, r 3. Stevens and W g. {
Jolly entered the room at this time Toast
master KneezelI told them ne was sorry they
had not arrived In time for Capt. Harris
speech OF welcome, whereupon the captain
stood up and said
Don't worry about that. III make an
other one and he did. The mayors voice
nearly broke with emotion as he acknOw-
lodged the welcome and told the pioneers
IN a brief response, how he was proud and
glad 10 know them. He told them how he
came from pioneer stock and how the
memory Of his father who died recently. I
made him revere the pioneer
Some Of my warmest friends are among
you" said the city executive.
You are the men who laid the foundation
FOR what FL Paso Is now and I am sorry ]
cannot be a pioneer. Your association is
one that ought to be fostered and / hope
YOU Will push your plans for club house.
L pledge you the assistance OF myself and
my council in any way that I can be OF
service"
Park Pitman a WaE.
Park Pitman was next called upon for a
talk The way I demolished the enchi-
ladas should disprove any accusation Of
age" he said
Take day like this. Why. I'd hate to
be dead on day when all the old timers
are out for a meeting. I'd rather be dead
any other day. but not one like this. I want
to wish success 10 the new administration
and want them to feel they can depend on
me for any assistance I can be to them in
carrying out their work
J. A. Smith was the next speaker and /
ne told the pioneers how Capt. Harris speech z
at Ogden Utah. number Of years ago had I
brought the national irrigation congress TO
Il Paso. which eventually resulted in secur-
fng the Elephant Butte dam for the Rio I
Grande valley.
The captain said Mr.. Smith. brought !
that convention here by his speech. Nobody !
wanted 10 come TO FL Pazo until Hart's I
speech was made He convinced those 400 !
delegates at that irrigation congress in 4
Ogden that this was the place TO hold their /
next meeting and much Of the credit for i
the dam belongs 20 him."
William J. Moran proprietor OF the Labor J
Advocate, addressed the pioneers. telling (
nj cd he H.