El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-02
"I1ON. SOL {. Schultz,
MAYOR OF HE'LL PASO, TEX

TOL r. B. Cotton sent a letter TO
mayor Schultz from Boston with
that address on the envelope, and
the veteran exmayor says, with smile,
that Col. Cotton was not far wrong
when he imprOvised at the expense OF
Il Paso's front and fair name.
That was in the days the old timers
love to tell about, when the sixshooter
was the badge of courage and the 10
spoke with authority almost every
night in some FL PasO dance nall sd
loon or street.
as much Of a retired life as is posslble
for a man in the rugged vlSor OF
health who has led an active IrontleL7-
mans life, Mr.. Schultz always has an
hour to wool gather back over the days
when FL PasO was known as Franklin
and had earned the name Of Hell Raso
ny right of being the gathering place
for all Of the desperadoes west OF the
Old Town in CrucibIe.
Postmaster, mayor, pioneer merchdIlt
and Mexican trader, Mr.. Schultz saw II
Paso when it was in the white not
crucible Of formation and his memories
Of the old days are vivid pictures lIOIu
a book that has been closed Tor t Hc
newer generation, except by proxy rom I
the lips Of those pioneers OF the GU
west AS the leLE OL lt4t AAlcAA-7i 80
Schultz was a parsonage in the old Gays
before the coming Of the railroads me
old overland stage would LUMBER uO"H
San Antonio street once montn, SWllIS
sharply up FL Paso street and pun "
with much Gathering OF cnalhs atlN
swearing by the stage driver. Inc
coming of the mail from san Antonio
in those days was an event second O5itts
to the killing of leading clJleh. M
SchutZ was always waiting out III
front Of his adobe stage station on san
Francisco street, where the HoyI luIIll-
ture store now stands Inc sdIo"ii1
and gambling houses would soon ;G
deserted for the first time since inc
last stage and the arrival of the man
was made q great occasion, Nj ocHuIL
saws Remittance men got letters lLOlI
back home, adventurous youHS lHg-l
received fat envelopes addressed III
Feminine hands. and the older men Sot
their back home papers. letters haEln6
ceased to come to many of them long
years before.
Paso del Norte, across the river,
which was reached by slow moNlu1
ferry. was the Mexican town OF JudLe1
today, then prosperous anu HapPS
There BenitO Juarez maze MS HSaG
quarters during the time JhaI ~
French were in possession IN the SouILt,
Mr. Schultz describes military Da-t
which was held in Juarez when allIlost
parallels the splendor OF the i'N
meeting in the old town ~. .,,,r-
"Juarez was a little man win sL5-Ip
eyes high cheek bones and a face lnd'
YOU would pick out in crowd as De
longing to great man. saIu -
Schultz He always dressed IN DldCH 1
with n black soft hat and he dld noI
,-arv from this custom even when ne
attended the military ball given IN ~
honor in the custom house. mat h!5nC
there were Mexican and AlneIlCa -
ARM, officers in their Eayest uniforms
the river. But above all was beli l. -
Juarez. the serious look sun on ms ms
face and his black eyes searchlns GNG-y
face as he promenaded with the DeLLe
danes or Chatted with the army ~ ~
GERS He was the greatest man ever
saw. Next comes Diaz. knew JheIl
both and they were both head anu
shoulders above their generation.
IgStnbIFshed Money Orders Here.
Mr. Schultz was the first postmaster 10
ostablisb a money order division in the
local postoffice and he did rushing
business among the settlers OF the town
and the soldiers Of the sTnaH 4oIL -
that time. When the mails were only
running once each month ne would
write to the army paymaster at 81
Louis and tell him how much money ne
had in the pOstOffice safe Inc pay
master, on his next trip 10 Fl FaSo'
would take this money TO pay me
trOODs rather than carry II across the
country. The paymaster's receipts We're
forwarded to st. Louis and the east IN
Mace of currency. The overland stage.
stable was located at the corner OF
overland and FL PasO streets, Mr.
Schultz saws, and the horses and mules
were kept there in a big corral al
though the mail was delivered to his
store on San Francisco street
By Stage to Ell PasO.
at was in the spring of 50 that 1
started out from New York city to come
TO FL Paso." the former mayor 6S years
young and as robust as his athletic
sons. said Il knew Simon Hart, Juan
Harris father, who had the mill IN the
pass" he continued. Il came out by
rail over the old Santa Fe, TO LeaveE-
worth: from LeavenwOrth to Kansas
City bv boat, and from Kaesas City by
stage to Santa Fe and Las Cruces. That
was as far as the stage then ran and
there was only a pony express service
from Las Cruces to FL Paso-then called
Franklin, after an old Texan came
down in a private conveyance and mere
] stayed during the time that life was
often held too cheaply and a man never
awoke on a day when he knew he would
When the Railroads Came.
at was in 1881 that 1 was mayor. But
shuclts, that had nothing to do with
the history Of FL PasO. The railroads
were racing to see which one could
build to FL Paso first. The Mexican
Central was preparing to build south
out Of JuareZ, the santa he. the SCUM
ern Pacific and the Texas & Pacific
were all hustling to get here first The
town was filled with right Of way men,
desperadoes. gamblers and plain thieves
in addition to the good citizens.
There was a killing almost every
night and hardly a day passed that
someone was not shot. Conditions were
getting worse and worse.
DnIIns stOudenmefer Arrives.
zone day a six foOter of Texan lum-
bered into my office and said his name
was Dallas Staudenmeier. He had been
recommended to me as a brave man and
no one knew how badly brave men were
needed in these days better than I did. 1
hired him as town marshal, although the