El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-12-05

forts of the carly arrivals 100 the souf h.
west The youngest of III. trio. Col
Patten- is - years old. while the old
est is 81.
The case itself was for the estab-
fishing OF the boundary line of several
properties running along the bank of
the Rio Grande q distance of some .
miles in the neighhorhoOd OF Fort
Hancock. reaching from a point some
ten miles west OF the old fort 10 about
10 miles east. Properties now owned
and looked after by the heirs IF F.
) Newman and by W L TOoley. James
c. McNary. Joseph II. Nations and Mr..
McElroy. were affected by the outcome
Of the case. which was brought about
by the fact that the Rio Grande has
changed IFS course since the original
survey was made and the boundaries
originally fixed
Early Settlers Called.
ContendinE that the original survey,
that made by Joseph Tivey in 1855.
and which was marked at both the
eastern and western ends by a post
road of the Overland Mail which
traversed the region in those days. the
defence was obliged TO call as wit
nesses several of the early settlers
and inha bitants of the country at that
time. with the resultant tales OF long
ago
The most important Of these wit
nesseS proved to be Col Van Patten,
who now lives in Las Cruces. and who
for SO years
He told the court that he had come
to the southwest with the Butterfield
line of the Overland Mail and that
he was in FL Paso in 1855 He staked
out the old post road. and then trav-
eled up and down the trail for many
years He Is veteran of the civil
war. was a scout for some time with the
United States army and is now the
recognized head of the Pueblo Indians.
having been initiated into all Of the
mysteries and tribal rights of that na-
ton Of red men
Describes PeOn Massacre.
He told OF 4 massacre OF Mexican
poems which occurred near the eastern
boundary Of the land in dispute and
located the spot where the bodies are
now buried. marked with rude crosses
and heaps OF stones
In describing the massacre he said:
7 remember well the massacre OF
some i OF Is people by the Indians
They We're killed near what is called
Arroyo MachO. These people were re-
turning from trip TO the salt mine
in FL PasO county and had arrived at
the arroyo when several of the wa CONS
broke down The remainder OF the
train moved down the slope to where
there We're some houses. leaving the
owners Of the broken wagon at that
place When they came back. they
found that their companions had been
killed and. while they were examining
the bodies. the Indians. who had been
lying in hiding. rushed in and killed
them I saw the bodies and helped
10 bury them. marking their graves
with crosses made from the carts
which had broken down. ] had not
visited the place for 20 years until
last February. when I went there TO
point out old landmarks for this case
Old Chief Testifies.
Mariana Culminaro. So years old.
chief Of the Pueblo Indians now living
in Ysleta, told this interesting bit
about the massacre: The people who
were killed by the Indians and who
are buried where the crosses are now
We're the poems of Don Martini Lujan.
They had made trip to the salt lake
ana were returning home When they
because one Of the carts had
broken down. the Indians attacked the
ones left by the broken wagon and
killed them. and when the rest OF the
party came back, they We're killed. too.
The Indians had hidden and waited for
them. The bodies were buried right
where they fell and I remember that
two Of them We're killed side by side
while the others had scattered and
their bodies We're lying all around
there on the slopes I can remember
the affair as though it happened the
day before yesterday
Maxine Duran. 81 years old. also Of
the Pueblo tribe. told the court thar
he had helped to bury the dead at the
scene Of the massac ere.
No decision was rendered or the
merits Of the trial because OF dis
agreement Of the jury, which means
that some time in the future the case
must be retired with probably more
testimony relating to the OLD DAYS on
the border, which has not been brought
put at this trial