Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-02-22
CHAPTER III.
The Spanish Sinks.


by a narrow but well-defined break,
magnificent rampant, named by Span
iards the Superstition mountains,
stretches beyond the horizon to the
south. along the vast depression known
as the Spanish sinks. The break on
the eastern side of the chain comes
about twenty miles southwest of
Sleepy Cat, and is marked on the
north by the most striking, and in
some respects most majestic peak in
the range-Music mountain; the break
itself has taken the name of its earliest
white settlers, and is called MOrgan's
gap. No railroad has ever yet pene-
trated this southern country, despite
the fact that rich mines have been
opened along these mountains, and are
still being opened; but it lies today in
much of the condition of primitive saw
agcry, and lawlessness, as the word Is
conventiOnally accepted, that obtained
when the first rush was made Tor the
Thief River gold fields.
Business is done in this country; but
business must halt everywhere with
its means of communication, and in
the Music Mountain country is still
rests on the facilities of a stage line.
The bullion wagons still travel the
difficult roads. They look for safety to
their armed horsemen; the four and
six-horse stages look to the armed
guard, the wayfarer must look to his
horse-and it should be q good one I;
the mountain rancher to his rifle, the
cattle thief to the moonlesS night, the
bandit to his wits, the gunman to his
holster; these include practically all
the people that travel the Spanish
sinks, except the Morgans and the Nor
mons. The Mormons looked to the
Morgans for safety; the MOrgans to
themselves.
For many q year the MOrgans have
been almost overlords of the Music
Mountain country. They own, or have
laid claim to, an extended territory In
the mountains, Spanish grant. Nor
gan's gap opens south of Music noun
tain, less than ten miles west of Gala
basas. 1t is q narrow valley where
valleys are more precious than water
for the mountain valley means wa.
Eeer-and this in country where water
as much more precious than life. And
some of the best of this land at the
foot of Music mountain was the ma
-ternal inheritance of Nan Morgan.
Mt Calabasas the Thief River stage
line maintains completely equipped
relay barns. They are over twenty
miles from Sleepy Cat, but nearly fifty
rthe other way from Thief river. AnC
except a few shaCks, there is nothing
between Calabasas, Thief river ant
the mountains, except sunshine anC
~alkall. say nothing, meaning especial
ly nothing In the way of human habi
~tation.
The Calabasas inn stood in one o.
the 'lOnellest canyons of the whole sew
enty miles between Sleepy Cat anC
Thief river; it looked in it's depletion
Ito be what it was, sOmbcr, mysteri
"ous, sun, wind and alkaIi-beaten pile
around which was n ruin like thos
pretentiOuS deserted structures some
times seen in frontier tOwns-relics o
the wide-Open days, which stand after
ward. stark and somber, to serve a
bats nests or blind pigs. The inn Il
Calabasas looked its part-a haunt O
rustlers, a haven of nameless men,
srefuge Of road-agents.
The very first time De Spain mad
AN inspection trip over the stage lin
with Lefever, he was conscious of tn
sinister air Of this lonely building. Fl
and Lefever had ridden down from tn
changed, to look at the place. I
Spain wanted to look over everythiI
connected in any way, however remot
IL, with the operation of his wagon
and this joint, Lefever had told hiI
was where the freighters and drive
were not infrequently robbed of the
money. 1t was here that one Of the
own men, Bill McCarty, on
SCRATCHED a mans neck" with
eknife-which. Bill explained, he ju
"happened" to have in his hand-f
,cheatlng at cards. Lefever pointed o
the mIucky gamblers grave as he a.
ODE Spain rode into the canyon iowa
the inn.
Not sign of any sort was display
about the habitatiOn. No man was
wited to enter, no man warned to Ike
out. none was anywhere In sight. Il
stare men dlsmounted, threw Tn,
lines pushed open the front door
hhG house ADh entered a room OF d