The sun., 1918-12-18
THOSE TWO OLD SUNS"
The ella Forest Supervisor Kindly
Identifies the CAhin,s Tenant.

To THE EofToR or THE SuS--sT: In
an editorial article headed Two Old
Copies Of THB SUN" on August III THE
SrH expressed a desire 10 know what
became of tho miner who In 1886 was
sufficiently enlightened TO read THE SuN
in tho wilderness OF the MoEollon Noun
tains in New Mexico. Since then an at
tempt has been made 10 trace his his
tory The enclosed photograph shows
the abandoned cabin in which the two
old copies of THE Sun reposed from 1856
, until they were resurrected by Forest
Ranger Hughes In 1917 The other pho
toEraph 10 that Of the ruined blockhouse
adjacent to the cabin, which was built
with six sides and loopholed for the pur.
pose OF standing OF the willy Apache.
In 1886 Geronimo and his band were
raiding the Mogollon Mountains and
made an attack on the mining camp of
Cooney. located about three miles be-
low the old cabin. Incidentally. one
year later. Second Lieutenant John J.
rershins OF the Sixth Cavalry reported
sst In putting the finishing touches to
Geronimo. Between the periods of read
ing his Sun and prospecting our miner
friend was engaged in keeping lookout
with the primary object In Wow OF saw
ing his scalp.
The cabin was located near the min
ing camp OF Clairmont, a copper and
silver producing area. long since aban-
doned. and now given over TO the prowl-
ing coyote, the mountain lion and the
lnvestigative range COW. or the hardy
crew OF prospectors and fighting men
who once occupied the Clairmont camp
only one, 70 far as known, is now In
the land OF the living. all the others
having crossed the Great Divide. Mr..
Maurice Z. Coates. a merchant OF Mo-
COLON. n. NJ, IL believed to be the
sole survivor.
The reader Of THE SuN was William
Burns Far from "whirllng up from
Wall street in his limousine" as was
hoped by THE SUN, our friend 10 now,
no doubt, In the domain of the good
st. Peter, the last resort Of all good
prospectors. In Burns's day visits to
silver City on Sundays were rare, for
the very good reason that such visit
entailed ninety mile horse back ride over
a route infested with Apacnes. nor did
ne often visit the county seat of Socorro.
located in the Rio Grande valley to the
east Of the Continental Divide. fully 100
miles from his cabin in the Mogollons
To do 30 his horse would have had to
carry him over uie Mogollon Mountains.
yIa the old "Y'' ranch, tho &C Bar N"
ranch, across the far reaches Of the San
Augustine plains TO Magdalena and
thence to Socorro, a four days ride at
tho least.
Times have changed since THE Sun
OF 1886 was read in the old cabin In the
Mogollon Mountains. The entire tim
oered area 10 now within the limits OF
the ella National Forest. patrolled by
Ranger Hughes and his fellows; the de-
scendants OF Geronimo have been flght-
ing with Pershing on the Marne to make
the world safe for democracy: the only
drink now obtainable in New Mexico ia
buttermllk or grape Juice: all that re-
mains OF the past are Mr.. Coates In
Mogollon. the everlasting Mosollon will
derness and the cabin which once shell
tered our Sun reading friend However.
there are still readers OF THE Sun In
this part of the world My duties as
Forest Supervisor OF the ella Forest take
me into many portions OF the Mogolons
and II Is very possible that other copies
Of THE SrS may be discovered in some
abandoned cabin. The brotherhood of
Sun readers is far flung, and has at
least one interest In common.
FREDERICK WYNN.
SILVER CITY, y. NJ. December s.