The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-10-07
AUTO TOURISTS ARE MADE VICTIMS OF
 SPITE WORK

That auto tourists are often the victims of interruptions garage men, who for some ulterior motive, will wrongfully direct strange tourist over the most difficult route, in order to vent their spite on some neigh boring town, or else to throw the patronage to a favored garage along the same route, is strongly empha- sized by the following letter from 3 tourist, who recently received such dirty treatment while passing through Hot Sprinngs, New Mexico. The fol- lowing letter has come into the poses sion of THE COPPER ERA, through the courtesy of Burton Bunch, Se- pcretary of the Southwestern Good Roads Association, at Silver City.
 Bisbee, Arizona
 September, 26th 1921. Chamber of Commerce,
 Silver City, N. Mex
 Gentlemen:-
 This letter is in the form of a com plaint about certain treatment ac- corded us at Hot Springs as we passed through there last Wednes- day noon. The letter is being writ ten with a view of preventing the repetition of the wrong to tourists and with the purpose of saving other tourists from falling into such a trap as was set for us.
 We are touring the country from the East. making Missouri. Kansas Colorado, New, Mexico, Arizona and old Mexico and will winter in Los Angeles, and were en route through Hot Springs to Deming over a route we did not know and were compel
 
 gritty of business men and others as to the most desirable rorue. We ha some repairs made at Hot Springs also had our dinner there and took on gas and oil and of course made inquiry of the men operating the gar age as to the better route By some six or seven men in Hot Springs we were advised to go through a little town named Hatch which they sait would be on the main highway tC Deming. We were warned to avoiG Hillsboro as the roads-so they said were impossible" In accordance with thsir directions we drove dowr to Hatch i've were driving a Stutl Bear Cat) and there we found the road to be river bed of sand, ab solutely no sign of a road excep1 where one or two wagons may have passed along. We were stuck in the sand for some time and completel7 burned up two good rear castings 1T our endeaVor to get out which we did after some two hours effort w afterwards learned at Deming while purchasing new castings that there was "county-seat fight" on between Hot Springs and Hillsboro and tha the purpose of sending us througl this out-of-theway, unspeakable route was done to prevent Hillsboro iron profiting by any tourist travel ant thereby injure that town as mucl as possible by this method
 We suffered the loss of two goot castings, worth $120.00, also the los of much time and anxious moments The injury was to us, who are ir nocent parties to the county sea fight and who ought not to hay been made to suffer.
 We trust that some such publicit may be given this as will tend t prevent the recurrence of this UT warranted transformation being giI en to innocent tourists. We feel tha we have been badly mistreated, pul posely so, with an absolute disregar for our rights.
 Yours very truly, (Signed) GEO. B. FORESTER, care General Delivery Temporary
 Los Angeles, California.
 The above is common complain often heard.
 An automobile party this summe travelling from Morenci to the coas and return met with a similar e1 perience on the outbound trip. 1 this instance it was afterwards pro en that the garage man who gay the directions over the worst roaC had a partner in the same bushes in the next town.
 We hope the newly organized Ar Zona Automobile Association will q great deal to overcome this groy ing evil.