The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1921-10-30

tripm ettrrf1 nonotH ny VIII
1871. b. Charles scribncrs sons-i
Il was under this deep blue night
sky that We nAw n first pueblo
town. We saw the town
later. IN broad daylight. swept by an
uneican .andrtorm. pifiicss,y stripped
Of ruuAntic atmosphere. But tho ro'
nance vss ob@curcd. not obiitcrntcd.
for ita roots are sunk deep in h
past. fficta has one Of the finest
buiit.up eetufss Of the pueblo towns.
IL has a thousand inhabitants. whoss
proximity TO the railroad gives them
the blessing or curse Of the white
mans civilization. II has a church.
whose ancient adobe TANKS have
been topped by two wooden bird
cages for steepics. for when the In
dian adopts mi ideas. his taste IL
rococo; when he cilngs % his own
art. he shows a native dignity and
simplicity. Lastly. frirtn has : ghost,
well authenticated n attcsted 20 BY
a cardinal. an archbishop. a governor
and other dignitarics. TO say nothing
OF Juan Fancho. . man who does not
lie. II probably Is the oldest ghost In
the United States.
About the time OF the first Spanish
penetration into the southwest. a
friar made his way 70 the pueblo
country through the hostile tribes 10
the east. In one OF the towns north
% Santa re. probably Tesuaue, he
found shelter and a home. The
friendly Indians. although keeping
him n haif-prisoner. trcsted him
kindly. He seems 10 have been
gentle and tactful creature. who won
his way by the humane Christianity
OF his daily life. He had a knowl-
edge OF medicine which he applied to
their physical needs. n as priest
administered 10 their spiritual ma
lures without giving offense TO the
pueblo's own beliefs
The Treasure Seekers.
Gradually. az they became better
acquainted with him, they admitted
him to the inner circle OF village life,
even to the sacred ceremonies and
u~ndersround rituals o. the kiva- he
was taught the significance Of their
medicine and Of their tribal and re-
lieious symbols Almost forgetting
his allen blood. they had lad him
n OF themselves on the day, twenty
years later. when news came or nc
approach OF armed cona~uistadores
with Coronado at their head, seeking
plundcr and the treasures OF Cibola
the legendary. Whether such treas
ares existed has never been known.
II u aid. the scores was closely guard
cd by the Indians. Perhaps the monk
had been made their confident. At
any rate. he knew enough to make
certain factions in the tribe regard
him az an element OF danger. whom
he should again meet with men OF
his own race. hostile 20 the people
Of his adoption. Would he remain
true. thus tempted7 II was a ques'
tion Of race agalnst Individual 10y
atty. and one Indian moro fanatic
and suspicious than his brothers, cut
the Cordian knot of the difficulty
with a dagger planted ~squarely in the
back OF tho God fearing frlar.
The gentle Puebios. Mortified by
this act ~ personal treachery. which
they regarded not only as a violation
Of their sacrcd laws OF hospitality.
but nH n crime against n medicine
man with powerful 10 strange gods,
were in terror lest the approaching
spaniards should hear OF the monks
fate and avenge the double crime
the entire village. What the Span
inrds could do IN such occasions was
only too we'll known 10 the Pueblo
tribes At nightfaJ1 the chiefs Of the
village placed the body. wrapped only
In a sheet. on a litter. which four
swift runners carried seventy miles
south 60 IsIcta.
Juan Pancho's -Four Languages.
There under tho dirt floor OF the
old church. which has since beer
destroyed and replaced by the pres
ent structure. they placed the padre
WITHOUT preparing his body Tor bur
ial or his SOU for resurrection II
they a only said a prayer for him
they might have spared much trou
BILE to their descendants. But they
were In a hurry. They buried the
corpse deep. six feet before the alta
and a little to one side OF 10, ant
prsased down the dirt as II had been
The Spariards came and went. and
never learned OF the murder.
This prelude TO the story cam,
from Juan Pancho. one OF the lead
Ing citizens OF Isleta. whom we has
met before in Santa Fe.
When we Inquired about hotels. n,
offered us a room In his spotleni
adobe house. with the hospitalit,
; that l. instructive In that part of IN.
country. We found him an unusua
man with n keen and beautifully In
/, tellectual face. In his youth. h. toi,
! us. he was graduated from one o
I two colleges. n then completed hi
education by setting type for a
encyclopedia. after which hs r.
turned 10 his native village and cui
toms. He can speak -four Language
Spanish, English. baseball slam
and the Isleta dialect which IL hi
native tongue. When he came hmm