Year: 1879

Il
When in Loredo, a town some five
hundred miles from the mouth of the Rio
Grande, Col. O'Neil came to my hus say
ing, | have just arrived and heard you
were here. I'll tell you how it is: Some
three weeks after you took the rheumatfs
out of my shoulder was fortiinQ the river
at night, near Redmond's Castle. and nv
old sorrel fell in the middle of the stream
and give me sort of a twist, and have
been suffering ever since; now, doctor.
suppose you give me another trial, and I
will tell you how | got that hole in my
shoulder" l proceeded to rub him as
before, and then he Commenced. aIt
was right here in this settlement I was
having bont at monte, when | heard
that Robert E. Lee, who was just across
the river with some United States troops
had had his horse stolen two nights be-
fore, and as he bad once befriended me.
/ went over to see what assistance could
give him. Ny suspicion was that one
Manuel Blaseo had stolen the horse and
gone South. I at once creased my shoot
ing-irons and started for him. After four
days of leisure travel, came to within
four leagues OF Camaago, and as night was
coming on, thought would sheer-of TO
the right, little distance down to
spring, where | knew the boys often as
sembled when in trouble, and perhaps
might hear of my friend with the horse.
got in about 8 o'clock in the night. and
put my horse out to tether and walked
up among the shebangs always keeping
on the shady side. | came to one where
monte was going on, and looked through
crack near the chimney, thinking per-
taps | might lay my eye on the right
fellow, when some one put a couple of
loads of buckshot in that shoulder. That
caused me to loose some time, as / Law
there nigh on to four months, with an
old woman putting on mashed herbs to
that wound. When recovered it was
about Christmas time, and | thought it
Dest TO go to the southwark and the sea-
coast When arrived at Boca-Chiea, the
mouth OF the Rio Grands, knew Blaso
had been there and was flushed with
money, an article he very seldom had.
and | also found he had been about
Camargo before coming there 4 fit of
discontent soon come over me as had
had made up my mind he knew more
about my shoulder and the bnekshot than
any one else; 50 | took my horse to re-
trace my steps When got to Guerrero,
there found ene of my old ehums who
told me he had gone back to his old range
at Piedras Negras, some eight hundred
miles further north. took it at my
leisure, as all this country was my home.
Every chick and child had heard of Col.
ONeil, from Matamoras to Chiahnahua,
and knew when he was about. had not
been IN Piedras Negras but few hours
when l met Manuel Blasco and imme-
diately afterwards left and never refurn-
ed to the place for some three years,
when l found cross sticking up where
had last seen him.


O'Neil seemed TO be so relieved of his
pain he proceeded to go on what be called
jim-jam, or in palmer language, q big
drunk. The following day he came TO
dinner, where there was perhaps thirty
or forty seated on stools around rough
board table. He seated himself took up
q knife and fork, looked quietly up and
down the board, and said to his next
neighbor: "If you were gentleman you
would pass them potatoes but seeing you
are not, tell you to pass them" giving
emphasis to his words by horrid oaths.
He then rose to his feet and said I am
Colonel O'Neil, and # any gentleman
present has anything against me, let him
step out and / will show the doctor his
hear" Notwithstanding he had given
me the privilege of calling him my friend,
| had no inclination to hold poai mortens
examination over any of his subjects, and
soon retired to my corral to dream ofthe
vicisitudes of life.


It is the custom in Mexico when you
find dead body to cover it over and
stick up cross. Colonel James 0'Neii
murdered Manuel Blasco, as was well
known on the frontier, for stealing Gem
eral Lees horse, and shooting him in the
back with double-barreled shot gun.


TRAVELLER.