NEVER TOO LATE?

A CHILE CHARLIE MYSTERY

GEORGE PINTAR

EDITOR: LINDSEY JONES

Never Too Late? Copyright © 2020 by George Pintar. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form. Nor used in any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission, and riding, from the author except by review who may quote brief passages in a review.

All characters in this book are fictional. No name represents a living person.

First edition August 2020

Design Cover by a KDP

ISBN:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank some of those who, over time, has helped me. Foremost, thanks to Lindsey Jones, my granddaughter, who co-edited this book, and my friend Janice Alexander.

Thanks to Mary Holguin, my caregiver, who takes care of the house and meals while I toil away at my computer. Accolades to my Wife, Jean, supports my endeavors without complaint of the long hours of solitude.

Let me mention my gratitude for the privilege of living in the Land of Enchantment, whose stimulating atmosphere created by all those exceptional. Unusual humans who inhabited it always inspired me and assisted me in this book, but encouraged me to do many more.

PROLOGUE

Does it sound a little strange that a character like Chile Charlie should embark on the murder mystery business? It is not only correct, but he has researched this change to its fullest. He is now on his way in his El Cameo truck to Madrid, New Mexico, to see if he can solve the mystery that happened over 170 years ago.

Chile Charlie was tired after his all-day drive from Las Cruces to Madrid. He took refuge in the only facility open on this sunny day---the Old Boarding Mercantile House. The building was rebuilt to the specifications of what it would have looked like in the 1850s.

He found Avery Smart, a historian of sorts, in a relaxed mood at the Chamber of Commerce building in Madrid. Mr. Smart was a short man with a potbelly that would make Buddha proud. His deep-set blue eyes pierced you when he looked directly at you. His voice came from deep in his throat and sounded like he was speaking in a cave. Chile Charlie asked Mr. Smart if he ever heard of five white males' mass killings years ago.

Avery said, “Yes,” and gave the following story passed down over the years.

Mr. Smart sat comfortably in his wicker chair and started his story by saying, “The beginning of the story goes like this. Ramon Garcia and Rosetta Holguin are the key characters at the beginning of this story.  Chile Charlie, I will have to give you some background.”

Then he started by saying. “Ramon grew up on a farm outside the city of Sonoma, Mexico. He attended the elementary and secondary schools in the city. Rosetta was a city girl who attended the same elementary and secondary schools as Ramon. They became teenage sweethearts.”

Avery continued the story by saying, “Let’s jump ahead in time when Ramon was 21 and Rosetta was 18.”

“Ramon was a handsome son of a farmer. Ramon stood six feet tall, had facial features that made him look like the modern-day Hollywood ideal. Ramon wore clothes that fit him perfectly. His voice was baritone like, smooth as silk and precise.”

“His father, Edwardo, was not rich but was very cultured. Edwardo read the classics and attended the local opera as often as he could. He was the picture of a man of culture. His full head of white hair and sideburns that were cultured made him look especially appealing. He also wore a mustache that turned up on the ends.

Ramon was a very hard worker and loved his father very much. He loves to talk to his father about the day's political issues and the classic literature characters. Their discussions went on for hours. Ramon never tired of the heritage information that his father provided. He always enjoyed knowing more about the family history that his father presented.

“Rosetta was 18 years of age. She was a very lovely senorita and admired by many of the local gentlemen. Her petite body with ample breasts extenuated her most valuable asset. Rosetta always wore off-shoulder blouses. When she sang, her voice was smooth and tender. There is no doubt that she could have been an entertainer of note.

Avery looked like he was going into a trance and stated: “On a beautiful day of August in 1850, Ramon approached Rosetta’s father and asked him for Rosetta’s hand in marriage. Rosetta’s father knew Ramon as a hard-working young man with a bright future and approved the request for marriage.

Avery continued, “In the Mexican culture, the wedding wheels immediately started turning to prepare for the marriage ceremony. This preparation almost always takes 6 to 12 months to prepare. The date for the marriage was December 1, 1849. Both Ramon and Rosetta were extremely excited that the marriage would take place that soon.”

Mr. Smart continued saying, “The wheels of preparation start to turn like a well-oiled machine. The mother of the bride is in charge of making the family guest list. The bride is in charge of making friends' guests list. Mexican Weddings often are treated as family reunions. Everyone from all sides of each family is invited, along with handfuls of friends, which means guest lists often exceeds 200.

The church is secured as well as the Father to preside over the wedding function. The banquet hall flowers and other arrangements were made and recorded as is the custom within the Mexican wedding procedures.”

Avery continued, “The day of the wedding arrived, and all the Mexican wedding traditions were carried out. For example, the bride and groom are linked together with the lazos to symbolize love and trust ties them together. The placement occurs during a special wedding prayer before or after the bride and groom had exchanged their vows.

The lazo is a large loop of rosary beads placed around the couple's necks in an eight shape. The loop is a symbol of love that binds the couple as they share the marriage responsibility.”

Avery verbally pictured the couple's dress by saying, “Both Ramon and Rosetta were dressed in black. It turns out black was cool, and all of the bridesmaids wore black also.

The attendants were called Madrinas and Padrinos. They have unique roles in the wedding. The flower girl and ring bearer are dressed as miniature versions of the bride and groom. The madrina de ramo carries flowers for the Virgin Mary. Mexican wedding traditions celebrate a couple’s love, union, and cultural heritage. Mexican weddings tend to be large with many attendants.”

“What truly sets the wedding of Ramon and Rosetta apart as a prime wedding was the great attention to details placed on this wedding. The wedding ceremony occurs when the bride and groom solemnly undertake for a lifetime ---some say forever---in the attendance of families and friends.”

Chile Charlie took in all the descriptions when Mr. Smart stated, “After the church portion of the wedding is over, the tornaboda then took over. The tornaboda is the after-party that follows a wedding. It is much smaller and more intimate than the reception. It serves as an informal get-together to wind down after the reception, and it traditionally takes place at the bride's parents' home.”

“Ramon and Rosetta started their marriage living in the hacienda of Ramon’s father. They were extremely happy for several months when gold fever struck. Ramon heard about all the gold found in the New Mexico territory.

Ramon wanted to strike it rich on his own. He packed up their belongings, and off they went. The trip to Madrid, New Mexico, took three months. They arrived at the end of the summer. Ramon found a small but adequate adobe house near the outskirts of the town. He and his new bride settled into their new home. Ramon found work at a claim owned by three other Mexicans. Ramon was such a good worker that he soon became a partner.”

“The glances that followed Rosetta in Madrid---were, for the most part, the tribute of clean-minded men to a beautiful woman in bloom. Rosetta walked unmindful either of the admiration of better sort or burning glances of drunken sailors. But for her, there was only one man in the world, her husband.”

“Ramon and Rosetta sat in the front room of adobe house. It sits under an old pine tree on the hill. The afternoon was waning. Cool shadows filled the valley. Madrid was quiet, awaiting the night revelry. The walls of the room were neatly whitewashed; the floor was clean, hard earth. A painted plaster image of the Holy Virgin stood on a little bracket. On a table was Ramon’s Bowie knife. Rosetta sat in the corner idly plucking the strings of her guitar.

Suddenly, five American miners dressed in work clothes marched in bent on trouble.

“You’ve got to pull out of these here diggings,” blurted out the lead American.

“Who are you?” asked Ramon as he arose to his feet. He knew he might be in deep trouble out number five to one.

“We are good American citizens-- That is who we are, and you ain’t. This here is white man’s camp, and no greaser wanted”

“There are plenty of the Mexicans in Madrid,” said Ramon as he put the small table between him and the five men.

“They’re thick as fleas crowding in here, and they took up some of the best claims on the creek. But we’re going to pack them up and clear them out. New Mexico belongs to the United States of America. The Mexican war done settled that. These here greasers who pan out our gold are robbing us American miners of what American soldiers fought and bled for,” declared the leader with his arms flailing in the air.

“There is no law barring Mexicans from mining,” said Ramon as he continued to keep the table between himself and the group.

“Stop bellyaching, or you sure liable to end up in a pine box,” yelled one man. His heavy fist crashed into Ramon’s face, Ramon fell to his knees, but he was up in a flash and sprang for his Bowie knife.

“Look out, boys! Don’t let him git that knife,” yelled the leader.

‘The five cowboys leaped on Ramon and drove him fighting desperately back and forth across the room. Rosetta snatched the Bowie knife, but with Ramon in the center of the furious swirling in battle, she could not reach him.

The gentle girl turned into a tigress. If Ramon could not have the knife, she would use it. Springing at the leader, she tried at thrusting his heart. The giant of a man seized her wrist and pinned her arms against the wall.”

“You little wildcat,” he snarled.

Ramon went down time after time, battered and mangled. He lay insensible in a pool of blood. Rosetta saw her husband go limp and apparently lifeless. Now that the Hurley-burley was over, the ruffians looked her over.

“Take a look at that figger,” said one cowboy.

“Bet she could love a feller to death,” added another.

“Trying to kill me, eh?” purred the scoundrel who still held her. Naughty baby”

“Holy Virgin Protect me!” cried Rosetta as she backed away from the group as best she could.

The relentless miner dragged the screaming and fighting Rosetta into the backroom others crowded in with him. Then the cabin went silent.

The five miners had disappeared.

“Rosetta? Where’s Rosetta?” Ramon staggered into the back room where his wife lay. Rosetta was white and still as if she were dead. Her clothes were severely torn.

Years later, a prospector found the remains of five corpses with what looked like bullet holes in their heads.

But before Chile Charlie attempts his hand at solving the mystery of who killed those five men, he thought he should learn more about Madrid's ghost town.

Chile Charlie turned to Avery, leaning on the sofa next to the coffee table, and asked, “Why did Madrid become a ghost town?”

Avery came closer to Charlie and whisper, “It is a long story, and if you have the time, I would gladly give you the full story.”

Chile Charlie got up from his comfortable chair. He turned to face Avery Smart straight and explained he was very interested in all the facts and figured that he could learn about Madrid’s early history, culture, and economics.

Chile Charlie said it was getting late, and he told the group it was time for him to go to bed. He had booked rooms in the refurbished Boarding Mercantile House.

The cold neutrality of an impartial judge.

Burke

CHAPTER 1

Chile Charlie was reading a brochure he found in the hotel's lobby that explained: There are over 3800 abandoned hamlets or ghost towns in the United States. Some of the towns have people still living in them. Most villages were abandoned in the 19th and early 20th century for bigger cities or were casualties of changing industry. Some languish as ruins, others designated as national parks, and a handful are being developed into livable spots.

The old mining town of Madrid, New Mexico, is nestled in the high desert mountains near Albuquerque is one of those ghost towns with a few residents. Today, 200 individuals call Madrid home. These folks try to make Madrid a tourist attraction.

During the gold and silver rushes in the late 19th century living in isolation was par for the course--an inevitable cost of the frontier dream. This existence was brutal and often dull, plus violent and dangerous. The hardship itself had been romanticized within public literature. The whitewashed imagination of the Wild West continues to be a fascination for many people, even today. Because of the intense solitude of the weather in the 1800s or the quarantine in 2020, these hardships rewire the mind and bent the spirit. It shrinks the distance between a dream and their mind forcing a reckoning with one's unwilling thoughts for hours and days and weeks on end.

Living in nowhere is just another day’s work for the people who lived in Madrid, New Mexico. It is one of the most famous ghost towns in the state, open to the public whenever the roads are accessible. Madrid is known for the mint condition of a ghost town. Some buildings were built in the 1850s and are maintained, so they don't deteriorate any further.

Chile Charlie continued to read that Madrid is remote and possesses a handful of people, including Taylor Jackson, who has worked in the community for the past three years. He has lived that isolated existence most of the time.

“The nearest grocery store is two hours away,” wrote Jackson. “If you forget to buy milk, you go without milk for a week. That makes it impossible for a person not to imagine what it was like in the early settlements during Madrid's heyday of 1886 to 1892.”

“Once during a particularly nasty snowstorm, the roof was almost ripped off the building. I am still shocked daily by how these people could make it through the winter the way they did. The walls had holes in them. I mean, the snow would come through their house like a freight train!”

*****

Chile Charlie was up early, eager to get his day started with more information about Madrid's early history. He dressed in his usual cowboy fashion and headed out for the Chamber of Commerce office complex. Upon entering the office, he saw Mr. Smart sitting in the recliner chair, and next to him was a new person; Harold Winthrop.

Mr. Winthrop turned out to be the certified historian of Madrid. He was of average height and build. His dark circular eyes made his face look a little like a raccoon. A ten-gallon hat sat straight on his round head.

Greetings were made, and introductions were completed. Mr. Smart then turned to Chile Charlie and said, “Mr. Winthrop has agreed to provide you with the history of the early days of this town. He has spent a lifetime studying the people, history, culture, and stories that made Madrid semi-notable.”

“I’ll get you a cup of hot coffee while Mr. Winthrop begins to give you some early history of the town,” whispered Mr. Smart.

“I am so glad that you are interested in our wonderful little town,” declared Mr. Winthrop. And with that, he told the early history of Madrid.

“Located just south of Santa Fe New Mexico, in the mineral-rich Ortiz Mountains, Madrid is in the oldest coal mining region in New Mexico. There is evidence of primitive mining in the Madrid area as early as the mid-1850s. By 1892 the yield from a narrow valley known as "Coal Gulch" was large enough to warrant the construction of a 6.5-mile standard gauge railroad spur connecting the area to Santa Fe Railroad's mainline. Coal Gulch later became the townsite of Madrid.”

“Today, Madrid is a lonesome spot in the road, visited by few tourists occasionally. The town is silent except for having a faint whisper of the afternoon breeze in the Mesquite bushes' branches. It was far different back in the 1850s when the Dawson and the Placer families owned land here,” explained Harold.

“Madrid, as with many frontier-era hamlets in New Mexico, was rooted in the discovery of gold and silver. However, Madrid is unusual since many of the mines were open because of lead, coal, and turquoise. That is not to say that gold and silver mining did not have an impact on Madrid because it did.”

“The distance from Mexico City, Mexico, the climate, persistent strife between Native Americans and Spanish, and lack of easily accessible mineral wealth were the major contributing factors to the harshness of life in Madrid. It would not be until 1852 that major continuous mining would become a part of this vast area we now call New Mexico,” recalled Mr. Winthrop.

Some of the old-timers say that "The Santa Fe Trail Period in New Mexico’s mining history passed in the year 1855. Rapid and permanent changes took place, which would forever change the industry of mining. Historical events were occurring outside of New Mexico’s history that influenced mining in New Mexico.”

Mr. Winthrop paused looked out the window. He continued saying, “One should note how fast things began to develop concerning mining after 1850. This was when there were reports of the discovery of copper, gold, muscovite, and salt in the Madrid area.”

“From 1850 until 1879, Santa Fe became the clearinghouse between the mines and the states back east. Not surprisingly, La Fonda Hotel on Santa Fe's plaza became known as the ‘Exchange Hotel.’ In 1858 more gold was discovered in the Madrid area, and the town prospered.”

Mr. Smart broke into the conversation by saying he had a story to tell Chile Charlie. Smart explained that women on the frontier were a rare commodity and a fight for a woman’s hand was not uncommon.

*****

Molly Henderson was the daughter of Frank Henderson. Frank was a local saloon owner and very protective of his young daughter.

Some said she was enchantingly good-looking. Molly made a pretty picture in her elegant white blouse and multi-colored skirt griddle. She wore a broad belt of panel silver. On her head was a scarlet ribbon. That accented her brawl and gaily beaded sandals much too fragile for actual service. Molly's silver-gray hair matched her complexion. She had an ample bosom and a round face with a smile that was as wide as the valleys of New Mexico. It was not above her paygrade to be the flirtiest in her action toward men.

Frank Henderson was a picture-perfect saloon owner of the 1850s. He was short with a protruding belly that hung over his belt. He wore a white shirt with a black vest and a large turquoise bolero. His boots were definitely his trademark, with his initials inscribed on each side of his boots.

Her father, Frank, put her to work as an entertainer in his saloon. Each night she and the piano player, Roscoe, would regale the customers with song and dance routines. The songs would take on a risqué tone to entice the miners to spend more time and money. Their act lasted over an hour each night. The customers flocked into the saloon hear Molly sing and dance each night.

*****

Benny Roberts, a miner, was a short, stout man. He worked hard as a pick driver at the Freedom Mine. His forearms had the look of a normal man’s thighs. His hair and beard were tangled like a maze. He was not afraid of any man twice his size. He thought he could hold his own in any brawl that would come his way. Benny proved he could do fine in many barroom fights.

He had a keen eye for Molly Henderson. He would visit the saloon not to drink but to cast his eyes on Molly. In his mind, he adored her as a possible mate for life. He needed her as his wife in the worst way. He was obsessed with that thought.

*****

Heni Corvetus, a mine manager, was a tall Frenchman who directed the mine operations at the Louvel Mine. He was a man of integrity and pious beyond words. He considered humanity as a work animal.  He felt his job was to bring workers to their ultimate abilities.

Heni stood over six feet tall with dark wavy hair. His face was chiseled with long cheekbones that made him look taller yet. He had deep-set blue eyes. His face was always clean-shaven. He was very handsome. He was a lady’s man for sure.

He, too, had a keen eye for the likes of Molly Henderson. He hoped to have a beautiful wife and could enhance his life with the values of beauty and festivity.

*****

Benny Roberts dressed in his best go-to-church apparel. He left his hut solely to spend quality time with Molly Henderson. He spent the last three months trying to get her attention and be alone with her.

He wanted to let her know how much he liked her. Then he thought that Molly should be his bride and do everything he could to make her his bride.

After he got to the saloon, Benny discovered that Heni had the same intentions and thought it would be best if Molly was his bride, and he said so to Heni. Benny was angry, and he told Heni he would have to fight him to win Molly’s hand.

Cautious in their cramped quarters, the contestants were weaving about, taking each other's measure. Benny was seven inches shorter but outweighed Heni considerably. The crowd made a circle around the two men. Simultaneously, betting as to who would win the fight started.

“I will put two dollars on Benny,” yelled someone in the back. Then came a shout, “I’ll cover that.” And the betting continued.

Purple with rage, Benny whipped out his dagger and lunged forward. Heni tried to meet the descending arm he caught at the wrist with a tiger-like claw grip of his right hand while his left hand crushed into Benny’s face. It was a staggering blow that took Benny by complete surprise. Before he could regain his balance, Heni had sent another full weight drive with his left fist into Benny's mouth. The relentless fingernails cut deep into the wrist of Benny, and the dagger fell from his hand.

The battle was proceeding too rapidly for Benny. Dazed and disarmed, he struck wildly and blindly while Heni pressing forward step-by-step, continued to shoot stunning blows into the mutilated face of Benny.  Benny was quite at Heni’s mercy now, and Heni knew it.

It would be simple enough to administer the one decisive uppercut to the jaw that would excuse Benny from any further participation in the fight.  But strong desire did not come to see how much damage could be inflicted on Benny's face before he finally put him away. It was becoming a quiet engagement. Both Benny and Heni were red with the blood that shot into the battered and crushed against a broken nose. Benny was making no defense now. Bewildered and blinded with blood, he yielded ground with staggering steps until he had been driven back to a huge table where he put out a hand for support. He breathed with antagonizing whistling sobs.

“You will die for this,” Benny squealed through his swollen lips.

“Very well,” panted Heni, “If I am to die for punishing you, that is okay with me.”

Grabbing Benny by the throat strap of his shirt, he completed the ruin of Benny’s shocking mangled face. Then, satisfied with his work, Heni deliberately drew back his arm and put his full strength behind an ultimate drive at the point of Benny's jaw. His knees buckled, and Benny sank limply to the ground.

After the fight was over and several days had passed by, Heni called on Molly. She was sitting in the swing on the front porch. She wore tight blue jeans and a white blouse.

She was definitely not in a condition to receive visitors. Molly said, “Hey, why did you come unannounced tonight?”

Both Molly and Heni were playing manufactured poker of love. Heni was interested in making Molly his wife. Molly would not give him any pleasure to think that she was an easy bride-to-be catch. There goes the name for love.

It was ridiculous to blame him because his imagination had drawn erotic and vivid pictures of throwing her to the floor and tearing away her blouse and skirt. He hadn’t acted on it; he had only kissed her.

But he had thought it was possible, even preferable, to blame her. He reached over and kissed her fiercely on the lips. She pulled back and was about to strike him with her fists. Then she said, “Why did you kiss me?”

He said, “You annoyed me with your standoff holier than thou look at me.”

Heni looked at Molly again and saw her wide, generous mouth curved. “Since I seemed to be doing that regular basis, I guess we will be spending a lot of time with our lips locked. What do you think?”

That will not be the last night they would spend in the dark.

Thinking of this, he laid her on the floor, and then when she reached for him, he slipped away to light the candles. They were scattered throughout the room. Some were stubs, and some were slim tapirs, all burned down to varying lengths. Molly lay on the bed while Heni struck the flames and sent the light dancing gold.

“Romance” She smiled and felt oddly touched. “It seems a sport with a male but well worth the effort.”

He paused and flattened a match between his fingers.

“Have I given you so little romance, Maggie?”

“I was only joking,” she whispered.

She tossed back her breeze ruffled hair. His soft voice had been much too serious.” I need not romance. Genuine lust is good enough for me,” Molly whispered.

“Is that what we have?” Thoughtfully, Heni set out the match to the wick and then shook the match out. “Lust, Laughing, she held out her arms. “If you stop wandering about the room and come over here, I’ll show you exactly what we have.”

She looked dazzling in the candle grow with the last colors of the day, blending through the windows beside the bed. Her hair of fire, her skin kissed by her days in the sun, and her eyes aware, mocking an un-questionable invite.

The evening ended on that high note. Heni left.

Molly wondered if he would return soon.

There are many lovely women, but no perfect one.

Victor Hugo

CHAPTER 2

Chile Charlie was captivated by the ferociousness of the fighting and lovemaking of the frontier men and women. Charlie thanked Smart for his exciting story. Charlie smiled at Mr. Winthrop and asked him to continue his story about the early days of Madrid. Chile

Charlie liked Mr. Winthrop because he could be serious without being solemn, light-hearted without being insouciant.

Mr. Winthrop continued saying, “The Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty ceded New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming to the United States from Mexico. Gold mined in the newly acquired states was worth three times the United States' price to Mexico.”

“On February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in Mexico without President James K. Polk’s knowledge. The United States acquired about 55 percent of Mexico’s territory for $15 million,” informed Mr. Smart.

Mr. Winthrop settled back in his chair and continued his report saying, “Polk’s representative, Nicholas Trist, was recalled in October 1847, but Trist ignored the order to secure a peace treaty. Trist was promptly fired on his return to Washington.”

With a look of superiority, Mr. Smart turned to Chile Charlie. He said, “The treaty was eventually endorsed by Polk and sent to the Senate for confirmation. With a vote of 34 to 14, the treaty was approved on March 10, 1848. The Senate amended the treaty to delete a guarantee of Mexican land grants, particularly in Texas.”

“The treaty set a border between Texas and Mexico. The states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado were now part of the United States. Next, the treaty added Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming to the United States,” testified Winthrop.

Chile asked whether everybody in Washington was for the treaty.

Mr. Winthrop answered, “Not really.”

For example, “Abolitionists had objected to the Mexican-American War and the treaty resulting from it. They thought it was an expansion of slavery. The powerful Whig leader in the Senate, Daniel Webster, opposed it, as did a young Representative from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Also, former President John Quincy Adams led the fight against the war in Mexico in the house. Adams died from complications of a stroke he suffered on the House floor after he objected to a resolution honoring the Mexican-American War,” added Mr. Smart.

“Polk’s initial objections to the treaty included his desire to have Baja California and property to the Baja’s east as part of the treaty. He communicated his wish to negotiator Nicholas Phillip Trist. But he lobbied heavily for its approval in the Senate,” reported Mr. Winthrop.

“Trist was the chief clerk to Secretary of State James Buchanan. He had been sent to Mexico in 1847 to work with General Winfield Scott to negotiate a settlement.”

“Polk wanted the talks to take place in Washington. He sent orders to Mexico that Trist had been recalled as the treaty negotiator. During the six weeks it took for Polk’s orders to make their way to Trist, the diplomat realized he had a brief period to negotiate a treaty with the unstable government in Mexico,” countered Smart.

“Trist ignored the recall order. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in Mexico without Polk’s knowledge. Trist sent a copy of the treaty by the fastest means possible to Polk. On Trist’s return to Washington, Polk promptly fired Trist and denied him any salary earned during treaty negotiations.”

In late 1853, said Mr. Winthrop, “The United States acquired more territory from Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase represented about 29,000 square miles of land that eventually became southern Arizona and New Mexico. The then-steep cost of $10 million became part of a broader controversy about slavery since Southern railroad interests wanted the territory for a proposed rail line to California.”

With his coffee cup held close to his chest, Winthrop continued, “The Compromise of 1850 was made up of five essential bills. The bills attempted to resolve disputes over slavery in new territories. It admitted California as a free state. The Compromise left Utah and New Mexico to decide whether to be a slave state or a free state. It defined a new Texas-New Mexico boundary and made it easier for slave-owners to recover runways under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Chile Charlie was delighted with all this information but asked Mr. Winthrop, “What did the Compromise of 1850 do for New Mexico?”

“The Compromise of 1850, among other things, provided for New Mexico's organization as a territory. The Compromise also resolved another complicated matter – an old Texas claim to that portion of New Mexico lying east of the Rio Grande River. For ten million dollars’ compensation provided by the United States government, Texas relinquished her claim, thus paving the way to establish a permanent boundary with New Mexico. As organized in 1850, the Territory included the New Mexico and Arizona of later years, and a part of southern Colorado,” clarified Mr. Winthrop.

Chile Charlie asked, “Who Was Responsible for The Compromise of 1850?”

Winthrop said, “Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, a leading statesman was one of the senators responsible for the Compromise. Clay was a member of the Whig Party. He was known as “The Great Compromiser” for his work on the Missouri Compromise, was the primary creator of the Missouri Compromise. Fearful of the growing divide between North and South over slavery, he hoped to avoid civil war by enacting a compromise.”

“Famed orator and  Massachusetts senator Daniel Webster was another. While he opposed the extension of slavery, Webster saw the compromise of 1850 as a way of averting national discord. Webster disappointed his abolitionist supporters by siding with Clay.”

“Clay faced health problems. He grew too ill to argue his case before the senate. Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois took up Clay’s cause. Douglas was an ardent proponent of states’ rights when it came to deciding the issue of slavery.”

“John C. Calhoun, a former vice president-turned senator from South Carolina, sought the expansion of slavery into new territories. But in an 1850 speech to the Senate, he said: “I have, Senators, believed from the first that the agitation of the subject of slavery would, if not prevented by some timely and effective measure, end in disunion.”

“When the full compromise failed to pass, Douglas split the omnibus bill into individual bills, which permitted congressmen to either vote or abstain on each topic.

Winthrop said, “John C. Calhoun, a former Vice President-turned Senator from South Carolina, sought the expansion of slavery into new territories.

“When the full compromise failed to pass, Douglas split the omnibus bill into individual bills, which permitted congressmen to either vote or abstain on each topic. The untimely death of President Zachary Taylor and ascendancy of pro-compromise Vice President Millard Fillmore to the White House helped contribute to the passage of each bill.

What were the main points of The Compromise of 1850, Charlie asked Winthrop?

Avery Smart said, “The five main points of the Compromise of 1850 were:

“Permitted slavery in Washington, D.C., but outlawed the slave trade.

Added California to the Union as a “free state.

Established Utah and New Mexico as territories that could decide via popular sovereignty if they would permit slavery.

Defined new boundaries for Texas

Removed the claims of parts of New Mexico but awarding the state $10 million in compensation.”

The Compromise of 1850 was the mastermind of Whig Senator Henry Clay and Democratic Senator Stephan Douglas. Lingering resentment over its provisions contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War,” inserted Avery.

However, in an 1850 speech to the Senate Douglas wrote: “I have, Senators, believed from the first that the agitation of the subject of slavery would, if not prevented by some timely and effective measure, end in disunion.”

President Zachary Taylor's untimely death allowed Vice President Millard Fillmore's ascendancy to the White House. Filmore helped contribute to the passage of each bill.

Calhoun died in 1850 and Clay and Webster two years later, making their roles in the Compromise of 1850 one of their last acts as statesmen,” Mr. Winthrop hurried to report.

*********

The Mexican-American War resulted from U.S. President James K. Polk’s belief it was America’s “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Following the United States’ victory over Mexico, who lost about one-third of its territory including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico there was a great deal of celebrating in Washington. A national dispute arose as to whether or not slavery would be permitted in the new Western territories.

Chile Charlie then asked Mr. Winthrop, “What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 do in all this legislative work?”

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required citizens to assist in apprehending runaway slaves and denied enslaved people a right to trial by jury,” started then turned to Mr. Winthrop.

Mr. Winthrop told Charlie, “The first Fugitive Slave Act was passed by Congress in 1793. The law authorized local governments to seize and return people who had escaped slavery to their owners while imposing penalties on anyone who had attempted to help them gain their freedom. The Act encountered fierce resistance from abolitionists, many of whom who felt it was tantamount to kidnapping.”

“The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compelled all citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied enslaved people the right to a jury trial. It also placed control of individual cases in the hands of federal commissioners, who were paid more for returning a suspected slave than for freeing them, leading many to argue the law was biased in favor of Southern slaveholders,” added Avery Smart.

“Outrage over the new law only increased traffic along the Underground Railroad during the 1850s. Northern states avoided enforcing the law and by 1860, the number of runaways successfully returned to slaveholders hovered around just 330 slaves.”

“Both Acts were repealed by Congress on June 28, 1864, following the outbreak of the Civil War, the event proponents of the Compromise of 1850 had hoped to avoid.”

**********

Chile Charlie said he had read that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was important to New Mexico.

“Can you tell me why?”

“The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish), officially titled the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits and Settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic, is the peace treaty that was signed on February 2, 1848, in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo,” said Mr. Smart.

Mr. Winthrop added, “When the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was made ending the Mexican War, the United States achieved its principal objectives. The United States acquired New Mexico and California and recognized that the Rio Grande River was Texas’s southern boundary. Along with the new territory, the nation also acquired an alien population and a basket of prickly problems.”

**********

The Compromise of 1850 comprised five bills that attempted to resolve disputes over slavery in new territories added to the United States in the wake of the Mexican-American War (1846-48). It admitted California as a free-state, left Utah and New Mexico to decide for themselves whether to be a slave state or a free state, defined a new Texas-New Mexico boundary, and made it easier for slave-owners to recover runways under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 was the mastermind of Whig senator Henry Clay and Democratic senator Stephan Douglas. Lingering resentment over its provisions contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

“Some senators argued that the US had no right to any Mexican territory other than Texas. Some argued that New Mexico and California even combined were worthless. Other senators opposed the treaty because they wanted more land.”

“This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including parts of present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, to the United States.”

“The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America's southern boundary.”

***********

“There were even blunt spokesmen who went so far as to suggest that the United States had made a bad bargain in annexing New Mexico. Some years after the Civil War, General William T. Sherman, who heartily disliked the arid country and the people of the Southwest, was quoted as saying that “the United States ought to declare war on Mexico and make them take back New Mexico.”

“One result of such hostility was that New Mexicans for more than sixty years were repeatedly checkmated in their efforts to achieve statehood. This resulted in their land remaining a United States territory until 1912 with all government officials being appointed from Washington. Upon that vexation were piled other problems with hostile Indians and outlaws, problems of education and economics, difficulties involving land and water rights, and territorial boundaries.”

“A central issue was the uphill job of adapting to a new pace and pattern of life, one ruled by different philosophies of time. A country and people so unlike the rest of the United States seemed to have a poor chance of adjusting to the militant demands of American patriotism and economic nationalism”, explained Mr. Winthrop.

“Yet things were not as bleak as they appeared. The New Mexicans, like most pioneers, were accustomed to living by luck and hope, and they possessed some firm traits of character, often overlooked by American newcomers, that promised to see them through the hard times of their territorial days.”\

*********

Chile Charlie asked Mr. Winthrop, “When and why did people start coming to the area?”

Mr. Winthrop continued saying, “The Anglo-Americans entering New Mexico in the late 1840s and early 1850s were small in numbers but large in influence. New merchants came, as the establishment of regular stagecoach and freight service with the East stimulated business. The ranks of the military swelled with the construction of Fort Union (1851) and Fort Stanton (1855) on the Indian frontier.”

“Besides the merchants and soldiers, there were the lawyers in their frock coats and bat-wing collars. They descended in swarms, after the conquest, eager for political power and a slice of New Mexico’s vast real estate, which represented the country’s most visible wealth.”

“The influential Padre Antonio Jose Martinez of Taos, a man of great intellectual gifts and social consciousness, likened the hastily contrived American government in New Mexico to a burro,” adding ruefully “on this burro lawyers will ride, not priests,” declared Mr. Winthrop.

Mr. Winthrop explained, “The state of New Mexican politics in the period following the Mexican War was ready-made for lawyers and opportunists of all sorts to jockey for advantage. The assassination of Governor Charles Bent, the economic collapse, and the civil government created by Kearny left the area under virtual military rule. That situation continued over the next several years, while Congress debated New Mexico’s future political status.”

“Meanwhile, persons on the Rio Grande River broke into two opposing camps: the supporters of a territorial form of government and the advocates of immediate statehood. In the main, Anglo-Americans, being in the minority, favored the territorial system. If New Mexico stayed a territory, its principal officials would be appointed in Washington. For that reason, the Hispanic majority tended to lean toward statehood; with the right to elect their officials, they could easily put native New Mexicans into the highest offices.”

Chile Charlie asked Mr. Winthrop, What did the Mexican-American War settle?”

The Mexican-American War resulted from U.S. President James K. Polk’s belief it was America’s “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Following the U.S. Victory, Mexico lost about one-third of its territory including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. A national dispute arose as to whether or not slavery would be permitted in the new Western territories.

Both Acts were repealed by Congress on June 28, 1864, following the outbreak of the Civil War, the event proponents of the Compromise of 1850 had hoped to avoid.

“Following the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, a joint boundary commission was organized. The United States surveyors working with the commission also had instructions to look for a practical railroad route to the Pacific close to the boundary. They were also asked to ascertain the agricultural possibilities of the new country. In the course of the boundary work, it was discovered that the map used to establish the original treaty line had been inaccurate and that the border would have to be placed thirty miles farther north. That slip meant withdrawing five or six thousand square miles from the United States and losing a potentially rich farming district in the Mesilla Valley,” Mr. Winthrop affirmed in his soft baritone voice.

“Before a serious dispute could develop, the American minister to Mexico, James Gadsden, negotiated the treaty that bears his name, providing for the purchase of a large tract of desert land in southern New Mexico. The area offered an advantageous route for a transcontinental railway entirely on American soil, and its acquisition concluded the final adjustment of our border with Mexico.”

“After the Mexican–American War, Anglo Americans began migrating in large numbers to all of the newly acquired territory. Anglos began taking lands from both Native Americans and Nuevomexicanos by different means, most notably by squatting.

Squatters often then sold these lands to land speculators for huge profits, especially after the passage of the 1862 Homestead Act encouraging development in the West. Nuevomexicanos demanded the return of their lands, but the governments did not respond favorably. For example, the Surveyor of General Claims Office on New Mexico would at times take up to fifty years to process a claim.

Meanwhile, the lands were being grabbed up by the newcomers. The first Surveyor General, William Pelham, had two translators assisting him: David Miller and David Whiting. But these two men seemingly did not cut into the fifty years needed to translate,” Mr. Winthrop related to Chile Charlie.

Some statesmen go to Congress and

Some go to jail. It is the same thing after all.

Eugene Field, Tribune Primer

Chapter 3

Mr. Winthrop told Charlie, “While the Santa Fe, Atchison, and Topeka railroad was built in the 1890s, speculators known as the Santa Fe Ring, orchestrated schemes to dislodge natives from their lands. In response, Nuevomexicanos gathered to reclaim lands taken by Anglos. Hoping to scare off the new immigrants, they eventually used intimidation and raids to accomplish their goals.

They sought to develop a class-based consciousness among local people through the everyday tactics of resistance to the economic and social order confronting common property land grant communities. They called themselves Las Gorras Blancas, a name referring to the white head coverings many wore”.

Mr. Winthrop lamented the fact the gold rush to the Rockies and the ensuing boom in population helped to form the Colorado Territory. New Mexico lost ground, for its northern boundary was pulled back to the parallel of 37 degrees. The reduction meant the territory was deprived of a valuable coal-mining area around Trinidad and jurisdiction over those outermost settlements in the upper San Luis valley created by New Mexicans in the previous decade.

In these early years of adjusting to its new place in the Union, New Mexico absorbed a respectable quota of adventurers, gamblers, speculators, and renegade whiskey-peddlers from the eastern states – but it also got a share of those solid upright, intelligent citizens representing the glue that held a democratic society together and gave it its strength.

“This story would not be complete without mentioning the first resident bishop (later archbishop), Jean B. Lamy,” stated Winthrop.

Lamy was a Frenchman by birth, and a zealot with charitable works and the mission of the Catholic Church. The new bishop, after his arrival, began a campaign to impose religious discipline upon the native clergy, whose lighthearted style of living caused him personal pain and scandalized the Americans.

But Lamy did begin a new era in the moral and spiritual life of New Mexico. Working with the energy of a whirlwind, he built forty-five new churches and a string of parochial schools, one of which was in Madrid.

Winthrop continued his story saying. “In 1861 the Civil War began. Confederate invasion suspended mining. But some coal was mined by Union troops. Then in 1863, New Mexico’s first major silver discovery was made near Madrid. At the end of the Civil War in 1865 mining resumed on a large scale in several areas around Madrid.”

The height of the precious metal mining in New Mexico and the coming of the ‘IRON HORSE’ changed Madrid. The railroads came and this new technology changed precious mineral mining in Madrid.

Mr. Smart chimed in explaining, “Until then don’t forget to look for those Spanish pieces of silver; there are bound to be some waiting to be picked up somewhere on one of your adventures Charlie. I know --- I found one!”

The first railroad track laid in New Mexico was the Santa Fe Railroad that reached Las Vegas, New Mexico. Then later the stagecoach that served Madrid was put out of business by the new railroad track laid between Santa Fe and Madrid.

Mr. Smart leaned on Harold’s shoulder and said, “You know you’re getting a little horse from all this talk. I think maybe we should call it a day.”

Chile Charlie looked mystified but said, “That is okay with me. I can get an early dinner this evening at the Boarding Mercantile House and maybe we could do this interesting discussion again tomorrow.”

Chile Charlie said, “I will return to my quarters now.”

As Charlie was sauntering back to the Boarding Mercantile House, he was amazed at the beautiful sky and mountains. The sun was just about to disappear and the colors that God had made for this day was appearing beyond recognition of any artist’s dreams. The sky glowed gold and the surrounding mountains had the bright color of ripe strawberries. Chile Charlie stood quietly and just looked. After a while, he continued his walk.

When he got back to his overnight quarters, he grabbed a lawn chair that sat on the front porch and again looked at the amazing sight in the sky. After a while, Charlie decided he would go inside to the dining. You ordered a glass of Chardonnay wine as he looked over the menu. This evening the special house was braised Cod and Bulgur with zucchini and tomatoes. Charlie enjoyed Codfish. When the waiter arrived at Charlie’s table he said, “I’ll have the special of the evening.”

The waiter set the wine down and Chile Charlie said to himself, “I thought about all the things Mr. Winthrop told me about the beginning of statehood for New Mexico in the early days of the ghost town and found this intriguing.

About 20 minutes later the waiter served the special of the evening on a large, colorful terracotta plate.

The waiter asked, “More wine for you?”

Charlie nodded no and took the first bite of his meal and--- his eyes suggested that the first bite had high approval -- he continued to savor each bite of food-- what a great day this has been Chile Charlie thought.

Chile Charlie woke up early, did his bed stretching exercises, and then got out of bed. He thought he would have another great day with Winthrop.

***** ***

He had his breakfast consisting of ham, eggs, and hash browns with two large cups of coffee.

Chile Charlie was greeted at the front door of the Chamber of Commerce by Mr. Winthrop. He told Charlie he brought along someone who knew a great deal about the stagecoach line from Santa Fe to Madrid and this person would much like to enlighten you, Chile Charlie about those points. Chile Charlie agreed that would be wonderful. Charlie let me introduce Mr. Mike Hennessey.

Mike was about 65 years old, had silver-gray hair, a round face, and rough hands that Chile Charlie felt when he shook hands.

Mr. Hennessey, another certified historian of Madrid, confided in Charlie by saying he had written several stories about a stagecoach run from Santa Fe to Madrid.

A stage line from Missouri to Santa Fe took advantage of the price of gold.

Chile Charlie sat next to Mike and he started his conversation by saying: “You know Chile Charlie that method of transportation was not all bad but the stagecoach line was always up for grabs by hoodlums who were always trying to rob the stagecoach.”

“The stage line from Santa Fe to Madrid was twenty-seven miles long and prone to robberies constantly,” explained Mr. Hennessey as he turned to Chile Charlie and explained what it was like to take a stagecoach trip from Santa Fe to Madrid.

The stagecoach stations left a lot to be desired. Passengers were appalled by the dirt and squalor that greeted them at each station. Built of adobe floors “much like the ground outside” one passenger wrote, “except not as clean” and the interior was black with flies. There was little to attract the discriminating passenger.

Meals were worse: tough beef or pork fried in a grime-blackened skillet, coarse bread, mesquite beans, a mysterious concoction known as “slumgullion,” a lethally black coffee, and a “nasty compound of dried apples” that masqueraded under the name of apple pie.

The story was told of the station master who set a plate of fat pork before a traveler who said, “Thank you, but I can’t eat it.”

“Very well,” was the reply, “jest help yourself to the mustard.”

Many stagecoach relay stations had toothbrushes hanging on strings for the passengers.  “All for one and one for all.”

“Let’s take a short break in this story-telling session,” whispered, Mr. Winthrop. “I think there is some cold ice tea in the refrigerator waiting to be consumed by two thirsty fellows. “What do you, Charlie want something to drink?”

“Yes”

They sat in the shade of the Mexican Elder tree and slowly sipped their ice tea without a word. They enjoyed the solitude of the day.

“The mines around Madrid were anything but, a safe place to work,” explained Mr. Winthrop.

He said, “After a mine cave-in, it was certain eight men had lost their lives. The only miner escaping was one who was close to the shaft’s mouth when the fire broke out. Already, six bodies have been recovered. Three bodies were recovered in the main way between the second and third levels. The other two bodies are believed to be at the sixth level. Madrid was over sixty miles from the nearest railroad point and the nearest telegraph line is at this place. The origin of the fire was still unknown. The Old Abe Mine was a gold property that has been worked for several years and was wonderfully rich. Almost from the grassroots, it paid handsomely and the company’s stock could not be bought at any price.”

Mr. Winthrop provided the basis of the magic of coal by stating, “The coal deposits were called the Cerrillos Coal Bank named after a nearby mining and railroad town of Cerrillos Station. After a dozen years at the Coal Bank of wildcat mining, (unpermitted, and unorganized mining) the AT&SF organization acquired the property and through purposefully-created subsidiaries solidified its control. The Cerrillos Coal & Iron Co. developed the layout for the town, mines, and facilities. The Cerrillos Coal Railroad Co. built a 6.25 mile standard gauge spur from the AT&SF main line to Madrid. Several large discoveries of gold sparked a boom. And Madrid soon became an early settlement of laid out streets and established districts.”

“Ample amount of coal used for heating during the cold winters months were among the many luxuries enjoyed by the residents.” continued Mr. Winthrop.

“The construction of a Southern Continental Railroad reached Madrid. The coal fields became a commodity almost as valuable as gold or silver. In addition to the developing coal mines, the railroad also established Madrid’s importance by importing company houses from Kansas City and reassembled them on site. However, there were insufficient carpenters and suppliers in the region to provide the instant infrastructure that was needed for the town. After a search for workers, there came enough carpenters to assemble the houses.” illuminated Harold.

“The railroad built another spur line to take care of the addition railroad traffic. The mines were running three shifts a day. The town boosted a population of nearly 2500 people,” Mr. Winthrop continued with pride.

“There was a major fire in one of the tunnels of the Colorado Fuel And Iron Company’s coal mines. This caused mining to stop and that meant that the residents of Madrid had no source of income. There was talk that the community might be abandoned,” explained Mr. Winthrop.

Then he said, “The crisis quickly passed when they Hahn Coal Company of Albuquerque acquired the mines and the town. They initiated operations with the most modern equipment and methods. Under the leadership of a man by the name of Oscar Huber the town blossoms from a dreary company town into a showplace. Flower boxes were added color to the bland row houses, the water supply became consistent, and the pavement alleviated the dust on the main street.

During its heyday, from the turn of the century through World War II, and under the direction of the superintendent and later owner, Oscar Huber, Madrid became one of the most unique and well known "Company Towns" in the United States.

Miners and their families had access to the hospital for the sum of $3.00 per month. The company provided their employees with electricity at no charge which eliminated the danger of fire that plagued the community for years.”

“You know Madrid Miners had a Semi-Pro Baseball team who won many pennants. The team was outstanding and traveled quite extensively to play other teams?”

In the early 1920's the Madrid Employees Club was formed and construction on the Oscar Huber Ballpark was started. In 1928 the grandstand with its unusual tin roof design was added. The Madrid Miners were New Mexico's only class AA Minor League team and their reputation for winning pennants became widespread. The Madrid ballpark was also the first in the state to have an electric scoreboard and field lights for night games The Oscar Huble Ballpark was the first lighted ballpark west of the Mississippi in 1920.”

Mr. Winthrop was on a roll and he said, “The coal company organized an employee club that provided an array of recreational opportunities. The company paid for transportation when the town’s baseball team was on the road.”

The railway spur finally was terminated at the relatively new mining camp of Keeseeville. It was an illegal trespass settlement. At the site of Keeseeville, which the Cerrillos Coal Railroad co-opted, the town of Madrid was built.

Mr. Winthrop went on to say, “No one is sure as to the exact date that minerals (mostly ore) began to be shipped to Mexico for smelting. The earliest record of metals and ore being transported from the New Mexico area south to Mexico is 1581. From this time until roughly 1800, precious metals and other mineral values were moved south on a steady basis. The following dates are a few of the more noteworthy ones that show the Spanish mining activity in this state: 1581 - Rodriguez - Chamuscado expedition noted various metals and ores including a "copperish steel-like metal" and salt from the Cerrillos area.

“Madrid, as well as many frontier era communities in the Southwest, is rooted in the discovery of gold and silver. However, Madrid is unusual because the mines that were alive through 1954 never produced 1 ounce of precious yellow metal or silver,” said Winthrop.

Chile Charlie was taking notes as Mr. Winthrop was telling about the history of Madrid. Charlie’s hands were hurting something furious. He told his host he would take a break and go back to the hotel for a brief nap.

“This concludes the first section on Spanish mining exploits in New Mexico, state Mr. Winthrop. I will see you later. “Hasta La Vista! For now.

Quality, not quantity, is my measure.

Douglas Jerrold

CHAPTER 4

Chile Charlie, Harold Winthrop, and Mr. Smart were sitting in a semi-circle drinking their coffee when Emily Reynolds joined the group. This was her first time being with the group and Chile Charlie.

Emily owned a quaint Western photo Gallery off of Main street. She worn a simple home spun cotton blue dress that made her look like she stepped out of the “House on the Prairie” movie set. Her face was soft and creamy. She had a twinkle in her eyes however, “glad to see you.” The shoes she wore were typical of those of the middle 1800s. They were black and laced above her ankle.

The group was sitting in the back room of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce. There room was well appointed with paintings that local artists donated. On the North wall a collection of awards that the Chamber had garnered over the year were displayed.

The afternoon was pleasant with the temperature in the mid-’80s. Each man was relaxed like they did not have a care in the world. Chile Charlie was happy to be in such good company. He thought to himself, this makes the United States the places in the world.

Harold stood, walked three giant steps and handed Charlie a small black covered book.

“Charlie. I am going to give you this book to read about one of the early political leaders of Madrid. When you read it, I am sure you get good understanding turmoil that beset our early days of Madrid,” ventured Mr. Winthrop.

“Where did you get the information to compile this document,” asked Charlie?

“This information comes from several books and the Internet,” explained Harold.

“OK, I am going back to my room and start reading the information and will join you tomorrow morning,” said Chile Charlie.

Here is the information that Charlie read:

Henry Dawson grew up among the landed gentry of Missouri and he remained a confirmed bursary and throughout his life. He was a thoughtful man, a scholar, and a philosopher. He was always eager to add to his knowledge of the arts and science. He enjoyed exploring the mysteries of the universe and the human spirit. He was reluctant to participate in the clamor and conflict of local politics.

However, he became a powerful political leader in Madrid. He worked for the welfare of the community. He devoted his life to the involvement of Madrid he had helped create.  His proclamations reflected a hopeful view of human nature, a belief that under the right conditions man and the town would improve. That faith was implicit in his everyday life.

Henry Dawson was a short, stout man but not too short. He had a physique of a 154 pound, weightlifter. His face was always solemn. It looked like he had eaten something sour. He wore a derby hat that looked like it almost fit him. Henry’s suit was the fashion of the time, made of the best fabrics. His walk was like a major league baseball manager’s trip to the mound to make a pitching change-- slow but not too slow!

His father was a Presbyterian minister always on the move from one church to the next. He could not obtain or keep close friends-- he was a marked loner. He and his mother were the best of friends.

His mother was an insignificant tenant, mousey contented, immersed only in the dimension of time, of constancy. Whereas, his father was an impressive, handsome figure and even now in Dawson’s mind. But he loved his mother much.

At age 22 he had not found his niche in life. Henry tried his hand at being a bookkeeper for a small retail shop, but he could not succeed. Henry wanted to have more control of the purse strings.   Next, he tried his hand at being an expediter of freight from Joppa, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This job lasted only a few months and he was out on his ear for his insistence on clarity. Dawson worked several other jobs but none lasted long.

Dawson’s father then convinced Henry to study for the ministry which he did. After the required training time, he was ordained and took the call at a set small rural of churches near Joppa.

His father passed away with a sudden heart attack. At age 32 Henry came into an inheritance. He was not satisfied with his efforts of being a minister in small rural churches. The decision was made that he would go west. And he ended up in Madrid New Mexico. As he examined the landscape and the business opportunities that Madrid offered him, he decided that he would open up a dry goods store. He would sell mining supplies to the workers and to the companies that had open mines. He also sold clothing and other items to the other residents of the area. Because of his need for clarity and mastery of detail, he became a very successful business man.

“It was the basis of his dream of a happy Madrid for freemen, living together in nature and harmony. And that faith is, of course, the root of his objection to any kind of lawlessness that would stifle individual liberty and hamper individual growth. Both his faith and his dream become a permanent part of the town of Madrid,” explained Mr. Winthrop as he set out to tell Chile Charlie about leaders who managed the early years of Madrid’s existence.

Lost time is never found again.

Aughey

CHAPTER 5

The next morning Chile Charlie joined the group again in the back room of the Chamber of Commerce. Everybody was in a very jovial mood because everybody had a good night's sleep.

The room was re-arranged from the way it was yesterday. Now, the leather recliners were placed in a semi-circle facing away from the windows and the bright sun. Two extra recliners for use by any new person might join the group.

Emily Reynolds, who spent several years studying heroes of Madrid, took center stage and talked to Charlie about a person named Oscar Placer.

“I wrote the book about Oscar Placer several years ago, Charlie,” said Emily.

“I would like you to read it so that you may learn more about the internal workings of Madrid in its early years.”

“Thanks, “said Charlie and he left the group to read Emily’s book. When Charlie finished reading he rejoined the group with the following information about Oscar Placer.

Oscar Placer came from a background very unlike Henry Dawson’s. Oscar was born into a poor family in Virginia. He became a citizen of Madrid by joining a society of men as competitive and aggressive as himself. As a gifted organizer and administrator, he used his brilliant mind as a weapon with which to fight not only for personal success but also for the practical policies he supported.

Placer’s love of Madrid was as great and as much as Dawson, but his view of the future of the town was dictated by his very different reading of human nature. He believed that men will act upon the same selfish motives whichever form of city government was established. Sufficient authority had to be imposed so order and stability were always adhered to. He believed in Melville that all men hated God and authority.

Oscar thought that only through a strong city government could a community achieve peace, progress, and prosperity. This idea, powerfully expressed in his thoughts had a great influence on the organization of Madrid and its subsequent history.

“Mr. Placer’s philosophy was to enjoy the minerals, take care of the land, ask permission, and always be careful - do these things and very few times will you not go home blessed, articulated Emily.

Oscar was a tall man much like Gary Cooper in his hay day. Oscar stood six-four feet tall. This was at least six inches taller than the average man of those days. His face was scarred with measles pox marks. Because of his height, his arms and legs extended all over the place. He always dressed in fashionable Western wear with a Stetson hat that topped off his attire. He was proud of his Western boots with the design of the local shoemaker. His voice mimicked that of a babbling brook, it was mellow but you could tell the difference in the octaves.

His mother and father were saloon jumpers, a common phrase for those who imbibed heavily into the spirits of whiskey with no chaser. Oscar’s parents were not afraid to administer punishment supreme when he was misbehaving which was often. He still carried those scars on his back to this day.

Chile Charlie thanked Emily for outstanding description of Oscar Placer. Emily accepted the comment with appreciation.

Emily said, “Thank you very much, Chile Charlie, you are a gentleman of the highest degree.

Illusion is the first of all pleasures

Voltaire

CHAPTER 6

After a brief pause in the conversation, Mr. Winthrop continued his story about the two men and the great influence they had on the political life of Madrid. He described the thoughts and actions of the two political leaders of Madrid with the following description:

“Henry Dawson and Oscar Placer were two of the people most influential in the development of Madrid in its early days. Dawson grew up among the land gentry of Missouri; Placer was born into a poor family in Virginia. Only with great reluctance did Dawson accept the political career in Madrid with the accompanying clamor and conflict of a thoughtful man. He would have preferred to spend his life in his own home free to add to his scholarly knowledge of the arts and science and to explore the mysteries of the universe and the human spirit.”

“Placer found it natural to be in a society of men who share his competitive aggressive spirit.  He entered politics with the enthusiasm and efficiency of the born organizer and administrator. His brilliant mind served him admirably well in his fight for personal success and for the political policies in Madrid that he supported.”

“Dawson’s political philosophy was optimistic; he believes that given the right conditions, men would improve. By contrast, Placer was convinced that regardless of the environment, human nature does not change. Accordingly, while Dawson dreamed of a happy land of freemen living together in nature and harmony Placer worked for order and stability, for a system and its organization.”

“The Virginian, Dawson, feared that the machinery of a strong city government would stifle individual liberty and hamper individual growth. The Missourian, Placer, believes that government must have the authority to ensure peace, progress, and prosperity. Regardless of the difference of their views both men devoted their lives to the welfare of Madrid, which both had helped create and helped to survive. Their different views had permanent impact upon Madrid’s history.”

“Both men were powerful political leaders. They worked for the welfare of Madrid, which they dearly loved. At the same time their differences were numerous and profound. They were different in background, temperament, habit of mind, and in political philosophy. Dawson grew up among the landed gentry of old Missouri; Placer was born in a poor family in Virginia. Throughout his life, Dawson remained a confirm Missourian but Placer became a Madridian and flourishing in a society of men as competitive and aggressive as himself; Dawson from the clamor and conflict of politics whereas Placer had the zeal of a born organizer and administrator. Dawson was a thoughtful man and a scholar as well as a philosopher, always eager to add to his knowledge of the arts and science and to explore the mysteries of the universe and of the human spirit. Placer uses his mind as a keen weapon with which he fought not only the personal success but also for the practical policies of Madrid that he supported,” Emily told the group.

Then she reminded the group that both men attended a dedication of a memorial in Santa Fe to the famous cow and trailblazer Kit Carson. On Memorial Day in 1885, the then governor of New Mexico, Lionel A. Shelton, told the crowd gathered in front of the monument that “wherever railroads run and trails are followed Kit Carson led the way.” Gov. Shelton continued saying, there are many such magic names in the early history of New Mexico and they blazed many trails that today are roots of transcontinental highways railroads or backcountry roads into hidden valleys or canyons once bustling with activity.

Whenever people ride or walk today there are following the ruts and footprints of history he said many men have traveled these trails in the past and leave their impression on New Mexico for all time to come-- miners, cowboys, soldiers, priest--- men whose names loom large on the scroll of history and many whose names are all but forgotten. Dawson and Placer could be among them.

“I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education”

Wilson Mizner

Chapter 7

Avery Smart looked at Chile Charlie then asked, “Did you know that at one time there was a movement in the United States Army to incorporate camels as service animals. This attempt happened about 1857.”

Chile Charlie examined Smart’s face as if looked for some smirk, subsequently, Charlie said, “No” I knew nothing about that plot. Explain me the background of the story.

This may take a while but here goes the tale as I have been told.

From 1846 to 1848, The Mexican American war was fought to determine who would control the Southwest. There was a Lieutenant named Edward Fitzgerald Beale. Beale was with Gen. Stephen Kearney battling the Califlornio Lancers. The American dragons had engaged the Lancers in a battle of San passed while and had been soundly beaten. Now, encamped atop Mule Hill with the wounded and exhausted groups Kearney realized he and his troopers would be annihilated if they were attacked again he felt his only recourse was to send men on foot through the ranks of the enemy to San Diego where Commodore Robert Stockman had reinforcements.

Lieutenant Beale along with Kit Carson and a Dieguerno Indian volunteered to attempt the 15 mile journey to San Diego. The three men slid down the sharp decline of mule Hill. Because there are boots made such noise they took them off and hoped them under their belts. They left their clanging canteens behind.

At one point they came upon a Califlornio Lancer on guard, who took his time to smoke a cigarette before turning his scores and riding away from the men hiding nearby.

Beale and Carson had lost their boots in the dark. Now their feet were lacerated by rocks and uncured by cactus spines. The Indians moccasins had fared only a little better. Still they pushed on, for three days, taking separate routes to ensure one of them would get through.

When Beale reads Stockton, he was dehydrated and so exhausted he was delirious. He reported Kearney’s dilemma. BL was placed aboard the USS Congress to recover. It took over three months for the recovery to happen.

A decade after the American victory over New Mexico, Edward Beale resigned his commission. He was contacted by the secretary of war for Pres. Buchanan to improve the 35th parallel wagon road. During the war the rope originally had been blazed by the Mormon Battalion, organized by Lieut. Col. Philip St. George, for whom the mile north of Deming New Mexico was named. BL was assigned the task to building a road across New Mexico and to California. Another group of surveyors and contractors later built a stretch from Fort Smith Arkansas to Santa Fe completing the 1200-mile-long federal highway. Unbeknownst to Beale the contract required him to participate of the camel bird with him.

Camels in the American Southwest seem like a good idea. The regions punishing climate and terrain took a terrible toll on horses and mules upon which the army had always depended. Proponents of camels said they were stronger, patient in loading and unloading and tolerant of little food, water, or rest. Their feet were well-suited for grassy or sandy plains, and rough, rocky and nearly as, and they required no shoeing. Proponents of using camels as service animals in the military cite the above attributes as the reasons to using camels in the South West.

The argument convinced the United States Congress to appropriate $30,000 to obtain Egyptian and Tunisian camels for an experiment to learn how they fare as pack animals in the desert in 1855 and, within a year Maj. Henry Wayne had arrived at camp birdie outside San Antonio, Texas with 32 dromedary and to Bactrain camels. The second herd brought the number of animals to 70.

Although Beale was not for herding camels, he accepted the responsibility for 25. His roadbuilding expedition left San Antonio on June 25, 1857, heading west through Fort Davis and El Paso Texas and then from Albuquerque to Fort defiance in New Mexico territory.

Avery Smart then said, “Imagine the reaction of the Indians to their first sight of a camel. Many had found the white man as interloper in their homelands. Beale had dispatched a patrol to find water and had not returned when expected. Camel driver Hadji Ali on his camel went in search of them and found the troopers under attack. With no time to go for help out lead rule is dagger and charred screaming “Allahu akba.”

“Facing the olive brown skinned turbaned Arab in traditional clothing, shouting in a language none understood, the Indians fled in terror from the desert devil. We can only wonder what stories they told their lodges afterwards.”

It along his journey, Beale had a change of opinion about the camels. He found them superior to mules in the desert country. They could go for a week without water and foraged on prickly pear and other desert plants along the way. Items a mule wouldn’t touch. Each camel could carry a load of up to 8000 pounds, hundreds more than a mule and because they remain quietly on their knees, were indefinitely easier to pack. Mules didn’t like the camels and, therefore, the muleskinners didn’t like them either, saying they were foul-smelling, ugly, and evil tempered. In some accounts, you might think the muleskinners were referring to the camel drivers and not their charges.

In his journal, Beale wrote,” they pack water for others four days under a hot sun and never get a drop. They pack heavy burden of corn and oats four months and never get a grain. They eat worthless shrubs and not only subsist but keep fat. My admiration for the camel increased daily. The harder the test, the more fully they seem to justify all that is said about them.”

In his report to the secretary of war, Beale wrote,” they are the most docile, patient and easily managed creatures in the world, and employee more easily work than mules. From personal observation of the camels, I would rather undertake the management of 18 than of five mules. The camel gives no trouble.”

Despite the lack of camaraderie among the animals and their caretakers, Beale’s crew of 100 men surveyed and constructed the 10 foot wide wagon road. He reached the Colorado River at today’s Arizona/California border on October 26, 1857.

That information was very informative, said Chile Charlie, but I would like to know why there are no camels in service after all the attributes they brought to the table.

Avery answered Chile Charlie saying, “although the capital experiment and Beale’s use of them proves successful, history of eclipse the results. Four years after he arrived in California, on the opposite side of the continent, succession is from South Carolina fired the first shot on Fort Sumter. America began expanding its blood and treasure in a Civil War that nearly tested the will of the people to remain bound as a single nation.

Early in the war, an attempt was made you use the camels to carry mail between Fort Mojave. New Mexico Territory and the Colorado River and new San Pedro, California, but the attempt was unsuccessful after commanders on both post objected. They said camels had a nasty personality, is bit, spat, and made lots of noise when they were. These were not the things the military could tolerate, especially since the United States Army was a horse and mule outfit, who soldiers, did not have the skills to control animals.

Some proponents of the experiment said it failed because it was supported by Jefferson Davis, a senator from Mississippi and former secretary of war who left the United States to become president of the Confederate states of America.

In 1864 the Army, which had no further interest in the animals sold them at auction to California rancher most probably as a novelty. Beale bought some himself for his Tajon Ranch near Bakersfield, California

Though some escaped into the wild, the camels were simply forgotten. The last of the animals were reported seen in Arizona in 1891. Perhaps, for years after words, astonish travelers with five what appeared to be a wild camel on the horizon.

Now, Chile Charlie that is the tale of camels in New Mexico. What do you think about that?

I am not ashamed to confess that I am

Ignorant of what I do not know

Cicero

CHAPTER 8

“In 1858, Madrid was caught up in the winds of change. There was a movement out east to end slavery, “explained Mr. Winthrop to the group. “And Mr. Dawson and Mr. Placer were at odds over slavery. Each man had deep-felt convictions over slavery. Dawson was against slavery. Placer thought the slavery issue was an individual decision and leaders should not take sides.

Mr. Winthrop told Chile Charlie he had several newspaper articles that highlighted the debates between Dawson and Placer on slavery.

Chile Charlie said he would be delighted to hear the story of this historic debate between these two gentlemen. He asked Mr. Winthrop to continue to talk about the debates from the newspaper articles. Mr. Winthrop slides his reading glasses down from his forehead into a position to see and read the photo-copy of the newspaper article from November 12, 1861.  He cleared his throat and read the first article to the group:

“Dawson declared that slavery violates many principles of United States politics. He said, “How can slavery exist in such a nation where freedom and equality exist? Then he warned all Americans that wanted to exploit slaves for prominence; the nation may fall even further from our hands and our freedom could be jeopardized.”

“Placer defended slavery by arguing that the sudden end to the slave economy would have had a profound and killing economic impact in New Mexico where reliance on slave labor was the foundation of our economy. Our cotton and mining economy would collapse.”

Placer proclaimed and stressed the economic effects of slavery. He argued that the people in the United States have grown accustomed to slavery. Many have forgotten other systems of commerce. A nation cannot depend on only slavery and staple crops. Americans should seek other means of obtaining wealth. Placer took a deep breath; we must feed on a more substantial diet than that of proslavery politics. We have more work to do in Madrid.

Dawson said, “There are many arguments used to defend slavery, but many of these arguments ignored some crucial details. For instance, moral arguments against slavery tended to ignore the horrible conditions slaves were forced to live in. The economic arguments overlooked many viable solutions to their problem. The political arguments discounted blatant bias.”

Mr. Winthrop stopped reading that article and got a second article out of his satchel to continue his oration about the debate over slavery:

The article began:

“Placer defended slavery by arguing that the sudden end to the slave economy would have had a profound and killing economic impact in New Mexico where reliance on slave labor was the foundation of our economy. Our cotton and mining economy would collapse.”

“Dawson countered, “If something is wrong, it is wrong whether others do it or not. I am an anti-slavery supporter contend because other countries are engaged in the slave trade is no reason the United States should. Also, the African slave people were not inferior and should be treated as equals.”

Placer commented, “One of the most common moral defenses of slavery is, slaves are being kept in better conditions than they would be if they had legitimate, paying jobs. For example, once slaves had grown too old to complete hard labor in the fields, they could be brought into the house, where they could be more comfortable working less strenuous jobs. A paid field worker would be fired once they grew too old to work. What this defense didn't take into account were the horrible conditions that many slaves lived in their entire lives and the physical, mental, and emotional toll that these conditions took.

For example, many slave owners allowed their overseers to hit workers who they believed were disobedient, or who just were not working fast enough. Female slaves were routinely sexually abused and were punished for attempting to protect themselves. This kind of physical abuse would create an atmosphere of fear.” Mr. Winthrop stopped reading the article and picked up another one from his satchel and read.

Mr. Placer debated “Slavery was accepted in the Bible.”

“The Bible suggests that the slave trade is tolerated and approved by God in the days of Abraham. In a book of an unknown author, the Negro and they’ve reborn written are comparable.”

“Placer argued, Slavery was lawful from a religious, political, and commercial view.”

“Indeed, we are engaged in a moral trade because the African Negros if captured in the African War are saved because they may have otherwise been executed, explained Placer. Taking the African Negros from their homeland benefited them. The enslaved Negro are unfit for other work,” the article outlined what Placer promoted.”

“Dawson declared that slavery violates many principles of United States politics. He said, “How can slavery exist in such a nation where freedom and equality exist? Then he warned all Americans that wanted to exploit slaves for prominence; the nation may fall even further from our hands and our freedom could be jeopardized.”

Placer explained that if all the slaves were freed, there would be widespread unemployment and chaos. This would lead to uprisings, bloodshed, and anarchy. He pointed to the mob's "rule of terror" during the French Revolution and argued for the continuation of the status quo, which was providing for affluence and stability for the slaveholding class and for all free people who enjoyed the bounty of the slave society.

Dawson said, “There are many arguments used to defend slavery, but many of these arguments ignored some crucial details. For instance, moral arguments against slavery tended to ignore the horrible conditions slaves were forced to live in. The economic arguments overlooked many viable solutions to their problem. The political arguments discounted blatant bias.”

Placer’s next argument was that slavery had existed throughout history and was the natural state of mankind. The Greeks had slaves, the Romans had slaves, and the English had slavery until recently.

Placer then noted that in the Bible, Abraham had slaves. They point to the Ten Commandments, noting that "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, ... nor his manservant, nor his maidservant." In the New Testament, Paul returned a runaway slave, Philemon, to his master, and, although slavery was widespread throughout the Roman world, Jesus never spoke out against it.

Placer argued that the institution of slavery was divine and that it brought Christianity to the heathen from across the ocean. Slavery was, according to this argument, a good thing for the enslaved. Never has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually."

“Dawson countered, “If something is wrong, it is wrong whether others do it or not. I am an anti-slavery supporter because other countries are engaged in the slave trade is no reason why the United States should. Also, the African slave people were in no way inferior and should be treated as equals.”

“Wow, these two fellows presenting strong arguments for and against slavery,” declared Chile Charlie. Is there any other recorded debate information you found?

“Why yes there is some additional information I found in another newspaper article about what they said during one of their encounters,” explained Mr. Winthrop.

Placer argued, “That by comparison with the poor of Europe and the workers in the Northern states, that slaves were better cared for. They said that their owners would protect and assist them when they were sick and aged, unlike those who, once fired from their work, were left to fend helplessly for themselves.

Dawson stated, “When a society forms around any institution, as the South did around slavery, it will formulate a set of arguments to support it. The Southerners held ever firmer to their arguments as the political tensions in the country have drawn us ever closer to the Civil War.

Placer proclaimed and stressed the economic effects of slavery. He argued that the people in the United States have grown accustomed to slavery. Many have forgotten other systems of commerce. A nation cannot depend on only slavery and staple crops. Americans should seek other means of obtaining wealth. Placer took a deep breath; we must feed on a more substantial diet than that of proslavery politics. We have more work to do in Madrid.

Mr. Winthrop continued to read another article that reported “Then Placer commented, “One of the most common moral defenses of slavery is, slaves are being kept in better conditions than they would be if they had legitimate, paying jobs. For example, once slaves had grown too old to complete hard labor in the fields, they could be brought into the house, where they could be more comfortable working less strenuous jobs. A paid field worker would be fired once they grew too old to work. What this defense didn't consider were the horrible conditions that many slaves lived in their entire lives and the physical, mental, and emotional toll these conditions took. For example, many slave owners allowed their overseers to hit workers who they believed were disobedient, or who just wasn't working fast enough. Female slaves were routinely sexually abused and were punished for attempting to protect themselves. This physical abuse would create an atmosphere of fear.”

***********

The article read:  Mr. Placer debated “Slavery was accepted in the Bible.”

“The Bible suggests that the slave trade is tolerated and approved by God in the days of Abraham. In a book of an unknown author, the Negro and they’ve reborn written are comparable.”

“Placer argued, Slavery was lawful from a religious, political, and commercial view. “Indeed, we are engaged in a moral trade because the African Negros, if captured in an African War, are saved because they may have otherwise been executed, explained Placer. Taking the African Negros from their homeland benefited them. The enslaved Negro are unfit for other work,” the article outlined what Placer promoted.”

Chile Charlie was extremely delighted to hear the story of this historic debate between these two gentlemen. He asked Mr. Winthrop to continue to talk about the debate from the newspaper articles. Mr. Winthrop slides his reading glasses down from his forehead into position to see and read the photo-copy of the newspaper article from November 12, 1861.   He cleared his throat and read the article to the group:

“Dawson declared that slavery violates many principles of United States politics. He said, “How can slavery exist in such a nation where freedom and equality exist? Then he warned all Americans that wanted to exploit slaves for prominence; the nation may fall even further from our hands and our freedom could be jeopardized.”

Placer proclaimed and stressed the economic effects of slavery. He argued that the people in the United States have grown accustomed to slavery. Many have forgotten other systems of commerce. A nation cannot depend on only slavery and staple crops. Americans should seek other means of obtaining wealth. Placer took a deep breath; we must feed on a more substantial diet than that of proslavery politics. We have more work to do in Madrid.

Dawson said, “There are many arguments used to defend slavery, but many of these arguments ignored some crucial details. For instance, moral arguments against slavery tended to ignore the horrible conditions slaves were forced to live in. The economic arguments overlooked many viable solutions to their problem. The political arguments discounted blatant bias.”

Mr. Winthrop  continued to read another article  that reported “Then Placer commented, “One of the most common moral defenses of slavery is, slaves are being kept in better conditions than they would be if they had legitimate, paying jobs. For example, once slaves had grown too old to complete hard labor in the fields, they could be brought into the house, where they could be more comfortable working less strenuous jobs. A paid field worker would be fired once they grew too old to work. What this defense didn't consider were the horrible conditions that many slaves lived in their entire lives and the physical, mental, and emotional toll these conditions took. For example, many slave owners allowed their overseers to hit workers who they believed were disobedient, or who just weren 't working fast enough. Female slaves were routinely sexually abused and were punished for attempting to protect themselves. This physical abuse would create an atmosphere of fear.”

***********

“Wow, these two fellows presenting strong arguments for and against slavery,” declared Chile Charlie. Is there any other recorded debate information you found?

“Why yes there is some additional information I found in another newspaper article about what they said during one of their encounters,” explained Mr. Winthrop.

The article read:  Mr. Placer debated “Slavery was accepted in the Bible.”

“The Bible suggests that the slave trade is tolerated and approved by God in the days of Abraham. In a book of an unknown author, the Negro and they’ve reborn written are comparable.”

“Placer argued, Slavery was lawful from a religious, political, and commercial view.”

“Dawson countered, “If something is wrong, it is wrong whether others do it or not. I am an anti-slavery supporter contend because other countries are engaged in the slave trade is no reason the United States should. Also, the African slave people were not inferior and should be treated as equals.”

“Indeed, we are engaged in a moral trade because the African Negros if captured in the African Wars are saved because they may have otherwise been executed, explained Placer. Taking the African Negros from their homeland benefited them. The enslaved Negro are unfit for other work,” the article outlined what Placer promoted.”

Chile Charlie and the group settled back and relaxed to digest what was being said about the slavery issue. Neither Dawson nor Placer would engage in local politics.

Chile Charlie appeared that he was ready for a time out in the action. He looked at the group with droopy eyes and explained, “I need to return to my quarters to take a nap. I will join you guys in the morning after breakfast.’

Charlie left the Chamber office and strolled back to the Old Boarding Mercantile House to get a good night’s sleep.

They dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake.

Pope—Wife of  Bath

Chapter 9

Chile Charlie was awakened by the sound of the peacocks that freely roamed the ground of the Hotel unabated.

He did his morning starching exercises for fifteen minutes. He dressed in his usual attire then left his room for breakfast. Charlie walked slowly and eyed the sun coming in the windows. A great days was about to begin for him.

Chile found unoccupied table near a window that gave him a view of the mountains and sun. The waiter approached him with a menu tucked under his arm and a large glass of water.

The waiter named Sam greeted Charlie with a smile and words however, glad you are here.  “Good Morning Mr. Charlie. Would like to see our breakfast offerings?”

“Today, I don’t need a menu; because I want a three stack of your Mountain Flapjacks with plenty of butter and maple syrup and a cup your famous mile-high coffee.”

“Coming right up,” said Sam as he hurried off to the kitchen area with Charlie’s order.

Admiring the magnificent mountains through the window Charlie’s mind drift off remembering all the information he had gained about Madrid and its history, culture and economy. Sam came with his breakfast and slowly whispered, “Enjoy your breakfast, and let me know if you want a refill on your coffee.”

Chile Charlie finished his breakfast. It was so good he didn’t leave a morsel left on the plate. He felt full. It was now time to get ready for his meeting with people at the Chamber of Commerce office. However, it was too early to start his trip to the office so he decided that he would go back to his room and review his notes from the previous day.

The Chamber of Commerce office was three blocks away. Chile Charlie decided he would take a slow walk and look at some of the structures on his way. So off he went to get to the group by 10 AM. As he walked slowly and wondered what it would be like live back in the hay days of Madrid.

Chile Charlie got to the Chamber of Commerce office at 10 o’clock sharp and walk-in to discover that Mr. Smart was sitting comfortably in his chair with a funny looking hat on his head. It had all of the requirements of a Mexican sombrero.

Mr. Smart stood up and said to Chile Charlie, “You looked surprised to see me with sombrero on my head.”

“I don’t know why you would be surprised because this was the headdress of fashion for Mexican gentlemen in the early days of Madrid,” said Avery.

Chile Charlie was at a loss for words but was finally able to explain, “When I walked in, I did not expect to see a man of the world like you in this setting looking like you were a man of the past.

Mr. Smart told Charlie that he worn the sombrero today because I want to give you a brief history of sombrero’s use in the early days of Madrid.

“Go ahead Mr. Smart, I would enjoy getting the information,” said Chile Charlie.

Avery Smart stood up and placed his sombrero on the table in the middle of the semi-circle of chairs. He cleared his throat which sounded like locomotive getting ready to start its morning run. He adjusted his trousers with a quick upward jerk.

Avery was now ready to start his narration about the Mexican Sombrero. He said, “The sombrero is one of Mexico’s national and cultural symbols. The name comes from ‘sombra’, the Spanish word for ‘shade’ or ‘shadow’, so you can make the respectable assumption that they were created to protect horse riders and farm workers from the hot, beaming sun. The Texan cowboys loved the idea so much that they stole it as inspiration for the cowboy hat was nice, but decidedly lesser hat when placed next to the sombrero.”

Mr. Smart stopped for a quick squig of his coffee. He continued saying, “A sombreros can be made from straw in different colors, but if you were really a gentleman and wanted to stand apart from the peasants, you would get one made for you out of felt and have it decorated with gold embroidery. The traditional Mexican sombrero has a huge brim and is too heavy and impractical for workers, and so it is usually worn by mariachi, Mexican folk musicians. Sombreros can reflect the social and economic status of the wearer, so the wider the brim, the taller the cone and the brighter the bling, the better you are.”

Avery stopped again to let the information soak in and asked Chile Charlie, “Do you have any question so far?”

Chile Charlie answered with a quick, “No.”

“Ok, then I will conclude my report.”

“According to a Mexican folk song, if you want to show someone you love them and seal the deal, throw your sombrero on the floor, thereby expressing that you are willing to sacrifice your most valuable possession. We don’t know about you, but will we ever love someone that much to give up our sombrero? Mexicans!”

The present contains nothing more than the past,

and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.

Henri Bergson in “Creative Evolution

Chapter 11

Chile Charlie reminded the group that his purpose of coming to Madrid was to solve the mystery of the five men who were found dead in a ditch. So far I’ve only learned about the history and culture and economics about Madrid. Are there any clues you could give me to help solve this mystery? The group in unison shook their heads no.

Is there any chance I could explore some of the abandoned buildings and houses? “Yes you can,” said Mr. Winthrop. We would be happy to accompany you to some of these places but it is getting too dark right now to do it, so let’s reassemble tomorrow morning at about 10 o’clock. We will do some building exploring.

**********

Harold Winthrop. Avery Smart, Emily Reynolds, and Chile Charlie arrived on the back porch of the Chamber of Commerce Building at the 10:00 am.

Emily, in her fresh colorful blouse and skirt, started the conversation. She laid a detailed plan to start on Mulberry Street to see the shotgun type houses built to house miners and their families and end the tour at the old bank building fairly well preserved. Madrid is a classic ghost town, big and empty; it is a place from which practically all life has fled.” Emily reminded the group.

With a deep sigh, each person finished their black coffee. They were neither jubilant nor reluctant to start this journey to investigate the dilapidated housing. There are dozens of them. They marched straight ahead along the highway and up the hill. Now look to your right just below the road and you will see a row that stands forlornly and waiting. The paint is peeling from the weather boarding. Doors sagged. Windows and doors gape bleakly. The porches stagger like a miner on Saturday night,” as Emily pictured the scene below her.

They thought about the memories these lodgings may have presented the minors of old. They took less than 10 minutes to arrive at the first company-owned employee house.

The house stood well above the street. Wooden stairs led to the front door of the shotgun type house. As the group entered the house they looked around and I saw some items that were left behind when the occupants moved. There were old dishes and pots and pans scattered through the kitchen area at the back of the house. The two-bedrooms had the iron springs that would have supported a feather-bed mattress. The front room still had a rocking chair and a ragged couch. Mr. Smart muttered, “This family must have left in a big hurry.”

Emily suggested that the group move on to the old bank since most houses would be similar to what they saw on this one. Each member of the group nodded at an affirmative that that would be a good idea. Chile Charlie agreed on the group.

They walked briskly to the old Main Street of Madrid. The front door of the bank was jarred open so the group had easy access to get inside.

Once inside, Chile Charlie observed the interior of the bank did not resemble the bank interiors of the Gilded Age. Rather, the inside of this bank building was more like a Quaker prayer meeting structure. There were no ornate wooden carvings only the three teller pages with steel bars. There were no seating platforms for waiting customers and the old vault door was slightly ajar.

Chile Charlie tugged at the vault door until he could get inside. He looked around to see if there were any Confederate dollars stashed in the vault by mistake. The only thing he found was an old rusty tin can. Remember, Chile Charlie had the curiosity of a cat. He pried open the top of the tin can and saw a piece of parchment paper with the following message on it.

I, Ramon Garcia, disclose that I shot the five white miners that molested my wife, Rosetta. I left these scoundrels in a ditch without a proper burial. I swear on the Bible this is true. Signed Ramon Garcia

Chile Charlie read the message again, handed it to his three companions said, that is the end of the mystery in Madrid.

It was now time for Chile Charlie to depart Madrid.  He turned away from the group to conceal the small tear in the corner of his eye as he regretfully had to leave this wonderful group of people who gave him so much information about this ghost town.

Chile Charlie said,

“Now I must get back to my home base and start a new adventure.”

There was the Door to which I found no key;

There was the Veil through which I might not see.

Omar Khayyam--Rubaiyat

Chapter 12

What you will find in Madrid Today?

In the 1970s and 80s, Madrid was revived as an artist community, and soon found new life as an offbeat tourist attraction between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Much of the original architecture of the town is still standing, now repurposed into galleries and shops. Madrid welcomes art enthusiasts and artists inspired by the beauty of the New Mexico landscape, and the town currently has a population of a little over 200 residents.

Madrid is also famed for its fabulous Christmas light displays, which visitors can view in December on the weekend leading to Christmas. Even Scrooge would have a hard time by home bugging the holiday spirit that permeates Madrid during December. Feliz Navidad is the traditional Spanish Christmas greeting. In Madrid, it means streets lined with candles in sand fill paper bags and bonfires that family and friends warm themselves by on Christmas Eve. Evergreen garlands bedecked post around Main Street. Crimson Chile race and stands a red and green chili lights are just a few of the Christmas decorations in Madrid. The town is a great place to walk around, grab a bite to eat, and take in the beautiful New Mexico scenery.

Called the turquoise Trail it winds through Madrid. For a while it looked as though these villages might remain ghost towns. But within the past 20 years, Madrid has grown as artists, shopkeepers and others seeking a quieter and less expensive lifestyle to move in. It’s not unusual to catch a bluegrass concert or a jazz festival during the summer and the Madrid ballpark. Melodramas also are staged at the mine shaft theater. In December Madrid has a holiday crafts fair. Residents have restored some displays that were once part of the magnificent electric Christmas light show of the 1930s.

As you travel along the turquoise Trail you can see faint ruts of the early wagon trail near the road. You have to keep a very keen night to see the ruts.

During the summer months Madrid is bustling with activities. It’s a gathering place for young punk rockers, cowboys, and Hispanics. The elderly share an iron bench to discuss the day’s events and feed the pigeons. Lawyers and shopkeepers meet to eat Frito pies and take. Tourists laden with cameras wait for some excitement such as the street performance of a juggler or a gunslinger. Madrid is a wonderful place to spend a day of relaxation

Author's Notes

I cannot tell how the truth may be;

I say the tale as 'twas said to me.

Sir Walter Scott

For those readers who enjoy learning about mysteries' interworking behind an author's style, you will find my bibliography on my website, www.georgepintarbooks.com.

Some of my writings are a summation of my professional career as a business leader.  Digging Deeper into Networking and Build Strong Communities Using Community Education are self-published. You can purchase them on Amazon.com.

The authorship of my fictional character Chile Charlie includes: Musing of an Ostrich Farmer, Revisit Musings of an Ostrich Farmer, Chile Charlie's View of Old West Country, A New Peek at Old West Country, The Adventures of Chile Charlie, and When is it too Late? These books can be purchased on Amazon.com.

Here is how you can reach me:

George Pintar

853Chile Court

Las Cruces, NM 88001

575-680-6515

Thank you in advance for sharing your interest in my work.