USA > New Mexico > History of New Mexico : its resources and people, Volume II > Part 24
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marches and in numerous engagements, among them being the Arkansas campaign. Fort Donelson, Gainesville, siege of Vicksburg and capture of Little Rock. Three times he was wounded. To present a detailed record of his army life would be to write a history that would cover many pages and include much that has been written of the Civil war. Suffice it to say in this connection, that Mr. Neff proved himself a brave, true soldier from the time he entered the ranks until he received his final discharge at the close of hostilities.
Until 1873 Mr. Neff's occupation was farming. That year he went overland to Arizona, following the old Dick Wootton trail, and for seven years he was a prospector. During this time he had many wild and in- teresting experiences. In 1873, while ou a trip from Amarron to Fort Wingate, he and his party rode with guns in their hands as protection against the roving Indians. The authorities at the fort would not let them proceed from that point without an escort. As a result of his pros- pecting, he returned to Kansas with some money, and there he again settled down on a farm; but on account of bad crops and bad luck he lost all he had accumulated. Afterward he assisted in building the first railroad line through Indian Territory; in 1883, as a grading contractor, he was located at Catskill, New Mexico, employed on a branch of the Santa Fé railroad, from the main line to Catskill; next was engaged in stock raising, in Spring Canyon, near Colfax, New Mexico, and not far from the Colorado line, where he remained three years, after which he sold out and spent the next two years in the same business in Indian Territory, also doing some farming at the latter place. He returned to New Mexico in 1894 and located at Raton, where he carried on freight- ing business till 1897. Since the latter date he has conducted a grocery business, meeting with prosperity here and acquiring valuable real estate in the town.
Mr. Neff is a member of the Raton Commercial Club, and politically has always been a Republican. He was married at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1865, to Miss Sarah C. Wright, and they have four children, namely: Anne E., wife of W. P. Graham, of Oklahoma; Wynona Leona, wife of Abe. Hipenbaugh, of Dawson, New Mexico; and Arthur S. and Wyatt T., both of Raton.
S. A. Wiseman, a contractor and builder of Raton, whose business activity has been a valued factor in the development and improvement of this city, was born in Indiana, February 24. 1859, and was reared to farm life in Kansas. He began contracting in Raton in 1891, in which year he first came to New Mexico, and has since remained in this city, doing a growing and profitable business as a stone and brick contractor. He is the owner of considerable real estate, developing the northwestern part of the city, where he has an addition. Through his efforts unsightly vacancies have been converted into fine residence property and he is recognized today as one of the leaders in his line of business activity in the county. Moreover, he is interested in public affairs to the extent of giving helpful co-operation to many movements, which have been of direct benefit to the town and county.
M. R. Mendelson, a representative of commercial and financial in- terests in Raton, whose business interests make him a leading citizen, was born September 27. 1861, in Kletzew, Poland. He was educated
B.A. Wissman Nyman
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in Posen, Germany, and came to the United States in 1884. He crossed the Atlantic to become an American citizen and took out his naturaliza- tion papers at the first possible moment. After serving a three years' apprenticeship in the dry goods business he conducted a shoestore in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for one year and on selling out there removed to North Dakota, where he engaged in general merchandising for two years. He afterward traveled through the Territory for ten or twelve years, representing the house of Edson Keith & Company, of Chicago. He considers New Mexico as one of the most progressive parts of the United States, for during his entire experience as a traveling salesman in this Territory he has never lost a dollar in doing business. Being pleased with Raton and its future prospects he located here August 14, 1896, and established the firm of Newman & Mendelson, dealers in general mer- chandise. That success attended their efforts is indicated by the fact that in August. 1901. they erected a commodius building in which to carry on their large and growing trade and in 1898 Mr. Mendelson ac- quired sole ownership of the business which he is now conducting. He was also a stockholder in the Citizens National Bank of Raton, and now holds stock in the First National Bank. He was largely financially in- terested and also a director in the Raton Building & Loan Association and he does an extensive city real estate and loan business, and in addition owns four hundred acres of ranch land on Sugarite river.
In 1890 Mr. Mendelson was married to Miss Rebecca C. Apple, a daughter of Captain Jacob Apple, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and their children are Margaret and Gertrude Mendelson. Mr. Mendelson belongs to Harmony Lodge No. 6, K. P., and to the Fraternal Brotherhood Lodge No. 80. His faith in New Mexico has been justified by his business suc- cess which has resulted from close application, earnest effort and sound judgment.
M. M. Chase, a rancher at Cimarron, Colfax county, was born in Rock county, Wisconsin, October 8, 1842, and was there educated. He started west in 1857 when only fifteen years of age, making his way to California. He traveled with a party, but the Indians captured their outfit and only nine men in the train escaped. There were thirty-seven altogether in the party who traveled westward with a wagon train until they were at- tacked by Sioux Indians. The survivors of the party managed to return to the states, and Mr. Chase lived in the middle west until 1860, when he went to Colorado and engaged in the meat business. He first made his way to the Gregory diggings, now Central City, Colorado, where he engaged in mining to a limited extent, but in 1861 took a contract for furnishing beef to the United States troops and removed to Denver, where he con- tinued in the meat business until his arrival in New Mexico in June, 1867, when he purchased a ranch and located on the Vermejo river. Subse- quently he sold that property and took a claim, but on account of the In- dians, who rendered life and property insecure, he purchased his present place-the old Kit Carson homestead-in 1872.
In the meantime Mr. Chase had been married in 1861, at Central City, Colorado, to Miss Theresa M. Wade. After the removal to New Mexico Mrs. Chase and three other white women in Colfax and Union counties purchased from the Maxwell company nine hundred and sixty acres of land, and later nine hundred and sixty acres more. Mr. Chase engaged in the
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cattle business on the Vermejo, where he continued for a quarter of a century. It was a wild country, in which the work of improvement and development had scarcely been begun. Among his neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Hogue, and during the absence of the husband the Indians cap- tured the wife. Hastily securing the assistance of the settlers, a party started in pursuit, but their horses gave out before they had come up with the red men. Mr. Hogne, however, insisted on going on and at length reached Denver, where he committed suicide. General Custer, however, captured Mrs. Hogue and returned her in safety to the Southern Hotel in St. Louis. Mr. Chase is very familiar with the history of pioneer experi- ences in this part of the country and relates many interesting incidents of the early days. He says that Si Huff was the first man to drive a herd of cattle from northwestern Texas. Mr. Chase went to Pecos to meet Huff with the cattle, and on returning to Las Vegas received a telegram that the Indians had surrounded Cimarron and were demanding their just rations, which had been stolen by the commissary department. This was in 1876. Irvin, who was in charge of the agency, wired the family in town to go home in a covered wagon. Thev reached the Cimarron hill and told the Indians that supplies would be run out according to their demands. The Utes and Apaches were the Indians who lived in this locality and they were the only protection from hostile tribes who resided elsewhere.
For sometime Mr. Chase engaged in the cattle business and found it profitable, and he also gave considerable attention to the sheep industry, but in 1901 sold his sheep and the Horseshoe ranch. In 1873 he planted an orchard, setting out at first two hundred and fifty trees. He afterward enlarged his orchards until he had seventy-six acres in fruit, mostly apples and pears, and the average crops amounted to five hundred thousand pounds yearly. He also placed five hundred acres of land under irrigation and engaged in the raising of oats, alfalfa and barley. All through the years he continued actively in the cattle business and was connected with the first cattle company, known as the Cimarron Cattle Company.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Chase were born the following sons and daughters : Lottie, the deceased wife of Charles Springer; Nason G .: Laura, the wife of Dr. C. B Kohlhausen ; Ida, the wife of H. P. England; Mary, the sec- ond wife of Charles Springer; and Stanley M. In former years Mr. Chase was a Mason and acted as master of Cimarron lodge. In politics he was an active but independent voter. He is well known as a prominent pioneer resident of the Territory, his identification with its interests dating back to a very early period in its progress. His mind hears the impress of the early and picturesque times when the red men rode over the prairies and across the ranges, stealing cattle and other stock and rendering life inse- cure. On the other hand the pioneers displayed great personal courage and bravery in defending their interests and the warfare was one between barbarism and civilization, in which the latter has eventually come off con- querer in the strife.
Henry Lambert, of Cimarron, Colfax county, was born in France, October 28. 1838, and when twelve years of age ran away from home, after which he learned cooking at Havre. He came to the United States in 1861, deserting from a French sailing vessel. For a year he was employed in working on a submarine boat in Pennsylvania, and thence sailed on a packet ship to Liverpool, but returned after three months. He afterward
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became a member of the northern navy as captain's steward. When he had been employed in that way for three months he deserted and went to Montevideo, South America. He traveled for some time on that conti- nent, acting as cook with a circus, but returning to the coast he shipped to Portland, Maine, thence went to New York and afterward to Washington, D. C. He spent two months in the capital city cooking for the Fifth Army Corps, and for one month he cooked for General Grant. Later he went to North Carolina, but returned to the army as cook for the Fifth Corps under General Warren. He afterward conducted a restaurant in Petersburg, Virginia, after which he came to the southwest, arriving in New Mexico in May, 1868. He located first at Elizabethtown because of the gold ex- citement and spent six months in placer mining. He conducted the second hotel in the town, remaining its proprietor until 1871, and in the fall of that year he went to Cimarron, where he purchased a place from Grant. In 1880 he built the St. James Hotel, which he completed in 1882, and has since been its proprietor. He also owns an old ranch on Ute Creek of six hundred and forty acres, on which he raised cattle for a number of years, beginning in 1890. He also owns mining property in the Cimarron district. He has been identified with many important events which are epochal in the history of his section of New Mexico. He caught the des- peradoes, Mills and Donoghue, in his house. Ponchoe's nephew, who car- ried the mail, was hanged until told who paid the money, and said that Mills, Donoghue and Longwell were the culprits, while a big Mexican did the shooting. They caught him in Taos, but the trial was never com- pleted.
In 1868 Mr. Lambert was joined in wedlock at Petersburg, Virginia, to Miss Schmidt, who died in 1882. Mr. Lambert was again married in 1883 to Miss Mary Davis, at Liberty, Missouri, and their children are : William, now at Dawson ; Frank, Fred, Eugene, and John, who died at the age of two years.
Thomas Clouser, of Elizabethtown, New Mexico, who for fifteen or sixteen years has been a mining prospector of this part of the territory, was born in Bloomfield, Perry county, Pennsylvania, about twenty-eight miles from Harrisburg, March 7. 1845. and was reared on his grandfather's farm. He was a youth of seventeen years, when, in June, 1852, he enlisted for nine months" service in the Union Army as a member of the One Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsylvania Infantry, participating in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg. Chancellorsville and others of minor importance. After a few months spent at home, following the expiration of his first term, he re-enlisted, in January, 1864, in the One Hundred and Twenty- third Pennsylvania Infantry, and did detached service until honorably dis- charged, in Philadelphia, August 28, 1865, the war having ended.
Returning home Mr. Clouser became imbued with a desire to seek a home in the west, and with a friend left Harrisburg April 13, 1866, for Leavenworth, Kansas, intending to go to Montana, but instead went to Junction City and accompanied one of Ben Holliday's ox-trains to Denver. driving a team in order to pay his way. In the spring of 1868, he started for Elizabethtown. New Mexico, arriving at Cimarron late in April, and two weeks later reaching his destination. Since then he has remained in this vicinity, making Elizabethtown his home. He worked in a sawmill from May until September, and then spent some time prospecting in the
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mountains. Severai lumber mills were in operation in northeastern New Mexico at that time, and he worked in the Hibbard lumber camps for a while. In the spring of 1869 he returned to Elizabethtown, and for a number of years worked in the shoeshop of Mr. Salisbury, whom he then bought out. continuing in the business for several years. He then sold the business, but later purchased it again. Subsequently he went to Silver City, and upon his return to Elizabethtown opened a shoeshop, which he conducted for three or four years. He has since engaged in prospecting.
Frederick Rohr, for more than two decades a resident of Raton, all this time engaged in the butcher business, is one of the well known citizens of the town. Mr. Rohr is a German. He was born in Lichtenau, county Kehl, Baden, Germany, March 23. 1863, and spent his youthful days at- tending school in the old country. He came to the United States in 1878, locating first in Auglaize county. Ohio. In 1882 he came to New Mexico, and at Raton entered the employ of Williams & Fitch, butchers, for whom he worked two years. The next year he had a meat market of his own at Blossburg. New Mexico. In 1885 he returned to Raton and formed a partnership with W. F. Degner. in the butcher business, under the firm name of Degner & Rohr, which continued for two years, at the end of which time Mr. Rohr purchased the interest of his partner, and has since conducted the business in his own name, keeping a first class meat market. up-to-date in every respect. At different times he has invested in real estate in Raton and is today the owner of much valuable city property.
For years Mr. Rohr has taken a deep interest in Masonry. He is a member of Gate City Lodge No. 1I, A. F. & A. M., in which he has the honor to be a past master. Also he is a Knight Templar. Mr. Rohr married, April 28. 1886, Miss Magdelena Shulemeister, and to them have been given seven children, namely: Charles M., Frederick C., Christine, William, John, Sophia and Lena.
David Howarth, a rancher of Raton, Colfax county, was born in Meigs county, Ohio, January 27. 1846, and after acquiring a public school edu- cation was engaged in coal mining in Illinois until 1864. when he went to Colorado on a prospecting tour. He engaged in mining in that state until 1876, when he went to the Black Hills just after the Custer massacre. There he was engaged in mining gold for a time, but returned later to Colorado and in 1880 came to New Mexico, settling first at Blossburg. After three weeks there passed, however, he continued southward in the Territory to Silver City on a prospecting trip. In 1882 he returned to Blossburg and was employed in the coal mines until he returned to the east. After a summer passed elsewhere, however, he again came to New Mexico in 1886 and worked through the four succeeding years in the mines. He then established a merchandise business in Blossburg, which he conducted ten years, after which he sold out to the Maxwell Land Grant Company, and purchased a ranch two and a half miles southeast of Raton comprising six hundred and thirty-eight acres. He has eighty acres under irrigation and finds that the soil is very productive. He also raises some cattle and horses.
Mr. Howarth was married in Blossburg in 1888 to Miss Annie Pieper, of Kentucky, and their children are: Fred, Barbara, Anna, Emma, Evelyn and a baby. Mr. Howarth is a Mason, belonging to Cassville (Kentucky) Lodge No. 168, A. F. & A. M., and his military experience covers a serv-
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ice with Company K of the Eighth Missouri Infantry of the Confederate army in the Civil war.
Charles Rohr, proprietor of a meat market at Raton, Colfax county, has in his make-up the characteristics which have insured success to so many of his countrymen in America. Mr. Rohr was born in Baden, Ger- many, October 30, 1869, and was educated in the public schools of his native land. In April, 1887, he came to New York, and four months later continued his way westward to Raton, New Mexico, where his older brother had already located and was engaged in business under the firm name of Degner & Rohr, butchers. Charles entered their employ and learned the trade, and remained here thus occupied until 1890. That year he went to Blossburg. New Mexico, and started a shop of his own, which he ran for three years. Then he returned to Raton and soon afterward went back to Germany, spending six months on a visit to his old home and other European points. Coming back to America and to New Mexico, he worked as butcher for the Raton Coal & Coke Co., at Blossburg. Later he spent three years in Kansas. February 17, 1900, he again landed in Raton, this time to locate here permanently, and he at once established himself in the butcher business, in which he has been successful from the start and which he has continued up to the present time.
In 1896 Mr. Rohr married Miss Carla A. Shulemeister of Blossburg. Their union has been blessed in the birth of three children : George, Elsie and Elfreida. Mr. Rohr is a Knight of Pythias and an Elk, having membership in Harmony Lodge No. 6, K. of P., and Raton Lodge No. 865, B. P. O. E.
R. L. Pooler, who has been identified with many exciting epochal events in the history of New Mexico and is well known as a pioneer and Indian fighter, now makes his home in Gardiner, Colfax county. He was born in Ohio in 1836 and was reared to farming, but finding that pursuit uncongenial he turned his attention to railroading. In 1859 he went to Colorado, attracted bv the discoveries of gold on Pike's Peak, and when he found that he could not. as he had anticipated, rapidly realize a fortune there he continued on his westward way to Virginia City, Nevada, where he arrived soon after the famous Comstock vein was opened. He had many trying, exciting and dangerous experiences with the Indians, and the tales, which to the later-day reader seem wildly improbable, were to him mat- ters of actual experience. In 1859 he was wintering at Genoa and carry- ing the mail six hundred miles from Salt Lake to Carson City, Nevada, for it was an era prior to the advent of the Pony Express. He was thus engaged on the Major & Russell contract. One of the most difficult Indian experiences which he ever had was at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, in 1860. The Pony Express had just been established when the Indians went upon the warpath and desolation followed in their wake at Williams Station, where they killed four men and ran off six hundred head of stock. A company of one hundred men were raised and started in pursuit with Major Ownesby of Canyon City in command. On the 12th of May they encountered a band of between twelve and fifteen hundred Indians. The Americans charged and the Indians retreated into some timber, the white men following, and sixty-five of the one hundred were there killed in the forest. Ownesby tried to gather the few survivors together to make a stand but this could not be done and the only hope for the living was to
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escape on their own resources by retreating. Mr. Pooler, after many hair-breadth escapes, succeeded in getting through the surrounding hordes and making his way into the mountains, whence he returned to Carson City, Nevada. Major Ownesby was killed in the retreat. It was never definitely known how many were killed, but this was one of the tragic events in the history of the west, resulting in great slaughter. Mr. Pooler also had many other encounters with the Indians in Nevada and other sections of the west, but lived to become a pioneer of New Mexico and leave the impress of his individuality upon the early development and substantial progress of the Territory. For some time he acted as a scout under Captain Payne in Nevada in the vicinity of Kings and Queens rivers and was thus engaged in extremely difficult and ardnous warfare, which involved hardships and dangers unknown to the soldier who can meet his foe in open fight.
Mr. Pooler was married in 1865 to a Mrs. Coe, of Nevada, and has a daughter, Cora, now the wife of Frank Hadden, of Catskill. In 1867 lie located at Stonewall, Colorado, bought a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres and turned his attention to the cattle business, being thus en- gaged for many years thereafter. In 1885 or 1886, during the famous trouble with the Maxwell Land Grant people and the settlers, he sold out to the grant and subsequently purchased a hay ranch of three hundred and twenty acres of the grant adjoining the old place. Seven or eight years passed and he then disposed of the ranch and his cattle. In the spring of 1902 he came to Gardiner and entered the employ of the Raton Coal & Coke Company, which he still represents. He is also raising some cattle in the Black Lake region and has extensive gold and silver mining prop- erty on Bitter Creek, four miles above Red River city. He belongs to that class of representative pioneer men to whom civilization will ever owe a debt of gratitude, for they blazed the way into the forests and made the first paths over the wild prairies, leaving in their wake the evidence of civilization and making possible permanent and safe settlement for others.
John C. Taylor, a rancher, and discoverer of the Aztec Mineral Spring at Taylor, Colfax county, New Mexico, was born in Elgin, Illinois, June 15, 1854, son of James S. and Abigail (Colby) Taylor. At the age of seven years he moved with his parents from Illinois to Nebraska, where they made their home until 1866, when the family again started westward, Denver, Colorado, being their objective point. From Denver they went to Colorado Springs, where the father engaged in stock ranching. John C. remained in Colorado until 1880. That year he came to New Mexico and purchased the ranch on which he now lives, from the Maxwell Land Grant Company, and here he has since been in the cattle business. Since the discovery of the Aztec spring he has been giving some of his time to the water business, intending soon to devote his entire attention to it. Description of this spring will be found on another page of this work.
Mr. Tavlor is a Republican. In 1900 he was elected on the Repub- lican ticket to the office of county commissioner of Colfax county for a term of two years; was re-elected in 1902, and again in 1904, the last time for four years, the term of office having been extended to that length of time. A public-spirited citizen, with the best interests of the county at heart, as county commissioner he is the right man in the right place.
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Fraternally Mr. Taylor is an Elk and a Knight of Pythias. He was initiated into the mysteries of the B. P. O. E. in Las Vegas Lodge No. 408, and is one of the charter members of the Elks' organization at Raton. His membership in the K. of P. is at Springer. February 5, 1885, Mr. Taylor married Miss Ella Black, a native of Oakland, Cole county, Illi- nois. They have four children: Ethel, Jacob, Nellie and Ruby.
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