Show THE OLDEST CITY IS IN THE UNITED STATES santa fe ie is eaid said to be tho the oldest city in tho the united states and that the statement ia is not true would be bard because the question of its origin and ae age ia is wrapped in mystery some enterprising grapher has recently published a brief sketch ot of the place from which it appears that when coronada explored mexico in 1542 he found many indian pueblos on the rio grandc grande river and speaks 1 of everal several which must have been near the present location of santa fe the one which it ie is generally supposed was on its taft precise eite site waa was called dequa and at that time stretched along ita its river banks for fix six miles milos coronado reported that he found here a beautiful and fertile valley under high cultivation by the indians indiana this was 1542 visiting santa fc fe today to day it abard ashard to realize ancient as the old mine ruins look that one can be really be gazing on walla walls which coronado saw nearly three centuries and a half ago it is in still harder to res realize dize what must have been the oppressions and cruelties which have brought about the present degraded and wretched condition of the indians whose ancestors formerly occupied and cultivated the whole valley th thai at a race which over three hundred bundred pears peare ago had reached comfort and success in in agricultural and pastoral occupations should be today to day an abject supine wretched race of b beg eg gars is a melancholy comment on the injustice they have received they did not sink without a i file ule i in 1680 they drove out all the spanish settlers and all the roman Cath catholic olio priests pulled down most of the churches and pathetic and significant act covered up and concealed eo to far as they could every mine in the country only too well they knew that it was to th the presence of these precious pre cloua 1 metals that they owed all their sufferings rings for twelve yeara years they held their own but in 1602 they were again conquered and the spanish govern ment re reestablished after the last great battle in this contest young indian men and maidens maid ens are said to have been distributed as laves slave s in the spanish famil families its after this there were from time to time revolts and insurrections but each onh only plunged the unfortunate indians into wo deeper mis cry sant santa fe being the scat beat of government ern ment was always the point of attack the chief thief center of strife rel and very terrible scenes have been enacted there As late as 1837 a mexican GO governor who had ruled with with v great severity and laid op preserve e and unjust taxes on the indians crops was murdered by them under of tragic horror several of the united to gether had raised an army and marched on santa pe fe underrating their force the governor went out to meet them and was driven back he then attempted to treat with them but they would hold no parley and ina aa As be he waa was returning to the city he was captured hie his head was cut off and kicked like a football foot ball from camp to camp they then p put u t it on a pole and set it up defiantly within a few rods of the city elty walla walls the secretary in whose handwriting the obnoxious decree bad had been promulgated they treated with subtle cruel cruelty ty sparing hij his life but cutting off both bis his hands bands and 8 e him free abo 41 taunt 01 t that hat ho he woul inot any i write edera for ta tyrants r F at night three brave mexican women stole out of santa fe found the governors body wrapped it in a blat blanket ilet and buried it in tho cemetery now deserted on tho the hill northeast of the plaza this was tho the last struggle tho the indi indians an a madaj tacy were eoon soon pub subdued dued and lem remained acied peaceable till they came with the rest of the New Mexico citizens under the govern government men t of tho the united Stat cin 1846 there is still standing in S santa fe one building which has been the acme of tho the most prominent persona and the scene of tb the most important events through all these vicissitudes of the city and its government ern ment jt it is still called as it was called when it was built in 1581 the palace anything less like a palace could hardly bo be conceived of it is a low adobe building one story high with a veranda run running ning ite its entire length it makes the north wall of tg the plaza and in it are still the governors homo home and all the offices of tho the government the united states the territorial courtroom court room libra libraries rier congress halts balls etc it has been so often repaired that it bos has ciot much of its ancient look but the massive w walls alls and heavy hewn beams remain unchanged and land will no doubt bear their mute witness to its antiquity for a century or more to colne |