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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Boy's first school bus ride leads to police search
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., August 27, 2002 -- It was a happy ending for one Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
ISD fourth grade student yesterday, after the 10-year-old was reported
missing by concerned parents.
"This was the little boy's first time to ride the bus," said Bessie Haynes
Elementary School Principal Benny Hernandez of the boy, who police eventually
found at a friend's house.
Hernandez received a call at his home that afternoon that one of his students
was missing after having ridden the bus to his home in the Lindsay Addition.
"I came right over to the school, spoke to the custodians and teachers
and we determined he had gotten on the bus," said Hernandez.
"We keep really good track of our students and provide all the safety
we can," said Hernandez. "I'm glad this ended so well."
Hernandez then spoke to Pecos Police Department Officer Oscar Machuca
after the police were notified of the missing boy by his parents.
"Since it was the first time he rode the bus, he stayed on until the last
stop then got off and proceeded to go to this friend's house instead of his,"
said Hernandez.
"The dad called and came by the P.D., to tell us the boy was missing,"
said Machuca.
Machuca said that Officer Olga Lopez immediately called the teacher and
the officers took it from there.
"We were able to find out that he had gotten off the bus with one of his
friends," said Machuca.
Machuca said that they had tracked him to the home of his friend, who
lives just a block away from his own house.
"He just got off the bus with him and stayed there at his house," said
Machuca. "When we went to the friend's house and asked his mom for him, she
said right away that yes he was there," he said.
Apparently he didn't get off at the right spot and the dad went to search
for the young boy at the school and became concerned when he didn't find
him, according to Machuca.
"We were just going to get a description of his clothing to put out an
all-points bulletin, when we tracked him down," he said. "It was pretty quick."
Machuca said that in instances like this, officers work fast in trying
to track the child and said he was happy it ended well.
With the recent reports of child disappearances across the United States,
Machuca said police were preparing to begin a wider search when the boy was
found.
"We were getting ready to alert all the departments, but luckily it didn't
get that far," said Machuca. "We were able to locate him right away and the
boy was fine.
"We're glad it ended like this," he said.
Fort's officers helped start Shafter silver mine
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one in a continuing series of features on
historical locations in the Trans-Pecos region.
By The Ghost Writer
PECOS, Tues., August 27, 2002 -- Some present day Pecos citizens can trace
their family tree to three people that are mentioned many times in
West Texas history. John W. Spencer, Diedrick Dutchover and Monroe
Payne are the three men who lived at the turn of the 19th
century and whose activities will be discussed in these articles.
John W. Spencer was a freighter, part time prospector, trader, and merchant
during the Mexican War. He was camped near the town of Shafter in 1880 when
he found a sample of ore. This sample was shown to Colonel Shafter, commander
of Fort Davis, whom had it assayed and it was a small but profitable deposit
of silver.
Shafter, Lieutenants Louis Wilhelmi and John L. Bullis joined in the purchase
of several sections of land near where Spencer had found the one. They agreed
to take Spencer in as partner and the four would divide ownership and profits
four ways.
In October 1880, they applied to purchase nine sections of school land
and in January 1881, Bullis and Wilhelmi purchased four of the nine sections.
Lacking the financing and mining skills to operate a silver mine, they leased
part of the land to Daniel Cook who found deposits valued at $45 per ton.
Cook organized the Presidio Mining Company and started production.
When the twelve-month lease expired, the Mining Company offered to buy
the land. They offered 5,000 shares and $1,600 to each of the four partners.
Shafter, Wilhelmi and Spencer accepted the offer but Bullis held out. He
claimed that he had bought four sections in his wife's name. The court in
Marfa agreed with him but the Texas Supreme Court agreed that the land was
community property of the four partners.
The mine operated until 1942 when the price of silver was not enough to
cover cost of operations. The town that enjoyed a population of 4,000 is
but a ghost town now. If you drive through town, cross the creek and go to
the cemetery. Shafter has a fine display about the town and Mr. Spencer is
mentioned.
***
My "Mature Advisors" were talking about how hard it was in the old days.
One of them told his grandson that he swam the river three times before he
walked to school. He couldn't' answer his grandson's question, "Why didn't
you swim the river four times to get back to where your clothes were?"
Sheriff's department video training class OKed
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
PECOS, Tues., August 27, 2002 -- Training for Reeves County Sheriff's Department
officers will be made easier through teleconferencing, following
the approval to buy the equipment by Reeves County Commissioners.
The group met Monday morning and discussed and approved several items
including an agreement between the Reeves County Sheriff's Department and
Law Enforcement Television Network for video-teleconferencing training.
"We did this a few years ago and it was really helpful," said Precinct
4 Commissioner Hivi Rayos.
Rayos said that the teleconferencing provides a lot of information that
is valuable to the officers.
"They won't have to go out for the training, but can receive it right
here," he said. "It provides information on the laws and new information
that is needed by the department."
Cost for the teleconferencing is $985 for installation and $180 per month.
"We did this before when Sheriff Florez was in office and this is a possible
way to keep continuing education without sending people out," said Rayos.
Reeves County Auditor Lynn Owens said that the group had ample funding
for this.
"The sheriff has agreed to use this training," said Owens.
"This will help the officers with continuing education and provides valuable
information," said Rayos.
Commissioners approved contracts between Reeves County and several juvenile
detention services, including with Ever Change Youth and Family Services;
Ector County for Juvenile Detention Services; Hemphill County Juvenile Boot
Camp/Detention; Garza County Juvenile Center and ProTELL Systems International,
Inc. for Juvenile Electronic Monitoring Services.
The group approved a property bid for property located at 525 Martinez
Street in the amount of $2,500, by Rodolfo Carrasco.
Early voting and alternate clerks were approved. "I still have to go through
pre-clearance from Washington, D.C.," said Reeves County Clerk Dianne Florez.
Early voting clerk will be Nora Briceno, alternate Estella Nichols. Assistant
alternates will be Mary Ann Clark and Ester Alvarez.
Judges and alternate judges for the November elections will be, for box
1: Mary Ann Clark and Hazel Herrera; Box 2- Nora Briceno and Blanca Avila;
Box 3- Joan Capshaw and LaVerne Williams; Box 4- Elpidia Valdez and Sue Gibson;
Box 5- Bertha Brijalba and Rosario Cervantez; Box 6 _ Elodia Garcia and Amy
Garcia; Box 7- Brenda Casillas and Estella Lujan; Box 9 _ Peggy Cox and Flo
Ybarra; Box 10- Yvonne Martin and Delma Molinar; Box 11- Dulces Martinez
and Billie Sadler and Box 12- Lyndia Thomas and Elsie Palomino.
Personnel and salary changes: at the Reeves County Detention Center, Veronica
Madrid was promoted to COII at $24,000 per year; Oscar Rodriguez, Jr., promoted
to COII at $24,000 per year; Christina Arreguy, COII-$24,000 per year; at
the Reeves County Sheriff's Department, Javier Mata Contreras and Michael
Jason Estorga were hired as a jailer, at $19,000 per year and Tommy Orona
will be working at the Reeves County Golf Course at $20,000 per year.
Rodeo Committee seeking to locate by-laws document
PECOS, Tues., August 27, 2002 -- The West of the Pecos Rodeo committee
is searching for a copy of the organization's by-laws. The by-laws were drawn-up
when the current organization structure for the committee was formed, but
members are unable at this time to locate the document.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Jennifer Galvan at the Pecos
Enterprise at 445-5475.
Weather
PECOS, Tues., August 27, 2002 -- High Monday 106. Low this afternoon 70.
Forecast for tonight: Mostly clear. Lows near 75. Southeast winds 10
to 15 mph. Wednesday: Mostly sunny and hot. Highs near 105. Southeast
winds 10 to 20 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy. Lows near 75. Thursday:
Mostly sunny. Highs near 102. Friday: Partly cloudy. Lows near 75. Highs
99 to 104.
Obituaries
Frankie Dennison and Richard San Roman
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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