Page 257 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

Perhaps a word is necessary regarding the separa-
tion of some of the
primary or secondary sources. Normally James A. McKenna’s Black Range Tales would be included as a primary source. However, the questionability of his mainly second-hand material, and statements that conflict with verifiable sources, have resulted in its being relegated to a secondary status. The same is true for William Thorton Parker’s Annals of Old Fort Cummings New Mexico, 1867-1868. Conversely, it would be normal to include the two Luna County History editions as secondary sour- ces. Most of the material used in preparing this manuscript, however, was contributed by people relating their or their immediate families’ experien- ces. Therefore, these two sources were upgraded to primary status. Unfortunately, some authors refuse to accept certain forms of records while blindly promoting others. Truth is truth, even if written in the low-tide sands, and lies are lies even
though sworn to by a first hand observer and pub- lished in a normally reputable medium.
By comparing many primary accounts with the totality of information available, frequently a par- ticular primary source appears inaccurate, espe- cially if there is an opportunity to either stroke one’s ego, bolster a political position, or justify some action taken. This problem is not confined to frontier characters recalling events of many years past, but is also painfully evident in newspaper reports and contemporaneous military official reports. The best primary sources seem to be left by parties uninterested in the particular event or outcome thereof and who are merely documenting the facts as they see them. If the observers are this detached, however, they probab- ly did not record the event anyway. Therefore, most historical evidence by primary accounts must be filtered by comparison with other data, what is known of their basic veracity and emotional and/or political involvement in the issue, and of what facts the informant was privy to at the time (somewhat similar to Douglas Southall Freeman’s “fog of war”
concept).
referenced documents into
Albuquerque Tribune Black Range Detning Graphic Deming Headligh t Denting Herald
El Paso Herald
El Paso Times
Galveston Civilian and Gazette Grant County Herald
Houston Telegraph
Las Cnices Borderer Lordsburg Liberal
Los Angeles Southern News Los Angeles Star
Mesilla Miner
243
Mesilla News
Mesilla Times
Mesilla Valley Independent New Orleans Bee
New Orleans Daily Picayune New Orleans Delta
Salt Lake Herald
San Antonio Alamo Express San Antonio Express
San Antonio Herald
San Francisco Herald
Silver City Enterprise Tucson Daily Star Winners of the West
Bibliography
Newspapers