Eugene Manlove Rhodes (1869–1934)

Rhodes, Eugene Manlove (1973). Pasó Por Aquí. University of Oklahoma Press.
The Spanish title translates to 'passed by here,' an excerpt from a 1605 inscription by explorer Don Juan de Oñate at El Morro, NM (Now part of a national park). The title hints of the author's subtle cleverness in fashioning this Western classic. The tale begins with nurse Jay from the East chatting with a male friend on the portico of the Alamogorda Hospital. In her words, she is "homesick! I'm heartsick, bankrupt, shipwrecked, lost, forlorn - - here in this terrible country, among these dreadful people." A short time later, readers are swept along for a ride south, southeast with the red-headed Ross McEwen, who has just robbed a bank in Bolan, NM. He wears out his first horse, borrows / switches to a fresh mount, and finally when this one is played out, he throws his saddle and gear onto the back of a steer. McEwen has a wild ride and goes for several more miles before the unusual mount balks; enough distance to temporarily throw pursuers off his trail. Finally afoot, McEwen comes across a Mexican family's cabin, and finds all deathly ill with diphtheria. Knowing he is still being pursued and will likely be captured, McEwen recognizes that he is their only hope.

The final chapters of this short novel, bring the hero bandit McEwen in contact with Nurse Jay Hollister and lawman Pat Garrett. The book was the basis for the 1948 movie "Four Faces West" starring Joel McCrea. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the genre of Westerns. lj (Feb 2011).… (meer)