Connected to the old mining town of Chloride on the western side of Sierra County is a haunting tale now buried in the pages of New Mexico's voluminous history.

The story begins, and ends, with an Irish immigrant named William "Billy" H. James who reached the United States in 1862 and settled in Minersville, Penn. There, six years later, he married Rebecca Crawford.

The Crawfords also hailed from Ireland, and young men of the family were employed in the mines. One of Rebecca's brothers, John Wallace Crawford, met recent arrival Billy James on the job and may have introduced him to his sister.

By 1881, Billy and Rebecca had six children, and he was looking for an opportunity to advance their fortunes. The brother, John Wallace, always called "Jack," happened by this time to be the post trader at Fort Craig, N.M. Earlier, having gone west, he won renown as an Army scout in the Sioux Indian Wars of the 1870s.

From Fort Craig, 30 miles south of Socorro, Jack Crawford wrote his brother-in-law back in Minersville, suggesting he come out to Chloride, a booming silver mining camp just east of the Black Range. Good-paying work could be found in the mines, he said.

Billy did not hesitate. Bidding farewell to his wife and children, he headed for New Mexico, full of optimism.

Chloride in 1881, though just two years old, already possessed the amenities of a town on the move. Three large mercantile stores supplied the miners with the specialized equipment in that industry, along with the food, clothing and medicines needed for their personal maintenance.

And then residents had access to three restaurants, eight saloons, a lumber yard, livery stable, assay office, a post office and a comfortable boarding house.

Billy James obtained work right away at the nearby Silver Monument Mine, and prospered. A year after his arrival, he brought out his family and put them up in a spacious house he had bought.

The place was soon filled with warmth and laughter. A piano imported from the East filled the parlor with music played by the eldest of James' sons. Theirs was the first piano heard in Chloride.

Jack Crawford's daughters, Eve and May, and his son, Harry, often came from Fort Craig to visit their cousins. Those were boisterous occasions.

Then on Dec. 7, 1887, the world of the James family fell apart. On that morning, like others, Billy bid his brood goodbye and went off to work. But oddly, a bit later, he came back and repeated his goodbyes.

Subsequently, it was learned that on his way to the Silver Monument, Billy had caught up with the mine superintendent, Mr. McBride. He confided to him that the previous night he had experienced a frightening nightmare, in which he had looked down upon his own corpse lying on the mine floor.

When McBride in sympathy offered to change his employee's schedule and keep him above ground for the day, Billy James refused. He went on to work as usual.

At home, Rebecca James was having a hard time throughout the day. Steeped in Irish superstitions, she was now beset by a powerful sense of foreboding. The night before, she herself had dreamed that a pair of black horses had been driven past her house on the way to the Chloride cemetery.

At five o'clock in the evening, her husband's body was brought in, a victim of a fatal mining accident. Forty-eight hours later, a hearse drawn by black horses carried the remains of William H. James to the graveyard.

Rebecca remained in Chloride until at least 1903, supporting her family as a dressmaker. Her fate after that date is unknown.

A final note on her elder brother: "Captain Jack" Crawford became a minor celebrity in his old age, writing Western verse and short stories until his death in 1917. He is remembered today by his stage name, "The Poet Scout."

Historian Marc Simmons is author of numerous books on New Mexico and the Southwest. His column appears Saturdays.