The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-11


bring forth but the people mostly Meyicans were suaid
and dirty-ther houses built OF adobe and sticks
looking more like miserable dog kennels than human ha
bations on tho outskirts Of city. The people seemed 10
uxuriae in lth and baskel the with all the COM
paceDcy OF o,erIed animals. How different thought,
would be this valley were leopled by 4 few Of our
steady Eastern farmers could not but conclude that
Providence knew just the right place TO put the lazy
to keep them lazy and the industrious ones u keep them
Industrious Here vast valley whose soil will yield,
but for the planting two crops per year and yet il does
bring forth tthe Of its producveness because ts
people lazy and mdolent and prefer to lve mud
houses and bask in the sunshine, when, by little labor
they might vc IN palaces with mainlicence. i'm
Messilla city The houses are little better than the out
skirts There are about three thousand inhabitants and
never such miserable set Of people in my life A
few speculatng Yankees live here, and making for
tunes rapidly by their enterprise keeping stores. They
get what prices they please for what goods they please
Lumber is 5000 per thousand feet and everything else in
proportion, except grain and hay which comparative
Is cheap But the people obnoxious 20 the view and
/ was glad TO get out Of Mcssa MS had been anyou
to get into il. Between Fort Fillmore and Messila
forded the Rio Grandeat this point but an insignificant
pudde-bcing very low The water is very muddy, and
the shifting quckands change tho bed Of the river much
Indeed, few miles below Fl raso the river has taken
channel and added several towns TO the American
territory
The Messilla valley is plain encirccd by noun
tans and presenting appearance very similar to the
which seem like vast ampheatres and present consde
rabe samcncss with the exception Of their susceptibility
cultivation The principal peak IN sight is Steyensons
silver mine, which IL, believe, being worked 10 con
siderable advantage. few miles from Messia
bic mules, and started on dreary ride of hytwo miles
for Cooke Spring This is the commencement Of that
ries OF dsserts without water extending from tho Rio
Grandc TO the Gia-one o the most tedious portions OF
the route. our road lay through what called the
Pecaieh Pass and as walked nearly all the way through
il, il seemed rather mountainous IL was about
miles long, and had very bad hills In compari-
with other passes and canops on the route, il
not very bad though quite bad enough, and al up hill
When, how ever we reached the summit, were UPON
the border Of broad and level PLAN, extending far
away the eye could reach AZ our backs were the ranges
OF the oregon Mountains the debris Of the Rocky Noun
forming the eastern boundary Of the Messla Val
ley In front could just see in the distance Cooke Peak,
rising from the plain in bold prominence from among the
surrounding hills few miles beyond Cookies Spring,
which left shortly after 1890 A. NJ OF Friday, the 1st
inst the second mail from San Francisco for st.
Louis. ride OF about twenty miles brought Mem
brace stream OF not much consequence, aud the
road with few any objects oi interest beyond tho
dnary plains which have described. Seventeen miles
further west the Cow Springs, IN the centre Of the
PLAIN and thirty miles from them soldiers Fare
well Springs Of similar nature the being good and
durable. All this prairie land through which pass here
and which Is now barren, nnnhabiied waste might,
with little irrigation, be made to produce almost
anything. Soldiers Farewell like Cow spring and Cookies
Spring consists simply OF teIt for ia. accommodation
Of the station men, whose fare is about like that which
have already described nj stations, and which
shared We left Soldier Farewell the Isl inst at loI5
A. NJ, having TO go forty two miles 10 stems Peak with
out water, across rolling plain with smooth, hard road
part which must credit To Col. Leach We had
Cd way that the station At stcn's Peak a
fatorlte camping ground for the Apache Indians,
aud that but few days before baud oi two hundred
and MY headed by the Chief Mongas, had gone TO the
station and demanded the gft Of twenty sacks of corn,
telling the men they had "bctter hurry IL NJ d---d
quick We met with no ondycnrrc on the road but few
shots at s'key tahs,n and seeing couple ri harmless
Irdans; but in view OF what had happened 1T may be
judged that little ANXIOUS approaching the
station ior H. instead Of the corral should heap
Of smoking runs and an indian camp, We might not
pec Iass without some difficulty. The location Of the
station little hollow under the mountain, that
could not until within 4 iew hundred
yards orit assure you thai il with little
iief that assembled the last hiil, the
still sale aud thc men nos ins about Bur for moment wc
We're n doubt W" had come N full view Of the place aud
had not set seen man. and several moments OF the most
anxious suspense oisucd ere out. relieved IL
was growing dark the night of Tie lst Instant and
the delightful which nearly all the way had
chcercd our midnight travel was now no more 10 be
seen. We had e. pass through the Apache "DJubtlu
Passo cac troia tue supposed great danger from the
narowness Of the road and the frequency OF Indians
Mere ~ iact, entering the most dangerous portion
the Apache country. swallowed hssty suppor-becf,
bacon and hortcakefor the purpose Of getting through
the IuSs possible. The pass could not be
10 advantage though could discern uon ccn side Of tho
narrow road tie perpendicular rochs, aplnrEy ready 10
fail upon ihe distance ,,e next station thirty
seven miles ana len oi these lay through this pass.
nof sony when goo through, though W. did no
meet = soi excerpt inst AZ ac staredhe Ancrics Coz.
SUI al II passo and friend The next staun called
Aarh, Iass and from thence We had anolher thirty.
mic ride monctonous plains skirted
With high hills 10 Dragon Springs the of the awfl
attempted murder q three Americans b. four Mexcans,
II thu con,an, stations. have already given You
Tie particulars II this affair IA Former lcicrgving the
names ot Burr and an old man named Cunningham as
York defending himself bravcly With his PISTOL and
cscapng believe he still lives, aud has received largo
nambcr ~ letters which were sent him by the hst
land mail II would seem hard that he should die, after
surviving the pans oi hunger and thirst and bleeding
wounds ior four day and three nights
From Dragon springs the app o the country for
thu i've miles i entirely defcnt the pre-
ccdng The ruad leads through deep glcJs AMI bells "
creeks and walls and once O. the inter
mnahe masauiic timber oaking Ike crab apple trees
sntcd oak when suddenly wheeled into the valley II
the The stream self insignificant but the val
Iey has the appf Of having been stream &c
iiscfborcrc as s, by the bluffs of AIR ipty end
ing PLAIN. far above IL level on the west, and sopDg
hills the east our road led few miles north In this
valley In which there Is not, that we could see, respect
ably sized tree and nally crossed the strca-f by that
name might he dignilai-and took a westerly course
over the his from which We had line view Of the San
Pedro valley. However uninyitng this valley may ap-
pear, l. sad to be very fertile, but 20 long IL "a le
now aprcy TO merciless Indians, no man settle
there safety. there any portion Of the route caca
lated impress with tho necessity military rroic
ton for the rout" Of this overland mall - this very last
running through the heart OF the Apache country
our rad leads NJ TO the Cniqua rycrthe only ev
deuce u which i - ano white sandy bed hroagh which
drag wearily for four miles The land, however is
good and able of cultivation; nj present Is covered
ior the whole length of the river with species
sa grass, which grows % erca, height and large
hers of sun flowers, which were quite welcome after the
nowcrlcss hills aud deserts through which lad passed
the banks Il the valley of the largest cactus
plants had yet sccn towering ~ height o from ten 70
sxelyc feet aud often higher, with bodies of fu
diameter. We ascend from tho valleys a. The Cngua
with lis beautiful grass and weeds To thc mountainous dis
tr approaching Tucson, the nrs, city Arizona after
eavng Nessa worthy of note. We change horses
before leaving the cnaua Tor ts heavy sand and the
ug hard hills are very wearing uloO the animals Aiier
hard ugping find ourselves ~ the last HILL and
apparently ON mountain pain while Just pccrng above
IL base We see on every side the iols " other
mountains, juttng their crapgy peaks against the SKY,
~ all Their rugged grandeur. Tho sun is rapidly
setting and while IN the west We behold the declining
day in the east tlcre sisns fast falling night The
heavy clouds lower tho mountain tore. Nnred
with tho rays of the In all toe coius Of the rainbow,
quickly changing their forms, gaze on them,
and resolving Themselves INTO rnrious shapes mbing
numberlcss animate and naninaie objects 1lc peaks ~
tic western mountains standing out bold relief from the
rafng rays oi The sun mmeiissey behind them,
H. the tall spires and housetors ~ burning city, the
urrets of fortress blazing with cannon and almost
listen or the vail OF the sufferer the artillery.
IN mcaatcN around us tho tail plants n the SPANISH dag
ger Iear Ike 80 many soldiers standing guard in tho
darkness q the night, till almost expect them "a cry
Halt, aud give the counersen.s u while ndngng
" tbs dreamy reveric that aroused by the drivers
unToetc voice. "Hailoal here's the western mail ia a
muss' And sure enough " was the third NAL
from san Francisco about twelve miles nom Tucson
two days ahead Of time, but ia a decided muss from
l.4NL lg.I