, 1870-05-08
THE TRAGEDY AT MOHAWK
STATION.


HI 1oaEFENE CLIFFORD. )
We called it our noon camp, though It Fae
Ours was the only ambulance in tho outfit"
though there were ao1ne three or four ohcers |
besides the Captain. The Captain had baen
ordered to report at head4uarte1sln San Frau ]
cisco before going East, md was travelling
through Arizona as fast as Uncle Sam'a mulea !
could carry him, in order to catch the steamer
that was to leave the Pacific coast at tho end
Of the month. Il Is Just year. and the Pa |
ci6c Railroad Fas not yet completed, which ac-
counts for the Captains hasto to reach the
steamer. Il
When NC made noon camp at the govern
ment forage station called Stanwick's Ranch,
we had already performed an ordinary days
march; but We were to accomplish twenty-five
1niles more before pitching our tent l1terally)
at Mohawk Station for the night. These sta
t1ons % are not eetuemeuts but only stopping
places where government teamsters draw Tor
sge for their mules, and whore water is to be /
had-the statiun-kaepera sometimes seeing no
one the whole year round except tho govern
nent md merchant trains :,; passing qgs.a .aons e"
Lunch hAd been despatched, and was
lounelng,: with . book in my hand, on the
1 seatol the alnbnlauce-one Of those nncom.
fort1ble, atfddiB- called "dead-earts,' with
4 two seats running the entire length Of the
FEulC4e-NAEu AAc NAEIaA4 PA4 AAA1 AAo9H - ~
Say that there was an American woman at the
station. White representatives OF my sex arc
few and far between" in Arizona, aud bad
made up my mind to 60 into the house and
speak to this one, even before the Captain
had added:
at is the woman from Mohawk Station"
The Captain assisted me out OF tho ambn-
lance, and We walked toward tho house to-
gether. The front room of the tat adobe
building was bar-room. store, Office, paEfor.;
lk..- AtA f1Y JrE fEk
| Station" entered the back room, at the po-
lite invitation Of the station-keepeE, with
! whom tho Captain ten into conversation IN the
zt6fa Of DN=fuusd. ~~.-~~
The woman wns youDg-not over 25-and
had been on the way from Texas to California
I with her husband and mn OK team. when Hr.
Hendricks. the man who Kept tho forage sta
ton at Mohawk, found them camped near the
house one day, and induced them to stop with
him; The woman took charge ct the house,
hold, aud the man worked at cutting flrewood
on the Gi1a, and hauling 1t up to the house
! with tho station-keepeE'A two ho1aas, or at any
| other Job which Mr. Hendricks might require
! OF him. She had been healthy, hearty woman
when they left Tesas, but labozing through the
hot sandy deserts, suffering often for Hatsr
and sometimes for food, had considerably
! "shakon her" and she waa glad and willing to
| stop here, where both abe and her husband
! could earn money, and they wanted for neither
| water nor food-such as 1t is in Arizona. 1t
was. vas neu ~ peueso suo - 1set ei neon a.as ~.
guse, iea5iess molna 10 s.;s sat .uet" 1 sewGt ssi
! eyes that seemed readJ to start from their
eosis Ms1 N.Y. ,eap ev'1; ~ .staa .rcar+s;n
,hothy evae ~ ,, aeaeut H. sIr;at;nt. Ia
form:
"Tes, yes" she said, brosthing hard, and
speaking very alowly. it Come in-itn do me-
good You're the first woman I've seen since
| NTc,, ma Al, ,,ont r. ,, a,;5 a;tti,r doun
On the eaee Of tha he'd IA feT;,,rI, ~ t,'an"1,
| Ihaa been her intimate ftiand Tor years !. ttnr
viii il acitate yon and make Won eick ;"
| .nNo." she made answer; Il an dying now,
woman, and tel ler The wholo story before
die. II almost chnkes ma sometimee becauso
can't speak about it. I Ihayen1 eeen anF one
but my husband and tho station keeper these
last three weeks-the1e is 10 little travel nov,
"You sec, one Saturday afternoon there
morn. and stopped at Mohawk Station to camp
for The night. Il was cold. rainF, busteyinF
day, and the men tried 10 bulld their hres
againBt tbs wall OF tho house, Il VA. tha only
1 wind and rain, as Ar. HcndEicka vonn mi
aNov them 10 come into tho housa. Trsttv
! Hoou Mr.. Hendricks 1roye tfaTn ~ +hnu1b
: they pleaded hard to stay; and Colonel E..
Who had aEflred in tbs ueautime on Ms way
; to Tucson told Mr. Hendricks that, Il be knew
anything about Mexicans, these two
y uld Come buck 10 take revenge. Per
haps Mr. uenaric1s himself was afraid
Of it, as ho picketted bis tyt
Lo.ses out between the Colons1's lent and Tia
Louise, for fear the Mexicans might corae and
drive them OFT. But they did not return till
I sunday afternoon, when, after consaersble
! to wezk ior him. The Colonel Ed pulled m nr
stakes Ard hsJ gone on his wsv to h,cson ,nmn m
JaF morning, so that ve were ulone wlti, thc
NcxicanB dqtine the night. But thoy bohoyei
. ! tbeluselTes Ike sober, steady men And ill.,
D 10 tlo Hyer. some ttrro miiea aTav. to cu
wood. which thew we're to Laul un With the
team ]ster h tIe dnv Have yon Heen ~ No
! hawk stsfion. ana Do you know how the hons,
! il built = she asked. interTuptine herself.
/ I've csmped there On our way out." said
i tbroueb tha vhole Length I'd Of tha house. an ans
: tome Two or three rooms open into each otbe
] on aitter aide.
/ .Yery well: YOU remember the kitchen il
: the last room on the left Of tho corridor, Whil
9 the sto1e-room and bar is the first room to til.
I III. Hendricks' bed etood,s Just under the win
, dow; aud opposite to this roon, next to the
Q liiclen. is tho dininK-room.
aIt yas still early in the day. and Nas
busy IN The kitcheu, when / beard i shot free
in The front part OF the house; but as il vai
n | D0tllnE u1uEuAl Tor Nr. dGp0l1cKs 10 QIG a
:. rabbit or coyotes from the door Of the bar.
!: room, I thought nothing OF ii, til ssv tvt
Mc1icans, some tirne a{ter. riding oil towart
the mountains. When I first Baw them,
fhoucht thev rnirht bc Going TO take the horeet
down ia tha 1yr2. buf thrn. + aaid to myseAf
he Gil don't run along h tLo mountains
t All at once . dreadful thought 1as,,cc;
+ through nv Lead. and I bcrsn to trer11,1
= 20 that 1 could hardly stand On m
J | feet I crept into tho corridor on tip+toe
# and went into the bar-room from tho Outside
: From the bar-room / could Look on aI1
3 Hendricks bed, Ho wna lvinr across thc he'd
q with his head ;ust 1,nder H,e wintiow.
u wanted to wake him M. to tell him that III,
r Mexicaus were r1akiup ar with h;s hnrsas In
= somehow wsa afraid To c,1l onts;da ~ ~,
8 house I'LL I got to the gindaE Ana Wa,
q Looked il. Oh Jeart Oh dearI + c.n't foT1s
k tho d1eadfpl stony eves tI,,t a,s-a,1 ~ So 81.
froa, tIo i,r71iseS 1n3 hiooi....;eaa1 ~;
:, after n,clocir tT~nss D1o ~ ~
+ no,,I5 Dsr1s111 ..l.sx ~ i"n ~ lAet ~ =
sa SDus J.. fssnafa sn oaeat to nave gone INTO tn
a eouH ha1. H. wste ae.'19 asa9 ~ utse. y. -
aYd ~, siI,,xn r.t - ~ a, Ioua no.. ~
= h.ad III tsn.a; -. - .ae Gitecaou my t nus
tboaeht ~ ha,ta ~ ,aa .o',,o MORNING. a. one ans
: Luousnt neaFa eomo one ranning behlno
, me, ana, Nhen turned to look, the s!ippers
.. sanu uaael my 1eet gave way, and 1eA heaa'
> Ioag iato oea q eactua, tearing and scratch,
hs my lace anu hhnds and arms; and when ]
soy np agnn Thought tonde ono was jumping
ont from The verde-blshes, but it Was only 4
Eab1t running along. Before I got mnny steps
iurther slipped again, and something ratified
Ill., "1ssleo ttI1 Ttos9 " NO. Il WIS ras-
ness msnAhg " mmen en- naa stepped IN ny blind.
INV ~ more a. and m ~ .f,ooa1 n not ~ ses ny oteas
d,,1r,, AIN luse ~ "dsn .ooagns ! must tall
1 1A"4 nat A1ey eaH UJ QQsb2ua COIL.