The Arizona sentinel., 1877-08-18

were a long time in bearing. the sad'news to their trihe on the Col oradO, This occurred in Septem- Der, 1857. That year was let the first overland mail contract from San Antonio, Texas, via Yuma, to San Diego, Gal. The first mail came through passed: Marico- pa Wells about a week, before the fight. Our old friend SaInueEA. Ames, so long steam boat agent at La Paz and Ehrenberg, accom-. panied it. The next mail came in charge of l. c. Woods. after wards we'll known in California in connection with the failure of Palmer, Cook & Co. and Adams &. Co.'s Express. At that time there was trading post at Mari cOpa- Wells, where trinkets were bartered tVthe Indians for grain, which in turn was sold to emf. grants. I. q. Woods arrived there the day of the fight, and from the roof of the store saw the whole of it. When he reached Fort Yuma and told of the massacre the In. dians laughed' at him, nor would they be convinced until the arri. val few days later of the two wounded fugitives. Then there was Wailing and sorrow such as is rarely witnessed. Every family and every remaining member Of the tribe had lost one or more rel
 atives. Cremation is the tribute their grief pays to the memory of the dead. The corpses of their lost ones being in the enemy's possession, they killed their horses and burned them. On the burning piles they cast their clothing, their utensils and their supplies of food accumulated for the coming winter. Corn, mes- quit beans. dried pumpkin s. and everything were destroyed in their frenzy, and the tribe was left naked, hungry and destitute of bread.winners at season of the year when their own and ma.
 ture 5 harvest were past and gone. They would have died of starva. tiOn but for the distribution of food made to them through the
 Winter by Major Beintzleman, from the cOmmissary supplies at the Fort. Since that time the
 Yumas have maintained an un. broken peace with the whites, promptly surrendering any crim- inal, white or red, who may seek among them a refuge from jus lice. This peace led to a more general occupation of the county. The Overland Mail Company i'm proved the road, changing the route from San Diego to Los An geles by way of Warmers ranch put on coaches, and established stations at GiIa City. Antelope Peak and at Mohawk in this county. Borrowing the idea of raising grain from the Pima In- dians, this company caused a ditch to be taken out of the GiIa at Mo- hawk and the same land to be cul. tivated that is now occupied by James Peck. This was the first farming in Yuma County. We are told this was in the Winter of l855-'59. About this time the Government began to take active steps for suppressing the h0stili- ties of the Mohaves, farther up the river but partly within this county, and several expeditions were made against them. They fought with desperate bravery. on several occasions charging our troops with only their clubs. Dis. cipline and superior weapons finally evercame them. The SUD- ply of troops, of army followers, of emigrants, and of the Overland Company, made considerable bus mess and gradually brought res. idents here in greater numbers. In 1857 a thorough exploration of the Colorado river was made from it's mouth, past Yuma, to above where HardyviTfe now. stands, by Lieut.. Ives. under the auspices of Jeff. Davis, then Buchanan's Sec. retary of War.