The weekly Arizona miner., 1878-09-06
Letter Prom Thomas Berry.

| green -decked hills and valteys- epjayins nuture's sublime beauties. find myself r once more within the old bastiie ot laya' pai County, with its unatsraetiyc, unea ticing surroundings, the aroma from vhicE
 presents striking contrast with taat o the fragrance of the flower-beds and ths
 abundant vegetation I found everywhere between Prescott and the EdeH of Arizons !. l-salt River. where my bright hopes were
 blasted, and again made to ferl that my lot is indeed a sad one. As your readers are aware, was, in company with Miitor A. Vance. arrested January 9th. 1877, on charpe of haying robbed the United States mail. We were tried during the summer oi TT. found guilty and sentenced to lmprIs- Ionment for life A serious sentence fol men who did not commit the crime. but made to appear as such through the tresch- lerv of others. After our tnSl, etc, we were conducted by Ex-U. s. Marshal Stan- defer to Fort Whipple, and there confined in the guard d-house for e-keepiEg-whcre T we remained until the night of the Il 18th of July. About eight months oi this time our confinement was solil aTy, ac- lcompanied by slow process of starTation Our food consisting of half boiled bacon, bread and soldiers coffee double diluted with an occasional change of paFboIed beef l in pieces that would not have scared a hungry doe or coyote to have tackled them on account of their extraordinary size. To ] complain of our food was only to make bad worse. As for clothing, we had to depend lupon the private soldiers entirely; and in q this connection allow me 10 say. that they were at all times most kind to us. Four months since we made complaint to the I doctors that the close confinement vas in- furious to our health, when an order was given that we should have exercise. IL was dosed out to us in abundance. Under a close guard, ironed down with 15-pound shackles. we were put to policing around officers quarters, digging bitches, laying water-pipe, making roads, tearing down old buildings, putting up stables, white washing. etc; to do all of which, we nec- essarily got to handle tools, and whenever opportunity presented itself, we concealed such as would assist us in making good our escape. Cur assortment was finally com plete; we tried them and they proved to be
 everything desired. We were about thirty days making good our liberty. The cell we
 
 long. The floor is laid on sleepsrs 4yG inches, and raised about , inches off the ground We worked our way 10 the west end of the builoing under the floor, where
 we found the same about Is inches of the ground, winch gave us ample room to work
 and a place to throw the dirt and rock from the hole we were excavating.. The wall runs beneath the surface 215 feet, and job xxr.at tt q
 about completed the tedious undertaking
 of digging our way out, we procured sor,e hard-tack and bacon, rolling 1t up sepa-
 rately, and then bid adieu to the uIiattract- i've quarters we had been so geIleiously | furnished, and were soon standing cut in
 space-free. Here Vance and myself sepa-
 rated, agreeing that we would separate,
 never to meet again. I took to the west of Fort Whipple, went up gulch that led me
 to MT. Hudson's ranch. Finding thst
 was unable to travel on foot, from effects of rheumatism, decided to take MT. II s
 finally led to my arrest and return to Pres
 colt. g
 Allow me here 10 state that, had known
 MT. II. as I now know him, his horse
 woulo have remained unmolested by me. l Il
 southerly direction, which led me into the
 heavy timber, where fine grass and plenty of water met my ever watchfu gaze.
 Alter leaving Prescott a respectable dis
 tance. set up housekeeping on my own
 hook and tried cooking Uncle Sam's bacon,
 in style had not been in the habit Of
 seeing it while sojourning Tn the temporary
 quarters furnished ny Marshal Stsndefer. I had a splendid view of the surrounding
 country from an elevated peak to the
 southeast of Prescott. The next dily after
 my escare 'the ncble animer' threw one of his shoes and me also, the shoe going in
 one direction and me in aDother. The day | following I luckily found an old horse shoe, with some stubs of nails in It which sharpeDed with two smooth stones, and placed the shoe on the foot of my--tHud- sons) horse, in @ style that would have made a son of the Vulcan art wonder. My route was south of Agus Fria, through the
 rough mountains until l struck the old
 road over the black mesa from Phenix ts
 Prescott. 1 proceeded on my journey
 south. leaving the road at Swilling's old ranch, and taking across the hills to New
 River Station or near there, where 1 struck nice spring. 1 formed the acquaintance of three men at the New River mansion, one being black-whiskered Don, the same who finally gave me away. I told these
 parties that I was looking up estray mules. remained in the vicinity of this station ten days. During the time I was camped there, the men at the station passed my camp going out to cut hay; 1 went to their
 hay camp; they returned to camp with me. was the possessor of pair of scissors and one of the gentlemen enquired if under stood cutting hair, to which responded in the affirmative and proceeded to relieve him of fine fleece for which any tonsnrial ar- tist would haze charged him double price At last. sMr. EIIudson came to the camp al New River station en route to Salt River, 1 related his loss and black whiskers' gave me away for $100. 1 saw MT. Hudson ar rive in the evening, as l was on the watch from the top of the mountain absrve my camp, where had enjoyed myself for sew eral days hunting, etc, killing a fine, fat goat which gave me plenty of foed The l next morning, from my elevated state, saw tne wagon take the route in my direction. 1 went down from my roost of the night | previous, procured my camp outfit, such as 1t was, and left for Salt River by d rather 1 circuitons route. When within ten miles l of Salt River valley I halted to r,st my | charger and aching bones from a long ride 1 without saddle, when I noticed hero rid | ing along tho road l mounted and went ouf tn mper him tbipkino he had s,,n mo |