The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1878-03-09
Yuma in IS54--IV.
(By Lieut.. ". Wichler.)

| tOHMS - IOS1 y MES.
The Yumas and Cocopahs are
said to be very treacherous races ;
they conquer, not by fair and hon
orable conquest, but by craft and
cunning, and midnight attack ;
they steal upon their enemies
under cover of night, and beat out
their brains with clubs or, under
the garb OF friendship and peace,
invite each other to feasts, and
suddenly fall upon and kill their
guests; or, taking advantage of
the absence of warriors from their
villages, massacre the remaining
men, old women and small chill
dren, and carry off as prisoners
the young women and larger
children. They look upon this
kind of warfare as right and hon
orable. They follow their war eX
peditions on foot, possessing only
few horses.
Their hunting as we'll as war
weapons are bows and arrows,
clubs and knives. / have not seen
ii rife OF gun of any kind among
them.* The bow is made of will
low; the arrows are of reed, part
of the shaft of arrow WOOd-the
point tipped with a head of hard
stone, either jasper or agate, but
neatly and sharply edged; they
are winged with the gay feathers
of the various birds of this cOun-
try. Their clubs are of mezquite
wood, three or four feet long. On
one occasion, as Major Fitzgerald
was escOrting train up the river,
he discovered them moving their
families; pressing them too hard
they turned upon his command
and, in defiance of powder and
ball, attacked it with clubs at the
very bayonets' point and forced
the soldiers to retire.
An instance of the strategem
and bad faith practised by these
different tribes upon each other,
was told me by the officers at the
post. The Cocopahs planned the
massacre of all the captains of the
Cuchanos in 1851, to accomplish
which they intended inviting
them to a feast and Staying them.
The plan was overheard and told
the Cuchanos; the latte er fell upon
the former the same night, killing
several men and carrying off wo-
men and children. To repay them
the Cocopahs made a visit to the
CuchanOs TO recover their priso.
nerS, and again invited the latter
to feast, who unsuspectingIy ac-
cepted during their absence the
the Cocopahs fell upon their viii
lagos and reciprocated the treat
ment they had previously receiv-
ed. Macedon, the principal chief
of the Cuchanos, was killed on
this occasion /; he was much be-
loved by his tribe, and is spoken
of as an Intelligent and high
minded Indian; his death is said
to have occasioned much grief.
This was the time of the outbreak
of Antonio GarraS, who had lea
gued all the tribes of Indians of
South California against the
whites intending by simultaneous
and well concerted attack, to ami
hilate the Americans and drive
them from the country. He was
afterwards taken and shot by the
military at San Diego, where his
grave is pointed out to the passer-
by.
On several occasions, the officers
commanding at Fort Yuma have
been instrumental in securing
peace; but the Indians being ma
turally suspicious of each other, it
does not continue long. A treaty
was made between them whilst
we were encamped on the Colora-
~Fire-arms are extremely rare among
them now, in 1879.