The Arizona sentinel., 1878-12-14
CrabDe and His Filibusters .
From "reminiscences Of a Ranger-L. a.
Republican,.

Republican,.
Many deny that Crabbe was a filibuster
but I affirm that he was, and the assertion
is based on the following fact: In 1856 the
Walker government in Nicaragua was a
conceded success, and flibustering was
popular. Crabbe was disappointed poll
tician, baving aspired to an election as the
Know Nothing candidate for United
States Senator on the meeting of, the
Legislature of 1856 He was ambitious
and poor, and had married INTO ruined
proud. Walker had conquered a firm
footing in Central America, with the
capital Of Mexico as The objective point Of
his career of conquest. Crabbe would
start in on Sonora, wage his conquests
seUthward, and would meet and greet us
as common brothers in a common cause,
and celebrate the conquest of Central
America aud Mexico in the ancient capital
of the MOnteZumas. How do / know this
as being the ambitious dreams of Crabbe
when he left San Francisco for Los An
geles? This is the way I know it. Being
in Nicaragua at the time, we received let
ters from our friends, members of the eX-
petition One in particular from Admiral
Gift-that is, George W., you knOw-who
was to command the navy Of the grand
invasion that was to throw thirty thous-
and men into Mexico before the heat Of
summer falls upon US" II Nicaragua we
had the secrets Of the invasion, and were
bantered as to who would be first at the
feasts in the City of Mexico. Crabbe was
a tilibuster, and why not? Were we not
all fiilibusters at the time9
The Ainzas were family OF Manila
Spaniards, an old man with three highly
educated sons ard several beautiful and ac-
complished daughters, the oldest Of
whom married Crabbe, the next married
Racy Bevan, the third gentleman named
Corteinou, the fourth DR.. TalliaferrO, a
member Of the Legislature of 1856. Cor
telnou went with Crabbe to Sonora and
was killed. The Sons were afterward ar
rested and imprisoned in Sonora, and
were released on demand of the United
States, they being naturalized citizens.
The Ainzas came from Manila with i'm
mense wealth and settled in Sonora,
investing all of their capital in mines and
lands, which were, in the due course of
revolution, comfiscated, and the Ainzas
came to Los Angeles as refugees, after
wards settled in Stockton, and later in
San Francisco, where they dwelt in 1866.
Accordingly in 1856 there was rivalry
between two chieftains in Sonora~Gandara
and Pesqueira. Gandara was in, Pes
queira was out. So Crabbe made an
arrangement with Pesqueira to help him
Gust Gandara, and Pesqueira was to re-
store the confscated Alma estate and
reward Crabbe's followers with land
grants, and horses, and such like privi-
leges. That was only the entering wedge
to the towering ambition of Crabbe, who
was man Of confessed great ability.
It seems that when Crabbe's plans were
perfected he had about one thousand men
enlisted Possibly some two or three
hundred went to Yuma, where some de
fection took place and many abandoned
the enterprise. Crabbe, like P1zarro OF
renown. gave all who chose the privilege
of backing out but informed them that
after once breaking camp at Yuma all
would be subject to strict military discip-
line, and desertion would be punished
with death. He set out from Yuma, how