Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-07-05
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
4 ReminIscence of the Days of Danger How au Enterprising German Prof
 ited by DeSd Apaches.


 How au Enterprising German Prof.
 ited by Desd Apaches.
 Upon the acquisition by the United States of the territory now embraced in the limits of Arizona, New Mexico and California the boundary line between it and MexIco was surveyed. 4 large party of men of almost every nationality engaged in that hazardous undertaking more for the love of the excitement and the novelty of exploring Q terra incog nita than for the meagre emolumsnts to be derived for such task.
 Among this number was Fritz Cont zen, now a resident of Tucson, who re turned to Arizona after the completion Of the survey, and has since passed through all sorts of hardshIps and dan gers incident to the peculiar and unset tied state of the country from that pc rod until the new era of the present time. Fritz Is as full of "reminiscences as 6n egg is of meat, and be can viyidly depict the bloody struggles between the Indians and settlers in 6 highly enter taIning manner.
 It was somewhere about thirty years ago, according to Fritz's memory, when the incident here related occurred. At that time, upon the top of the hills ad- iacent to the present town of Calabasas, stood hacienda of quite extensive pre- tensions, The adobe walls, whose ruins can still be seen, enclosed large court or corral, and an adjoining corral of les ser proportions, but still quite large, was used as n protection for the herds of stock 8gaInst the marauding in- cursions of predatory Apaches. Two Germans, named Charles Hundthasen and Fred HulsemaD, were in possession of the hacienda, and with the aid of numerous peOns they herded large bands of cattle, horses and sheep in the fertile valley of Calabasas and the shady canon of the SOnoita. They raised grain and vegetables. manufactured blankets and other articles, and not the least upon the list of their commercial transactions was the manufacture and sale of a species of soap, from the oleaginous portions of the animals killed. Cover nor Gandara, of Sonora, was business partner of the two Germans in the cat tie business, and had furnished the herds over which they exercised solicit ous care and protection.
 The Apaches at that time were very numerous, and enc of their peculiar taking ways was the acquisition of any thIug they coveted, and they coveted everything they could lay their bloody hands upon. The Calabssas herds had G q. T, I dwindled to insignificant proportions, and scarcely anything was left of the once vast bands that calmly graZed in the valley, excepting one flock of sheep, and these were guarded with the most jealous care.
 One morning, after a season of ex- treme qmetude, an Apache sqnaw from q neighboring hac.enda, came excitedly 1 into the Calabasas ranch and gave the | startling information that the Apaches | were preparing to raid and piunder the i place, and the time fixed was but d few 1 days distant. The excited prOprietors 1 at once dispatched courier to Tucson ! for a company of Mexican troops then I stationed here. The troops, badly | armed and equipped, arrived at Gala basas the night before the attack. and | they were placed within the adobe buildings surrounding the court, while their horses were hidden within the inner corral 4 small party started out to reconnoitre and soon caught sight of the approaching Eavages. when the lat ter gave chase. Before reaching the hacienda one of the Mexicans was thrown from his horse and was captured by the Indians. They rode detiantly up to the corral gate little dreaming of the preparations made for their reception, and just as they had gotten within the enclosure, at a given signal the troops opened fire upon them. Their surprise was complete, and the confusion 1t cneated gave the MeIicans time to re- load and renew the fight before the Indians could get out of their death trap. A small remnant escaped to tell the bloody tale to their comrades, while over hundred dead Apaches lay within the gorey enclosure. Not Mexican was nurs save the one pre- viously captured by the Apaches, which fact IS easily accounted for by the ex- plantation that in these early time. the Indians were armed only with spears, bows and arrows, and clubs. They had shields made of rSwhIde.
 After the bloody encounter n the corral, steps were taken to remove the bodies. which itself was TO small task. Hundthasen had inst constructed a large vat for soap making, and had partly filled it with strong lye. At this juncture happy thought struck him he had the big fat ApRches stripped and thrown bodily into the vat and bolled them into soap! This is the first known record of any useful purpose to which an Apache Indian has been devoted, and 1t IS stated that 1t made very slippery and treacherous article of that useful commodity. Since that time Calabasas has never been molested by