Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-12-13
A BIT OF HISTORY.
A BRIEF REVIEW OF CRABBE's FILL
 BUSTEROS.
The Compact with an Ambitious Sonora Revolutionist and its Violation The Defeat of Crabbe's Party
 and their Final Murder.


 how was on the point of organizing a rev olution against the State government An agreement was made by which Crabbe- was to bring one thousand armed men to accomplish the overthrow of Gandara. In return for this service his party was to receive an immense strip of land, extend ing across the northern frontier of Sono- ra and adjoining the American line The explanation to be given to the general government of Mexico for introducing armed bands of foreigners and giving them lands, was to be that they were colonists, settling the lands on condition Of protecting the frontier against Indian depredations. Crabbe went to San Fran cisco and gathered together lot of reck- less daring adventures. He started with one hundred men. leaving the others to follow as rapidly as they could be enlisted and organized. The party came by land and, ill crossing the desert from Los Angeles to Yuma. experienced much suffering. At one time their provisions became so reduced that on dividing them around there was only pint of corn to the man. Norval Douglas was of the party and, a companion having stolen and eaten his pint of corn, he shot him through the heart. Another member was brother of the Col. Schaeffer now operating among the mines of Mohave county, Marching up the Gila. Crabbe halted at the spot ever since known as Fillibuster Camp, to recruit his animals 1 before crossing the desert from there to Sonora. Meanwhile Pesqueira had over 1 thrown Gandara and had now no use for ] Crabbe. Besides that, all Americans were unpopular in Sonora, and to have kept his word with Crabbe would have 1 ruined the new governor with his own i people and have compromised him with l the Mexican government. The bitter ness of the war had not worn off The purchase of Apache scalps by the States of Sonora and Chihuahua had attracted a rough lot of blood d-takers that reflected no credit on Americans. A few years before Crabbe's time, Parker w. French had led a party of about 9 Americans from Texas to California. Arriving at 1 Cieneguita, in Sonora, they found the men all gone to the placer mines. They l at once took possession of the place and held high carnival for three days. They hung the priest by the neck to make him tell where his money was: but the old 1 boy was game and swore stoutly that he had not cent Finally his sister, 10 save his life, showed French where the money was. They ravished every female. with out regard to age. and loaded with pro ] visions and plunder, these gallant pio- neers went on their way rejoicing. French afterwards was member of the legislature from San Lnis Obispo county and generally known in California as "One armed French"
 Quite number of such things having occurred the narrow-minded Mexieans were somewhat preiudiced against the brave "GringOs.n and would never have permitted the new governor to admit Crabbe's party. Pesqueira rose to the occasion, denied all complicity with the tilibusteros and began to raise the coun- try against them. On reaching Sonolta the first town across the line, Crabbe realized that things were changed But believing that he would soon be rein forced, that one or the other of the two 1 hostile factions ill Sonora would join him as soon as he secured foothold, with a forbidding desert behind him and a rich country ahead and reckless of the future, he decided to advance Before leaving Sonoita, Crabbe addressed the authorities in the following letter, which was translated and published March 30 1857, in a supplement of the Voz de So nora, the official newspaper of Pesqueria and from which We now re-translate:
 SoNoITA, March 26, 1857.
 DoN JOSE MARIA REDoNDe,
 Prefect of tue District of Altar:
 SIR:
 In accordance with the colonization laws 0 Mexico and in compliance with several very positive invitations from the most infiuentia citizens of Sonora l have entered the limit of your State with one hundred companions and in advance of nine hundred others, in tht 1ar.,
 among you. l have come with the intention of injuring no one; without intrgues, publi' or private. Since my arrival, l have giver
 no indication of sinister designs, but on th' contrary have made pacific overtures. It Ii true that 1 am provided with arms and am
 munition, but you we'll know that it is no customary for Americans or any other civiliz ed people to travel without them; moreove we are about to travel where the Apache
 are continually committing depredations ) From one circumstance l imagine, to m,
 surprise, that you are preparing hostile mea
 sures and collecting force for destroying m
 and my companions l know that you hay
 given orders for poisoning the wells and hay
 prepared to use the vilest and most cowardl, measures. But bear in mind, sir, whateve We may hare to suffer shall fall upon tn heads of you and those who assist you. I coul
 never have believed that you would dehl yourselves by such barbarous practices. I als
  } against us, by mischievous promises, the trib l of Paga5os our best friends. But it is yer } likely that, considering my position, your ex l pectations will be bafied. have come t e your country having a right to do so and 2 ! has been shown, expecting to be receive
 with open arms; but now l conceive that n am to encounter death among enemies tlest tute of humanity. As far as concerns my con } panions now here and about to arrive, protes I against any evil procedure toward them. Yo have your own course to follow. but bear tn l in mind: Should blood be she1, on you f. head be it all and not on mine. Neverth V less you can make yourself sure and procee . with your hostile preparations. As for mo, shall lose time in going to where l hay . for some time intended to go and aSl onl c waiting for my party. 1 am the lea Ter all T my intention is to obey the promptings of u q law of nature and of self preservation Unt
 we meet at Altar 1 remain
 Your obedient servant,
 HENRY 4. CRABBF.
 This letter is given to the warden of Sonoi
 to be delivered without delay to the prefe e of Altar. H.. A. C. n In the same supplement- was publishe n high-toned proclamation, which W h translate as follows:
 > YGNACI0 PESQUEIRA, IF Substitute Governor of the State and Con ,s mander-in- chief of the frontier
 1, To Ills FELLOW CITIZENS: h' FREE SoNoRAxIANs, To ARMS, ALI, As The hour has sounded, which l lately a 0i nounced to you, in which you would have ., prepare for the bloody stI Iuggle which " IT are about to enter upon.
 n In that arrogant letter you have just hea d most explicit declaration of war made .c the chief of the invaders What reply dc r, it merit? That we march to meet him. 'o Let us fly then, with all the fury of heal - intolerant of oppression, to chastise the sava io hllibuster who has dared, in unhappy hol u. to tread our national soil and to provoke. n, sensate!, our rage.
 Ill Show no mercy, no generous sentiments t
 ward these hounds
 Let them die like wild beasts who, dari
 to trample under foot the law of nations, t
 right of States and all social institutions d. H. to invoke the law of nature their or sa guide, and to appeal to brute force alone.
 Sonoranians let our conciliation becoi he sincere in commonihatred of this accurs ,r horde of pirates, destitute of country, religi 1 or honor.
 III Let the tri-colored ribbon, sublime creati Ire of thetenspsu.Qf 1guala, be our only disti ng tive Ksaek s&o Srotect from the enem nd bullets zas <feH as from humiliation and St. frous tz}ze& Et let us write the btauti he wofzs stsxEHfY OR DEATH" and hencefo -as it sf.ai is,ka& Or us one more sentiment, ,r, pts,zest t.j< fFeincible bond that now uni "a tlse VI rS1tie of State, lately divit hg .n soon return covered with glo
 EsN sssaIsl then1NasiaSs of Son