The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-02-04
Letter from Arizona.

Letter from Arizona.
Editor of TIE ENTERPRISE:
arrived here last night from Nogalez,
coming over on stage. 1t was ride "f
seventy-five miles of the hardest stage rid
ing that ever undertook. We left Noga-
lez about eight o'clock in the morning in
sort of stage called "jerky land 1t rs
rightly named Tor it seemed to me that |
was jcrked in every conceivable shape.
and am so sore and lame to-day that |
move very moderately. Otherwise l am
all right. The ride was one not conducive
TO pleasant frame of mind or refined
language, still l rather enjoyed the novel
ty Of II, but would stand lawsuit before
| would repeat it. A "jerky" is a sort OF
stage on leather springs which is expected
to spring vt the wrong time and in every
conceivable direction but the right one,
and consists of short sharp jerks that sends
you flying from one end of its box-like
cage to the other, and at most unexpected
times. 1t has two seats inside, facing each
other, and seat outside for the drivers,
and is drawn by four horses and mules,
with two Mexican drivers with long raw
hide whips and sacks of stones, with
which they beat and abuse the pooi ami
mails from one station to another. For alb
solute cruelty these drivers are the worst
specimens OF humanity ever saw, and If
drunk on mescal, as was the case with our
drivers. are capable OF more fiendish in
humanity towards their halfstarved brutes
than seems possible from our standard of
civilization.
We started out under flourish Of whips
AMI soon learned that we had our hands
full to keep from being thrown out or the
stage from being tipped over. Three
times it was running on two wheels and
was only saved from going over by all
throwing ourselves to one side of the
coach. Twice they had the horses all
down and tangled up over the pole. The
drivers jumped down and commenced
beating the poor animals with stones and
anything they could lay their hands IN
until we told them If they did not desist
we woud thump their heads, and COM
PEELED them 10 unfasten their horses and
help them up. / had for companions
Special Agent Parker and Inspector
Smoke, and between US we had sufficient
physical force TO make the drivers respect
our commands,
Our route lay down the Santa Cruz val
ley, on a down grade most of the way, a
Nugalez Is about four thousand feet abov,
the level Of the sea, while Tucson Is Onl,
about twenty-five hundred. The who'll
seventy-five miles was through n sparsel.
settled country, and most Of 1t desert lik
in appearance. In some places in th
river the wafer was running freely, thel
1t would disappear, leaving dry river bed
only to reappear again some miles below
an the valley is covered with rocks, sand
gravel and other debris which evidentl
was deposited there by the action of waite
In time Of food. In some places the mus
quit brush grew quite thlckly and kept Il
dodging 10 keep our eyes from bein
scratched out. Back next to the foot hill
there is more grass and is used as pastur
age by ranchmen. These ranches ar
about ten miles apart, and the people EN-
Iloyed about them are mostly Mexical
and constitute nearly the entire popula
ton along the route.
shall always have vivid recollection
Of this ride. II would only take iey
such rides TO make me a good acrobat.
was very laughoble to see us all piled u
10 one end Of the coach with heads, arm
and legs sticking out in every direction
like the quills OF porcupine, only to b,
thrown back again in q similar condition
My derby hat will have to be replaced by
u new one, for II Is now typical western
cowboys crush hat. Do not think we tool
the situation seriously, for we did not
We sang, laughed at and joked each othe
until our ihroats were hoarse and ou
sides were sore.
shall remain in Tucson a couple o
days and then go 10 FL Paso, and am II
hopes to reach New Orleans the last o
the month. The investigation l am en-
gagged in is very tedious one and attend
ed with much labor Have already takel
over five hundred pages Of testimony, an,
II will take at least week more TO com
plete 1t aud make our report to the De
rartment W. II. WILLIAMS
Purify your blood,