West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-05-11
THE WILD AND wooL1Y WEST.
An Interesting Letter From An Old
Preston Boy Way Down
In Arizona.
Special Correspondence OF the Aneu..

Special Correspondence OF the AEeus.
PHOENIX, A. T., May 3, 1898.
While people in the east and
north are having rain, snow, frosts
and tornadoes, we are having what
would be considered almost any
where fine weather--the warmest
days we have had yet were in March,
S6 in the shade. Farmers In the
Valley are busy cutting alfalfa, and
have commenced to harvest wheat.
There will be good crops Of fruits
Of all kinds, figs, apricots and
peaches are half grown now, while
grapes, pomgranites and pears are
later, but look fine. Strawberries
are just in their prime, and the
finest we ever saw. Oranges are the
latest fruit that grow here, and ]
think ripen in December.
People who visit the Worlds Fair
at Chicago will have chance to see
some OF the natives of Arizona in
the shape Of twenty-five specimens
OF the Pima Indians. Charley
Meadows, better known as "Arizona
Charley" organized at this place
Wild West Show. lie has some of
the best riders that could be found
on the range. He gave two exhibit
tons at this place, which is said to be
the best ever seen In the West. We
saw one of his riders give a wild
Texas steer fifty yards start when
he gave chase. He lassooed, threw
and tied the steer In forty eight
seconds--the quickest on record.
This Show will make tour of the
West aud will arrive in Chicago
later in the season and remain there
some time, perhaps all summer.
We Eastern people have all heard
and read moro or less about the
wild and woolly West. We see
some things here that remind us of
those tales. We see every day hun
dreds of the red skins, as they were
called by the soldiers, and we see
the old pioneers who have been here
for twenty-five or thirty years and
have had many scrape with the
Indians, and have seen the time
that their. lives were not considered
worth cent. We see the old
freight wagons, three and four cou-
pied together, drawn by ten to
twelve horses, with barrels strapped
to the wagon beds to haul supply
OF water to last while crossing the
desert. There are many of these
old freighters who have not slept In
bed for ten years or more. The
Indians are not troublesome, but
they are sullen, treacherous, ieal-
Gus people that cannot be trusted.
They are not allowed in town after
shutdown, but they have camps near
by and are in very early each morn
ing and put in a portion of their
time looking through garbage bar
rels, hunting scraps of bread, old
stale cheese, ETC., which they eat
for lunch at noon. The Govern.
ment maintains q school here for
their benefit, but it is money thrown
away. 1t appears to make them
worse to go to school. They are
taught to talk English of course,
but as soon as they are released
from school they go back to the
reservation and throw of the clothes
they were required to wear while at
school and resume the old STYLE of
dress and the same sullenness so
marked in the Pima, Marlcopa and
Yuma Tribes, and you could not
force a word Of English out Of one
OF thcm with a shotgun. The diff
ferOnt Tribes are growing weaker,
and in few more years the Indian
will only be known in history, as
they are not Of the nature to stand
civilization and progress, which is
following them close and Will soon
push them overheard, as it were.
I. +. Brown.