The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Whoops Of the Indians Mingled
With Their Victims Dying
Shrieks.
BODIES CAST INTO FLAMES.
The Rancher's Aged Parents Believed
to Have Met a Similar
Fate.

PHOENIX, ARR. Dec. A.-Details of
the massacre OF Percy Ellerson, the Tonic
Basin rancher and his wife and two chill
dren last Friday were brought to Phoenix
to-day by Jacob Meadows, brother OF
"Arizona Charley" the scout. The story
had been told to Meadows by a pony ex-
press rider who carries the mail on the
Payson route, and it leaves no doubt as to
the horrible fate of the rancher and his
family. When the rider dashed away from
the burning cabin of the Ellersons, after
the Apache fends had thrown the bodies
of their victims into the fire, they had
commenced siege Of the home of Eller-
sons aged parents, a short distance away,
The old man was defending his home as
best he could, but his resistance to the
crafty reds was not likely to have resulted
in victory. Ellerson and his wife I'M
doubtedly met the fate OF their son and
his family.
The rider who gave Meadows the details
of the massacre said that i'll traversing his
route through the Tonic Basin he passed
within a half-mile of the Ellerson ranch.
Early Tuesday morning, as he was gallop-
ing along the trail he heard the Apache
warwhoop. 1t was followed Immediately
by volume of smoke pouring up from the
ranch house. The wind bore the smoke in
his direction, and he could not see what
was transpiring, but soon he heard vol
ley of shots, followed by screams, inter-
mingled with whoops. A second and a
third volley rung out, and soon afterward
he heard the Indians farewell yell.
AFTER the massacre, the band started
out over the trail which l was following"
said the rider. 81 tied my horses jaws to-
gether with my RATA, tied him behind a
clump of small pines and l climbed tall
tree. 1 was seated in the branches when
the band, leading four horses, passed by
on its way to the Elder Ellerson's home.
The Indians were Apaches all right, and
every one of them was i'll war paint and
feathers. After they had gone l went up
to the house.
10 1.-The flowers in the yard were all tram
pied, the trees broken, the fences torn
down and the house, whose ruins were
still smoldering, was burned to the ground.
Every clubhouse had been burned, and the
barn, in which was stored years crops Of
hay-and grain, was IN ashes"
The mail-carrier had FASTENED on to give
the alarm, and, as he dashed away, an occa-
sionaI shot was heard from the Ellerson
homestead. The old man was defending
his hcme.
The murderers undoubtedly belong to
Corley's band, of which Nantango Tayz,
the Indian whom Sheriff Thomson shot,
was a member. The uprising was caused
by the killing of Tayz on the reservation.
where civil officers have no authority. That
the Indians are determined on revenge
can be seen from the fact that they traV-
eIed all the way from near Clifton, in the
southeastern portion of Arizona, to Pay
son, in the north-central portion, in order
to kill the Ellersons, from whose ranch
Thomson started upon the journey which
resulted in the death of the Apache. The
people of Pleasant Valley are fortifying
their homes against attack.
Perley Ellerson was very popular in his
section. He was sober and industrious,
but he made mistake when he planted
his home in such an isolated spot and so
far from help. In that section many In
dian massacres have occurred and during
the famous Tewksbury- Graham feud years
ago thirty men were killed. 1t was near
there that the great Indian raid OF 1882
occurred, during which number of fam
lies shared the fate of the Ellersons in
This more recent tragedy.