The herald., 1895-07-09
TUCSON A CENTURY AGO
A Thrilling Story of the City's
EARLY Days
APACHES ALWAYS AT WAR
An. Account Of the Old Pueblo by an
Indian Woman
She ls Over q Century Old, but Remembers
Many Of the Stirring Events
Of Early Days
APACHES ALWAYS AT WAR

We met an old lady this week who is
supposed to be over 100 years old and was
born in Tucson. Her name is Mariana
Dias, and from her we obtained several
historical items relative to old times
which were interestig to us. She says as
long ago as she cam srememb ber Tucson con-
sisted Of q military post surrounded by
corral, and that there were but two or
three houses outside Of it. The country
was covered with horses and cattle and
on many OF the trails they were SO plenty
that it was quite inconvenient to get
through the immense herds. They were
only valuable for the hides and tallow.
and a good-sized steer was worth only S..
The country then belonged to the gov
eminent Of Spain and the troops were
paid in silver coin, and on all the coin
the name of Ferdinand I was engraved,
and money was quite plenty. Goods such
as they required were brought from Son.
ora on pack animals. They had in those
days no carts or wagons. The fields in
front and below Tucson were cultivated
and considerable grain Was also raised on
the San Pedro. and with an abundance of
beef and the grain they raised, they al
ways had an ample supply.
They had no communication with Cali
fornia, and she never knew there was
such a country until she had become an
old woman. San Xavier was built as long
ago AS she can remember, and the church
in the valley in front of town, and there
was also church OH Courthouse square.
which has gone to ruin and no trace OF it
is lett.
The priests we're generally in good cir
cumstances and were supported by receiv-
ing portion of the annual products. but
for marriages., burials, baptisms and
other church duties they did not ask to
receive any pay.
Among the leading and wealthicst men
who lived here at that time she men,
toned the names OF Epum useno CorreIes,
Santa Cruz, Ygnacio Pacheco, Rita Sesa,
Padre Pedro and Juan Dias. On inquiry
about the Apaches she spoke with con :.
siderable feeling and said that many
efforts had peen made for peace with
them. but every attempt had resulted in
failure; that. whatever promises they
made but few days would pass before
they proved treacherous and commenced
murder and robbery again; that they
murdered her husband In the field about
of her relatives had gone IN the same
way; that she was now left alone and
would be in want but for such men as
Thomas Hughes; and then she related
the circumstances of one peace that was
made about ninety years ago. 1t seems
the Apaches got the worst OF fight on
the Arivaca ranch. Several were killed
and the son Of chief was taken prisoner
and taken to Tucson, and the Indians
opened negotiations to obtain this boy.
Colonel Carbon. in command of the Span
ism forces, agreed with them that on a
certain day the Indians should all collect
here, and to prevent treaohery anu being
ho tn ot ;rk o,,I
concealed within the walls of the fort
all the men he could get from all the
towns within 15O miles. On the ap-
pointed day the Indians came in vast
mum bers; all the plains around were
black with them. The colonel then told
them if they had come ON mission of
peace they must lay down their arms and
meet him as friends. They com Piled with
his request and then all the people inside
OF the walls went among them unarmed.
The colonel gave them 100 head of cattle,
and the boy prisoner was brought and
given to his father and they en- braced
each other and cried, and an era of rec
rived. The boy told his father that he
liked his captors SO we'll that he desired
to live with them. and in spite of all the
presuasions of the old man he still in
sisted on remaining. and the Indians
were compelled to return to their noun
tain home without him. The boy was a
great favorlte with the people. Some
time afterwards he went to visit his peo-
pie. but before leaving he saw every one
in the village an bade them good by. and
promised to return in fifteen DAYS. A
few days subsequent to his return he took
the smallpox ana died, and very soon
afterwards the Apaches commenced to
murder and rob the same as before.
Our informant then remarked with a
good deal of feeling that since her earliest
recollection she had heard it frequently
said that we were gong to have peace
with the Apaches, but every hope had
been broken. and she did not believe
we should ever have peace as long as an
Apache lived. When she was a girl they
made two attempts to take Tucson. The