The Florence tribune., 1897-06-26


 last visited Florence, consequently many changes have taken place, even in the quiet little frontier town during this interval, and among the events communicated by friends here none have impressed me more than the death of 'Old Reavis, '" known as 'The Hermit of Arizona"
 His death Ras as sad and mysterious as his life-for no gentle hand minis tered to him during his final agonies- and he died as he had lived for so many years, friendless and alone.
 All that is known of his end is soon told. Two prospeetors. wandering over the mountains in search of gold, came across his cabin and knowing to whom it belonged and some of the strange mans life, not finding him within in- stituted search, thinking that they would find him at work in his fields. They had gone but few hundred feet from the hut when they noticed several buzzards circling above a certain spot and concluded that these carniverous birds were feasting upon flesh of some kind. Fastening hither they dis covered the half-picked bones of told Reavis," but not the least evidence to the cause of his death.
 The hermit lived on the very top of Superstition Mountain, about eighteen miles from Florence. This mountain is one of the steepest and most difficult to climb on the Pinal range, but Reavis had cut trail step by step with knife and pick to his elevated home.
 That was many years ago. Heafter- ward cleared with his own hands about twenty acres of rich tillable land aud built himself stone cabin where he resided alone for about fifteen years. Running through his place was a per petual stream Of pure water, and surrounding it was a grove of the most magnificent live oaks in the country.
 Once every month or six weeks the old man would be seen vending his way down the narrow trail toward Florence on the back of burro, driv- ing before him in single file four or five more Of these animals well packed with vegetables which he was taking to market. I do not believe any veget- ables were ever grown anywhere so sweet and delicious in flavor as those raised on top of Superstition Mountain by the labor of this solitary old man. He always had with him two mongrel dogs and carried in his hand an old Winchester rifle, the breach worn to splinters and the barrel thin from con- stant use and handling.
 Reavis came to the frontier in the early sixties aHd was at one time a scout. He was a highly educated man and spoke four Or five languages in addition to English. He was said to have once been fine looking and of good presence, but such conld hardly have been said of him when 1 knew him some five years ago. His hair, which was dark, hung in mat of tangled curls to his waist, and his long tangled beard was streaked with grey. Neither looked as if they had ever been combed. His deep-set grey eyes looked out from under shaggy brows, leazing no feature of his face visible except his nose, which was straight and large denoting character. He was of medium height and walked erect, being very light upon his feet. He wore overalls, a flannel shirt and a seedy coat, and this costume, was told, he had never been known to vary during the time he had been in the country.
 have gathered from various sources some facts with regard to the hermit's history. although the detnils are meager and throw little light upon the reasons which actuated him in with drawing from his kind and living a life of semi-savagry on the summit of lonely mountain.
 When he first settled in this isolated spot, after completing his trail and climbing to the top of the mountain, he built for himself shack of brush and proceeded to clear his land and raise crops which never failed to yield bounteously, living thus for about three years before he built his stone cabin. He bought white horse which he rode for years, during which time he used his burros only for pack animals.
 While he was thus living alone with his little group of animals, his trusty gun and keen bladed knife, the Apaches found him out. One morning he was surprised on looking out of his door 10 see about fifty of the red fiends some three hundred yards from his cabin in a circle holding a war dance prepara- tory to murdering him.
 Knowing the superstition Indians have about killing the insane, whom