The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-02-15
ARIZONA.
lBy A. r. Bonney, Nd. D.

cru civilization IS rapidly encfoacn
ing upon the arial desolation OF the
eternal desert |; the law of lilosiye
perspective. magnificent distances,
wonderful prodnctiveness, cactus,
Iodians, Mexicans and type of civ
iaization peculiarly its own when 9
reeurring cycle of progress has taken
up the march of progress where 1t
was laid down. perhaps centuries
ago, By vanished race which once
occupied this whole vast territory.
built irrigating canals, some OF which
serve to carry water to this day,
erected houses. some Of great dimen
siens, the most notable OF which is
she Casa Granda { Big House, which
was ruin when Coronado, the Span
ish explorer, passed through this
country along about 1850, cultivated
the soil. mined copper, gold ant
:surquois, liyed-snd passed away );
leaving nothing behind but crumb
ling ruins, baried ollas containing
The ashes Of their cremated dead, and
quaint implements and pottery to
excite our conjecture and wonder.
No one may now know from
whence came this lost race, nor
whittier they went, our knowledge OF
the causes that drove them from their
homes is little better than guess
work. Perhaps Nature, with erup-
tons of subterranean fres. scattered
death and desolatlon over vast
region, and that ages ago lost and
forgotten people saw 3 Ponpeii aud
Herculaneum. Or foreign invading
warriors rayaged and murdered, and,
flying for safety. did this people
bald the houses which we find
perehed IN the face of the almost
Inaccessible cliffs of the canons
through which runs the Bonita. the
Black and the Blue We find these
ancient heafthssones, and in them
nnnmies, grain. tools, pottery and
weapons That is all The history
OF their existence is sealed book
Those invaders. if such there were,
PASSED also, and after awhile came
the Apache; an understood, silent,
,ireless incarnation of all hellishness
The soft footed wolf that passes my
campfire 10 the night as silently as q
dream is not more swifi nor noisesess
thsn the Apache on the trail OF white
blood The mountain lion, famished
10 desperation, is no. more relentless
when drinking the hot blood of his
Prey than this noble Red Man IN
dealing with such unfostunates as
anay have faiien iato his hands ). and
knowing Injin ecouts, miners.
prospectors and others who stood in
lear of falling into their merciless
clutches carried q small quantity of
some sure and deadly poison to be
faken when als hope of escape bad to
be abandoned.
And new ths apache is passing
The government sent missionaries
among ahem. Someeof the blooming
peace idiots in the East objected to
the outfits supplied these dissemiIa.
tors of modern civilization, which
consisted OF Springfield rifles. pair
of Colts eqnalizers as cal 6 shot)
and mountain howitzers with explo
siye shells, mounted on mules in
stead of Bibles and Sunday School
literature But Miles and Crook as
head missionaries, after Injecting a
liberal proportion of the various
tribes with leaden tracts were able
10 demonei1ase to the comprehension
of the sborigine that the United
States is nation with big n; aud
for GONE time now it has been safe
10 sIeep outside Of fort without
gsuiDg ones ecaiR on
And 80 the Apache is passing
The white mans whiskey, lead and
syphilis, and Natures smallpox, mea-
slee snd pnenmonia are rapidly maxi
ing good Indians of the worse tribe
of savsges the world ever saw
Civilization. as we understand it, the
remnant will never have owing to
their superetitions which no amour.
of education. can eradicate. They
wili never enter let alone live in,
ncuse in which any one has died. SO
q fixed habitation is an impossibili;y
Their other superssitlons are as num
erous as the varying conditions of
climate, the fora and fsrlna of the
desert. mountain and plain They
will eat no fish, as water Tin this arid
country is a sacred thing and all
that comes from il par,akes of it's
holiness They viii not Kill wolf.
az he is a blood brother, and my
observations lead me to remark that
the oDly difference between the two
is: the wolf walks on four feet while