The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-02-22
them at the postofice. No wonder

am poor
The dicker and trade way of doing
business alluded to before is still
very prevalent The merchants send
their cash to the bank at Tucson,
over one hundred miles away, and
pay bills in goods and it is an un.
written maxim here "If you get
hold of piece of money hang on to
it, for if you let it 60 you will never
see it again" A local justice of the
peace was owing man two dollars,
When asked for it he said !: Oh, just
let it go on your next fpe.' To
give an air of truth to this statement
| will just say that we have some
justices, laws and juries out hese in
Arizona the like of which can be
found no where else on the foot
stool.
The large majority of the settlers
in this valley are Mormons. They
are recruited from all nations, as a
rule from the middle and lower walks
of life. and intellectually and morally
will compare with the same class of
people of other faiths They are not
| more honest than their Gentle neigh.
bors, they are industrious, but the
results they achieve will not, in my
opinion, compare with those Of the
good eastern farmer. There are a
few smart. educated people among
| them, and they, thro' the control of
the heads Of the church in Utah, dom.
mate the business, religious, domest,.
ic, political and spiritual affairs Of
the common herd. Like the Apache
they haye found that Uncle Sam has
long arm, and ihe Edmunds law is
observed pretty well. They are as
hospitable as Che rest of the people
here. / was recently out on hunt
ing trip and stopped at ranch away
out in the foot hills and asked to stay
all light They told me to come in,
geye me supper, and after had
eaten, and the old man and ! were
smoking / looked around aud wou-
dered where we were al! TO stay.
The house was built of adobe (mud) J,
and was about 1925, all IN one
room, and with fat roof One lone
bed was all / saw to accommodate
me, the o.i man and woman and six
kids. There was huge fireplace in
one end of the room in which FIRE
cracked merrily. About 9 o'clock
three OF the children began to show
signs of sleepiness, and they were
addressed aud put to bed. When
they were sound asleep they were
taken out of the bed and leaned up
against the wall near the fireplace.
and soon the other three we're put
through the same routine then
was told that the bed was at my dis
posai l protested, but as they in
sisted, and I was dead tired from a
days hard tramping took off my
shoes and coat and turned in.
Along about 5 a. m my old enemy,
the asthma, gave me a jolt and
awakened, and to my great surprise
/ found myself propped up alongside
the fireplace with the six kids, one
of whom was using my abdomen for
pillow. The man and woman were
in the bed, snoring hard and load
enough to scare the bears away. /
have had doubts cast upon this story,
but as ] Was formerly a newspaper
man no one should doubt my veracity
for moment.
Many of the men here would be
handsome were it not for their faces.
The girls are pretty. Fortunately
can prove this, as l recently made a
picture Of one of the valley bellies.
It chanced that her ownie sweetness
was going on hunting trip, about
the time she got the pictures, and she
gave bin one TO take along and look
at in camp. l have had just e1pe.
rience enough with camp life to know
that picture of ones sweetheart rs
Just as essential to well organized
camp, as Bible or a history of the
Ponic war But ne took the picture;
and it Glanced that he, in honting,
ran across a nice healthy eipnamon
bear The bear. in the course of the
discussion, put his arms aronnd the
man so as to hold him while he, the
bear, told hip, the man, how much
be, the bear, thought of him, the
man Realizing the emergency of
the case the man drew cut the picture
of the girl to take one last, fond look
at it. The bear turned his head to
see what sort of q new engine of
destruction the man was bringing to
bear on him, gave one shrek of nor
tai agony, and went staggering down
the trail. Afterwards they found
bim-dead, his face distorted with
,,ch O 1ook of rnntterainfe main and