El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-15
LAST STAND
OF Fighting Ydquls.


After nearly three centuries of inter
mittent fighting, the Yaqui Indians,
aboriRinees of Mexico, are struggling
once more in war and declare this will
be their last stand First it was the
cavaliers of the Spanish viceroys they
fought and latterly it has been the
Mexicaus. In all of the fighting that
has heretofore taken place between the
Yaquis and the white men the Indians
have got as good as drawn battle,
but now it Is to be fight to the
death.
The Yaquis are good fighters. They
are more than half civilized according
to the way white men measure c1vlllzs-
ton. They are strong physically, with
the cunning, bravery, and endurance
of the Apaches. They are part OF the
Aztec race and have inherited the In
tellectual endowments of the people OF
the Montezumas. They have improved
their contact with the white men until
they have learned the use of rifles and
the best methods of guerrilla warfare.
They are honest friends and tireless
foes, and their skill at single handed
fighting from behind cactus bushes in
dictates that when the Mexicans have
cleaned them up they will know they
have been in fight.
The land occupied by these Indians
pies the northwes corner of the main
land of Mexico. The fertile valley of
the Yaqui river has been their home
for centuries. They have titled it with
industry and skill and they are recOg-
nized as good farmers. They are good
gold hunters also. They are the in
ventors of the method of dry placer
mining which has made it possible to
gather free gold from arid places. and
81 - do in
for that sort of mining is exactly the
same as the Yaquis invented ages and
ages ago.
These Indians were converted to
Christianity by the early Spanish pri-
ests. Their intelligence and docility
were easily improved by the missiona-
ries. It was not until the gold hunters
and land grabbers came amongst them
and began to rob and cheat that the
they could also fight. They made
short work of all the soldiers who came
amongst.th them while Spain ruled in
Mexico. After the Mexicaus took up
the government of the country they
tried to push the Yaquis back out of
the fertile valleys and the gold-f1ecked
hills. but the Yaquis staid and fought
and won.
The last good fight With the Yaquis
began in 1877 and was not finished until
late in the year 1897, twenty years
after it was begun. 1t ended in diplo-
macy and it was the first struggle for
supremacy beyond the Sierra Msdres
that the Yaquis did not win without
conditions.
General Luis E. Torres, who Is in
command of the Mexican forces today,
was the commander who led the Next
cans against the Yaquis in the last
war He was several times governor
of the state of Sonora. 1t was he who
smoothed over the difficulty in the case
of Col. Arvizu at Nog alss, which
threatened to bring on war between
the United States and Mexico.
In his experience in fighting the va
quis in the twenty years war he learn
ed how to deal with the Indians. He
called Jetiabele, the chief OF the Va,
quis. to q conference. This was held
on May Is, 1897, at Ortiz, little sta
ton on the line of the Sonora railroad.
Jetiabele came, accompanied by 800 OF
his good fighters, and General Torres
was accompanied by regiment OF his
rurales, Governor Ramon Corral. the
present governor of Sonora; Vice Gov
ernor Figueroa and numerous other
diRnitaries were present. It was prom
surrendered they would be organized
into militia body and he would be
made their commander. The peace
com pact was signed with great deal of
formality, and the Mexicans kept faith.
When the story of the beginning of
the present difficulty reached this cOun-
try it began with the recital OF the
death of Jetiabele. He tried to res
train his people. but they were wrought
up to degree that would not cool sud-
denly. He then ordered five of the
leaders of the trouble makers shot.
This was done, and the Yaquis there
upon slew Jetiabele. That was the be-
ginning. The Indians set upon fifty SOL
diers in the barracks of Bacum and
killed them.
The outbreak was not unexpected.
For several weeks the Indians had
been giving indications of unrest. The
government had violated part of its
treaty with the Yaquis. 1t had given
concessions to miners in the Yaqui
country. Many American miners have
been pouring into the Yaqui valley in
they felt that they had
cause to rebel. Their sense Of justice
is not to be trifled with more than that
of any other tribe of North American
Indians. Several times they have
slain their chiefs when they believed
them at fault.
It was because they turned against
one of their chiefs about fifteen years
ago that they failed to win a COM
plete victory in the twenty years war.
The chief was harsh and cruel ruler,
and although he was killed his follow
ers caused dissension. Their inter-
necine troubles weakened them, and
General Torres took advantage of this
to make satisfactory treaty of
peace.
One of the potent causes of trouble Is
that the Yaquis have never accepted
Mexican lave. They have code OF
their own, which they retain and will
not change. When the white men ap-