Arizona republican., 1899-03-13
Arizona Day by Day
 Live News Taken From Territorial Exchanges.
, YUMA INDIAN MISSION HISTORY
Interesting Light Thrown On the Subject by Dr. w. B. May.
 Southern Pacific Writer.

southern PlClnc Wrltor.
 Dr. William B. May retired with honor from his profession of medicine and is now achieving something of re-
 nown by writing in Sunset, published
 monthly by the Southern Pacific com pany, of the early Indian missions in the state of California
 Dr. Mays introduction of the subject
 in the February number of Sunset,
 says the Yuma Sun, deals with two of
 the ill-fated old settlements which
 were located near Yuma, and throws
 light on their history which will prove of interest.
 'The Indian tribes at Yuma" says the writer quoted were numerous and powerful, and there was great rivalry for the supremacy, one of the chief contesting leaders being Palma.
 He conceived the idea that a mission would assist in his elevation and made a trip to the City of Mexico to obtain one, professed conversion and was baptized as Don Salvador. Laden with presents for his people he returned ant promised a mission which would strengthen and enrich them.
 'In 178O a party of about sixty per sons, including four priests, with sol diers. artisans, laborers and their fam flies reached Yuma and founded on the west bank of the Colorado on the elevated site now occupied by the Yuma Indian school, Mission Concep- cion. and nine miles below. on the same side of the river, Mission San Pedro y San Pablo.
 ''Tt seems that the fathers, as was the custom, paid little heed to pre- vious occupation of desirable lands and willy-nilly seized upon the ancestral garden spots of the people, freely past uring stock upon fields heretofore held sacred for the use of the Indians.
 There was a savage awakening. The expectation had been support by the missions and daily distribution or presents; the reality, starving Span iards, dependent, they and their herds upon native industry.
 "On July r, the storm that had been gathering burst on these missions, not vet one year old. The first to suffer was the lower one, San Pedro San Pablo Both priests were slain and all others, except three women and two Christianized Indians.
 "Then in turn Conception fell, the total dead numbering fOrty-seven. Several men survived. Two or three of them were of mixed blood and were believed to have been privy to the massacre. All of the women and child ren of tender years were made prison CTS and subsequently, redeemed.
 NO adequate military punishment was inflicted The viceroy, on behalf of the king said, 'Subdue the Apaches first, and until then leave these devils | to the mercy of their Master It has been claimed that twenty thousand In dians participated in the holocaust.
 Ut is believed that the fathers had ] a presentiment, if not premonitiOn of the fatal day.
 For weeks before the massacre they | had been zealOusly at work with the people to lift them into higher spirit uality Something akin to religious enthusiasm filled the hearts of all | Captain Fernando Xavier de Rivera y | Moncada and twelve soldiers enroute | to San Gabriel from Sonora were en- camped on the site of Yuma, sorrowful | witnesses of massacres they could not | prevent After Mission Conception | had been destroyed, the Indians cross ed the river, as, unarmed they could i freely do by swimming and attacked Moncada. Their numbers overwhelm- i ed him, and he died surrounded by his | dying men.
 Tn the distant future there may come a time when the exhaustless mines of California will yield to the demand for the last of their golden treasure No such possibility, however, ' can touch the romantic aroma of it's missions, redolent of heroic self sacrifice and of soul-stirring incident.
 Some laureled poet will sing of a faith that rose to the sublime, and San Carlos, San Gabriel | and Santa Ynez shall vie with Canter- bury, Wentworth and Melrose"