Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1901-12-25
Anecdotes Of ~
~ ~ Early Days


house. burning the building to the
ground and carrying off all movable
property. Miller stood at his post
without food or water until finally the
Indians dispersed. either through fear
or admiration for the MANA dauntless
courage.
Ever afterward both Indians and
Mexieans held Winchester Miller in
great respect.
An illustration of his remarkable
personality was given at one time in
more recent years when a number of
Indians and Mexicans had gathered
near the old Hayden mill. They had
lmbibed too freely of n quantity OF bad
whiskey; were fighting among them
selves and had reached such a state or
frenzy that they constituted q danger
GUS element to the community.
An officer was dispatched to arrest
them. Winchester was not sherin
then. The mob simply laughed at the
officer and dared him to arrest them
IL he could. He returned and reported
the state OF affairs. Some one suggest
ed. Send for Winchester Miller"
No sooner said than done. Two or
three went out to his house and ex-
planned the situa ton and asked him X
he would not come down and see what
ter. Rut king on a six-shooter he set
aut for the mill. As soon as ne was
near enough he beloved ut the top of
his voice:
.Qet on. OF here. you dirty devils."
Without waiting u second. upon rec
ogn;xing his voice. the drunken mob
scrambled and fell all over each other
In their haste 10 get out OF the way.
by the time Winchester Miller had
reached the spot not an Indian or Mex
lean was In slight. 49,
There are many conflicting stories as
to how Tempe received her name. Some
say a.. y. Hayden supplied the name.
but the majority give that honor to an
Euglishman BY the name OF Lord Dup
Tor For come reason Lord Duppcr hal
10 leave England. but regularly re-
ceived q good rized remittance from
that distant shore each quarter The
EnalIshman was we'll educated but dis
sipated and squandered the moot OF his
money In drink.
ii In claimed one day q humber OF
men were seated under a mesquite
hush, among them Lord Dupper. They
were admiring the beautiful view of
the valley and 1t was then that Lord
Dupper christened the town Tempe"
q Greek word meaning beautiful val
iey."
Jack Swiliing, one of the early set
tiers. was a hard worker and did much
to open up the country and reclaim the
desert. He was the leading spirit and
organizer Of the Swilling canal. later
known as the Salt River Valley canal.
and also the Tempe canal. Jack Swili-
ing was not only a hard worker but
great scrapper as WELL as near as can
be ascertained. He would fight at the
drop of hat, and before he turned up
his toes had bored holes through the
anatomy OF n number of his antago-
nists.
1t is said that often he had been seen
TO wade into fight where there was
crowd Will, bowie in his teeth and
a couple OF six-shooters throwing lead.
..Old Babe" Is another character or
the frontier days who has history IL
any one has. Babe" in his younger
days was as fine specimen OF man
hood as one would ca re to see-over six
feet tail In his stockings and as strong
n nj, OK. he commanded a con~ider-
,bie amount of respect from all. 1t is
Impossible TO learn n great deal about
Babe" and his early occupation de
has worked or end on for NUMBER
of years on dinerert ranches In the
valley. 1t is intimate:. however. that
in the early days OF the stage Babe
gained q most excellent LIVELIHOOD In
terviewing the stage driver between
rtatlons and compelling the passengers
to toe q mark with the long whip held
high above their heads. When "Babe'
left tire spot with the trembling pas
sengers still holding their hands on
high he generally was considerably
more wealthy In worldly treasure and
the wherewithall to purchase hot
tire.