Arizona silver belt., 1901-05-02

Sun.
 There are 5O,00O inches of water in the river today and not for years have the prospects, of this section been so favorable. A wet winter followed by the present large supply of water for irrigation purposes is condition which has not existed for many years. A glance at our broad acres of alfalfa and waving grain; our thrifty orchards and vinyards prove that the striking of oil in this section would mean sim ply additional prosperity. Tempe News.
 The Tombstone Prospector says that it is almost impossible for the Arizona X Southwestern railroad to handle the freight business that has accumulated at Benson. There was at one time in. the Benson yards l76 carloads of freight | destined for Naco, Douglas and BiSbee. An effort is being made by the Arizp- ma X Southwestern company to buy locomotives from other railroad com panieS, as it is impossible for the fac tories to fill orders earlier than No vember.
 Mir. Hugh Hewett has sold to J. J, Fraser, for cash consideration Of three thousand dollars, his cattle ranch at Queen creek, twenty miles northeast of Florence and all of his cattle, including IA brand. This gives Mir. Fraser practically control of all the range from the center to the south side of the Superstition range. Mir, Hewett has been resi- dent of Pinal county for about twen- ty-hve years, and during all that time has been q model man and citizen. The Blade hopes old Pinal will not> lose him as citizen.
 The work of boring for oil in the Tempe district is now in actual opera ton and developments will be watched with great deal of interest. During the ast two weeks number of oil eX- pertS have visited the Tempe fields and they are all iavOrably impressed with the surface indications. or course it is something Of a speculation, but when we consider the fact that in Wyoming, Colorado, California and Texas, where oil has been found the conditions are similar to those prevailing in this sec tion, there is good reason to believe oil will be found here.-NewS.
 At the April term of court at Solo monville out of twenty-One criminal cases nine of the defendants were sen fenced. The severest penalty imposed was imprisonment for seven years. TliS was in the case of Lafe Gibson. convicted of manslaughter on trial for the murder of a Mexican named Martinez at Eden last October. Next in severity was the penalty imposed on Pedro Palma, convicted of placing an angle iron and railroad tie on the track of the Gila Valley, Globe X Northern railroad, and thus imperil- ing lives and property. The sentence in this case was five years at Yuma.
 The mineral fields of Arizona offer the richest regions for railroads of any section of the United States. It is said that every branch railroad in Arizona is most profitable invest. ment. This is owing principally to the fact that they all tap or pass through the mining districts. There are scores and scores of mining dis tricts which have hundreds of thOuS- ands of tons of rich ore awaiting the coming of railroads to the end that mining supplies may be had at reason able rates, and that ores or the pro- duct of the mills and furnaces may be transported at rates which will make the mining and reduction of these ores profitable. Star.
 At this writing it is not expected that there will be any need for either a grand or trial jury at the May term of court for this county, and the dis trict attorney recommends that there be none called. This speaks well for the conduct of our people. Accord ing to the last United States census Pinal county had population of [ ,169 and yet there has not been felony committed within her borders during the six months just past. There is not county east of the Rocky noun tains that can show such record for law and order, yet the eastern states men affect to believe we are not fitted for local self government or qualified 10 assume the duties and responSibili- ties of statehood. They should come west and be enlightened. Arizona Blade.
 The Baltimore Sun contains an in- teresting article descriptive of Tue son and other Arizona cities, which was written by newspaper man who recently visited this city. It is an en- tertaining article, and one of the most