The National tribune., 1903-07-16

oil his morse, which ind become 1rantlc at |
the yells of the Apaches. All the others, |
among whom there were two boys. aged |
10 and II respectively. lay there stark and
dead. scattered about like so many rocks
promiscuously thrown about by an eN-
plosion. All over the place there lay scat |
tered the contents of their four carts CON
structed according to the then prevailing
awkward Mexican style.
The survivor told MS that they had Mt
least eight rifles uamong them. but they
mad unfortunately been placed upon the
carts first and the -four sacks upon them
Well, the Apaches found them all. mas
much as they had seemingly enjoyed the
fun of scattering every pound OF Hour
broadcast, after ripping the sacks All the
space around the carts was dotted with
white where it was not discOlored with
the sicSly. CORY spots made by the VIC
TINS lifcblood.
We gathered the bodies and buried
them in Il common grave. enveloped in
the serapes and blankets, under the wal
nut trees.
FARMING IN ARIZONA IN 1869.
When Wooster returned from the
Sonota we had one more consultation as
to our further modus vivendi We had
scarcely any more goods for sale, and, II
we had had them, there was scarcely any,
body who would buy them; the store had
| therefore become sinecure, as far as
cumstanccs that resourceful man devc-
oped the following plan: He proposed that
| should remain ut the store and transact
such business as still remained; that he
would break ground and bring under cul-
tivat'nn Il level piece of land, containing
about 1G0 acres, situated about one mile
below the ''Palo Parade" upright pole.
| This was farm principally cultivated by
one Sabine OterO and some Mexican
renters. All these men lived in houses
made of upright mesquite poles, the in
| tersticeS being plastered over with mud or
clay. The roofs were fat. and consisted
! simply of n thick layer of earth supported
by the long wands of the fauquiera
splendens, or candlewood of the botanists,
called by the natives ocOtillo. This set
tlcment was situated seven miles above
| Tubac, upon the western border OF the
Santa Cruz River from which the culti-
waited lands were irrigated by bitches.
As / said before. Wooster and | were
fast friends. When he developed his plan
| for farming TO me | could see that he hes
itated somewhat whenever his calculations
reached the point that needed the eNpia-
nation of the ''wherewith." As still had
some cash left from my economies in the
army. | freely offered to put it into the
a agricultural venture, because, although we
might easily find ways and means to OBJ
tain animals and implements and had
good lot of provisions left. nothing but
hard cash would procure the labor neces-
sary for the digging Of the irrigiting ditch,
which would III all probability be about a
mile long and cost several hundred dol
| lars. As for the management of n farm,
big or small. l had full confidence IN
| Wooster as he would always carry out
whatever he undertook. Mr.. Alex. Nc
Kay kindly undertook Ton credit to sur
vey the ditch part of the enterprise with
an instrument of his own manufacture.
and carried it out in very satisfactory
manner.
Wooster. with Ramon. cur man-of-all-
work, started one fine morning in March
to the ground selected for dwelling aud
began to cut mesquite poles in the adjoin-
ing woods and had before long 'palo
| parade" house constructed in the approved
style of the region. into which Wooster
moved with his wife and household goods
about April 10. while | remained for the
time being ut Tubac. boarding wherever
might and sleeping in the small room at
tached to the store
MEXICAN DfMIGRANTs.
The numerous freight trains. consisting
Of immense red wagons pulled by 12-mue-
teams and the still more numerous, clumsy
| and screeching OK carts, brought to Tue
son, by way of Tubae, nearly all the mer-
chandise then sold in that fast-growing
town, and great deal of Sonora produce,
such as -four, panoclias, jerked beef, sugar
cane in season, chickens and eggs. Not
only was the distance. Travelled from
| Gunymas to, Tucson about 100 miles
shorter than from Los Angeles, but the
rate on freight in itself was much cheaper.
These trains We're quite frequently ac-
companied by men who came north of the
frontier to seek work as teamsters. labor
ers, hostlcrs, etc, and by women who
found employment readily as cooks and
| later, on as women of -all-wOrk. The wages
for farm laborers in the State Of Sonora
was at that time Sc per month, work be-
ing performed from sunrise to sunset. In
addition to this monthly stipend, which the
wage Garner generally spent for provisions
and clothing at his employers store, he
was given ration of 20 pounds of corn.
four pounds of beans and half pound of
salt each week. AS soon as he had
crossed 'the line" he could readily find
work from CalabaZas on to Tucson and be-
yond at the rate of 81 per diem, and when
he worked by the ''tarea'' daily task
would often earn 50 per diem, if he was
the right kind of man to do it.
These tasks consisted of certain
amount of work which was assigned to a
laborer according to system established
in Mexico many years previous. Some
times it would mean the digging of a Ger.
tain number of steps along ditch OF
given DEPTH sometimes it was the cutting
for a certain number of pounds OF hay
with a sharp hoe; in cutting grain with
| Il sickle Il CeElstiii dit.t W do Stt pPSN VA A''
a Gays task; the husking Of corn was
measured by the 'fanega,'' as also was
the shelling of it, fanega of shelled corn
weighing about 100 pounds. / have
known several young active Mexicans. and
principally Yaguis, who earned in Arizona
a small capital within one year, which en-
abled them to start n small grocery store
on either side of the line, by perform
ing double task each day.
The wages of women in Mexico are still
lower, although the greater part of them
enjoyed the privilege of eating at the
house of their employer. A good cook
would earn 81 per month. which was then
the price Of very Indifferent pair of
women's shoes. An ordinary cook would
earn about So, and the bread maker tor
tileraJ received from So to $3.50 according
to the siZe of the family for whom a
greater or lesser quantity of the large, fiat,
round disks Of their bread (ortilas) had to
be prepared.
MY MEXICAN SWEETHEART.
These conditions then prevailing in
Sonora brought about the steady influx of
lahoring men and women, who, for the
sake of safety, Travelled with the trains of
/ wagons and OK carts coming into Arizona.
Now it happened that during the period
while Wooster was already housekeeping