The National tribune., 1903-07-02

Leslie Il. Wooster and myself, friend
ship which ended only with his tragic death
Mt our ranch in the Santa Cruz Valley III
the Fall of 1870, at the hands of part OF
Cocheese's or else Ez-ki-men-zin's band.
OF this willy chief l shall speak more at
length in another chapter.
OUR HAY CAMP.
On Sept 16 1868. having been discharged
from the army on the previous day, l LETT
the military hospital at Tucson, a. T., IN
order the join my friend Wooster, who was
at that time cutting and delivering hay at
Fort Walen, which was still garrisoned by
one company of infantry, under Govern
-ment contract in which | was financially
interested. The grass along the Babocoma-
ri Valley was quite abundant, and could
easily have been cut with 4 So-called Buck
eye cutter. but l doubt that such an agrl-
cultural machine existed in those days
within several hundred miles of our hay
camp, situated about two miles below the
Flagstaff, upon the borders of the Upper
San Pedro, called by the natives Baboco-
mari Greek. Neither were men very plen-
tiful who could handle Il scythe with any
skill or load up 4 wagon with hay properly
Up to that time tie dry grass of the
mesa lands, which was generally delivered
to the QuartermasterS for hay, had been
cut by Mexicans with sharpened hoes, by
which process the upper part of the root
generally went along and contributed not
little towards increasing the weight, II
not the quality of the hay.
Wooster was. l verify believe, born
farmer, and could perform or very quickly
learn to do everything appertaining to as-
ricultural pursuits.
to make myself useful in every branch of
the hay department. l finally came to the
conclusion that all l was fit for upon the
premises was to cook the meals for the
men-in a sort of 8 way. remember
distinctly that the first loaf of bread l at
tempted to bake in Dutch oven turned
out to be very black. fiat cylinder, which
upon being broken disclosed under heavy,
hard crust a mass of perfectly raw dough.
The first beans l put to boil in camp
kettle together with a big chunk" of very
salt pork developed a remarkable talent OF
becoming harder and harder the more
fired under them.
l will spare my readers description of
several other feats in tie culinary line, and
will only say that l learned in course of
time after spelling a good lot of valuable
provisions and burning my arms and hands
wherever there was a possibility of doing
SO.
SCARCITY OF HELP.
The tents of the hay-cutters had un-
fortunately been pitched too near the
creek, which carried at that time consider
able water The men began very soon to
suffer with chills, fever and ague to such
a, degree as to render several of them unfit
for work. What was to be done? The
Quartermaster demanded hay, and it was,
besides, to our interest to deliver the guam
tity contracted for as quickly as possible,
for fear that the Winter rains, which put
in their appearance quite early in those
higher attitudes, might interfere with our
work. One Saturday evening, therefore,
Wooster said that on the following morn
ing he would go over to see one Samuel
Wise, who was the hay contractor for
Camp Crittenden, and who, 1t was SAID,
was well ahead with his delivery of hay,
in order to learn if we could borrow from
~ him the services of few hay cutters.
Wooster knew that Wise's hay camp
was near place called the 'Cienega"
(meaning swampy spot OF ground; he
therefore struck out On Sunday morning,
accompanied by our Mexican teamster,
Ramon Moraga, towards the pass leading
through the Milestone Mountains, telling
me before leaving that he would return if
possible that same night, or at all events
on Monday morning. He was mounted on
our only horse, a coal black, rather old,
but still very serviceable horse. Ramon
rode one of the wheel mules of our hay
teams.
Monday morning and Monday night
passed and Wooster did not return. As i
knew him to be perfectly reliable in all
things, / could not help but think that he
had met with some accident, and went to
the commanding officer of the Fort (Byt.
Maj. Downey, 32d U. S. Inf.) to see if
might procure mount and perhaps a
small escort in order to start on a search
for my friend and partner. OF course, the
first idea in those days when thinking of
an accident meant Apaches.
Mai. Downey was willing enough to give
me all the assistance he could, but he was
I'll
about 80 men of infantry; neither of the
two commissioned officers had horse, and
the only animals at the place were the
draft mules of the camp wagons. l felt
very uncomfortable, to be sure, but as l
was utterly helpless in the matter had to
resign myself.
AN APACHE RAID.
During the afternoon of Tuesday the
mail rider from Tucson arrived. He came
by way of Fort Crittenden, and reported
that on Sunday afternoon the Indians had
attacked old Mr.. Penningtens OK teams,
which were hauling the hay from Wise's
camp to the fort; that they had killed a
teamster and driven off number of oxen
In the direction of the Dragon Mountains.
Now, if Wooster was on his return trip On
Sunday afternoon from Wise's camp, as lie
intended, these Indians must have seen him
on that open, undulating plain extending
from the MILESTONE Mountains to the
Cienega. There was no longer any doubt
In my mind that my friend and our team
ster Ramon had fallen into the hands of
the Apaches with the inevitable result. /
made up my mind to start out that night,
come what may, to go to Crittenden and
obtain there cavalry escort, and to find
and bury my lost brother. AS to ever see
ing him again alive, that hope had van
ished from my breast.
From Maj. Downey I obtained an old
wagon saddle, which I placed upon a
former wheel mule of our hay teams, and
proceeded to the Sutler store to get some
crackers and tobacco. The sutler, young
man named Royal B. Barnes, must have
been moved by my apparent misery. He
said: Il will be - if l let you go on
this trip alone: you will get lost; l will
saddle up ard go with you" l need not
say how grateful ! felt at this offer, al
though it was really no more than one
would and could naturally expect under
like circumstances in those days of danger
Gus frontier life.
While he was making ready I observed
that the sky became dark. Ominous black
clouds were gathering over the top Of the
Huachuca Range; the atmosphere felt
heavy and oppressive, and it became soon
H.. Al