The National tribune., 1903-07-23
Continued from last wcck.)

y UulH sp"th
and her bewitching personality added to my
fast-developing knowledge of her languag &c
and our frequent intercourse, they Will
readily understand that before very long
we became, at first very intimate friends
and soon thereafter passionate lovers
Mexican etiquette, indeed. forbade our De
ing together by ourselves and our lessons
were given in the Majors store, seldom
frequented by customers, and in his pres
ence. OF course, there We're mohents
wien his temporary absence would permit
tender glance, an endearinS word ana
q sweet caress: but otherwise Nache strict
ly observed, menial though she was, the
modesty and seserve practiced in we'll
regulated family.
| boarded with the Major until Nachlta
left for Tucson. where an lnclpleht con, con,
sumption compelled her to seek me9icaI
treatment. This was, however, OIL no
avail: the complaint rapidly developer
into acute phthisis of malignant cii.'iso, ho
ter. and early in the following year the
sweet girl died.
APACHE ATROCITIES.
Although the Indians kept the farmers,
travellers and teamsters contlnuaily on Tue
Cruz Valley during the year 1863 had com
paratively few murders to record. In the
Sonoita Valley L. G.. and G. Pennlngton
father and sor) We're killed IN May whlle
plowing in their field, and all the horses
mules and other movable properly peioiis
ing to the farm was taken. these two
were -the-la remaining members OF the
family. all others having previously sue
cumbed to the willy Apaches. A little
later Benjamin Akin and Mexican were
murdered while harvesting their crop III
Sonoita Creek Thomas Nondag was
killed while standing in the door of his
house. Six United States soldiers were
attacked by 60 Indians, and one OF them
was killed. while they were gatherihs
wood, within eight miles of Fort Critteh-
In connection with the aforementioned
Pennington family must here record the
capture and marvellous escape OF a daugh-
fer of old man Pennington, the father NELL
TONED above, with whom l became ac-
quainted in the Spring of 1859 at Iuoac,
This woman lived with the family at
pIace called Sopori Ranch, situated on
Sopori creek. This ranch is reached by
leaving the Santa Cruz Valley road at the
Canon and travelling about Is miles
southwest on the road leading to the old
town of Arivac. After the Indian out
break in the sos her husband: one Page;
an immigrant from Texas, having invested
his all in that region. made a trip into
the Santa Rita Mountains with some wa
CONS in order to procure some pine TIMBER
growing there about half way up the
mountain. He was accompanied by Tour
men. his wife and young sirl OF about
l4**
AN HEROIC WOMAN.
In this timber camp the Apaches sud
denly pounced upon the party, Killed some
of the men and carried off Mrs. Page and
tie girl. In their fight they reached the
edge of precipice, along which they
Travelled for several hundred yards. Mrs.
Page had not ceased to defend herself
against the Apaches with teeth and nails:
the Indians. thinking themselves pursued
(Which in fact they were), and eXasper-
ated by the woman's outcries and her vio-
lent defense, at last threw her upon the
ground, lanced her several times in the
upper part of her body, and threw her
over the edge of the precipice into the
chasm below.
At the bottom of the cliff there was
small creek whose borders We're densely
overgrown by elder trees and bushes of
various kinds. This foliage broke the wo-
mans fall, which was at least 30 feet.
When Mrs. Page recovered from her faint
treatment she had undergone. she re-
freshed herself with the water of the
creek, and ate and gathered some elder
berries. She was, however, too weak to
walk. On her hands and knees she began
to crawl towards her home, guided by the
sight of the Ba6oGuivari Peak near
Arivac. which lay directly before her to-
wards the west. She came to water again
on the second day while crossing the Santa
Cruz River. Her strength she was able to
maintain by eating cactus fruit and the
pods of the mesquit tree. Completely ex-
1austed, she reached her home on the
evening of the third day in most pitiable
state, from which she gradually recovered.
however, and to-day, notwithstanding her
advanced age (nearIy 70), she is hale and
hearty.
FARMING IN ARIZONA.
After this depression return to Wooster
and our agricultural enterprise. The irri-
eating ditch was completed and nearly 80
acres of the virgin soil had been irrigated
preparatory to being plowed. / arrived
with the remnants of all the merchandise
the store had contained. Wooster had
constructed a fairly spacious 'palo pa
rado'' house for himself and wife, and an
addition consisting of leafy branches rest
ing upon horizontal poles was used as a
kitchen. 4 similar construction had been
prepared for my dwelling. 1t was exceed
ingly airy; in fact the four sides were
nothing but a light framework of candle
wood wands, to which some foliage was
attached by means of strings; so that dur
ing the whole time of my stay there an
Apache or any one else could have stuck
me with lance during any hour of the
night.
Wooster and Ramon were plowing all
day in the field with 24-inch plow Soon
after my arrival Wooster's wife was taken
sick, and l took upon myself the culinary
department, learning to plow in the inter-
walls between meals and dish-washing. We
plowed with oxen. Wooster had his three
yoke of oxen pretty well broken in at my
arrival, and needed no assistance in his
work; while / had to learn the business,
assisted by Ramon, who guided the oxen
with sharp-pointed stick. 1t was virgin
land and overgrown with innumerable
tufts of bunch grass, there called "saca-
ton" This vegetable product has deep
roots of as tough consistency as wood, and
II was no unusual sight to see my plow
point stuck fast at the bottom of one of
these roots, while the plow handles, with
me dangling between them high in the mir.
stood at 4 considerable elevation. Then
Ramon would back the oxen, the effect of
which action was to suddenly release the
plow and dump me upon the ground.
There was absolutely nothing during
those days TO prevent the Indians from
shooting or stahbng us in the back, behind
the plow, from sticking me like a pig in
my bed, or from numbering the solitary
woman in her bed. But none of all this
happened-then!
ON THE GRAND JURY.