Arizona republican., 1906-11-30
LORD DUPPA'S STORY
TALE OF TWO WORLDS
Life Drama of An Arizona Pioneer as
Told BY Captain Banta, who knew
Him Well.


Captain A. F. Banta. than whom
few have lived longer in Arizona. in
a reminiscent mood the other day. re-
lated little history that is perhaps
known to nobody else in Arizona, and
surely but very few people anywhere.
The chief figure in the story is the
late Lord Darrell Duppa and the in
terest in it lies partly in the fact that
Mr.. Banta says he knew Duppa very
well and is quite certain that that was
not his right name, unless it be con-
tended that a man may call himself
anything he wants 10.
To make the relation of interest to
those who may not have known Dup
pa. it is quite necessary to refer to
him as he was generally know in Ari =
IONA. The early residents of Phoenix
know only that he was among the firsI
white settlers in the territory and that
he was a man of eccentric habits but
impressive personality. He was tall,
not remarkably so. but lowered some
what above the average man. He was
genial and jolly with those who
claimed any familiarity with him, yet
he was reserved and communicative
to nearly everybody. when the matter
OF his own life story was the sub
ject OF interest. He was as straight
as a sioux Indian in his personal
bearing having rather a military ap-
pearance. With a quite heavy black
mustache and of dark complexion he
was taken sometimes for a French
man. sometimes for one Of Spanish de-
scent and he might have been taken for
Latin extraction of almost any
nationality. Nevertheless he was not
as dark as most Italians, nor more so
than maD- Englishmen and Americans
and in reality he was an Englishman
by birth. His accent favored the
English dialect. though it was not
noticeably marked He was a man OF
fine education, a voracious reader and
a delightful conversatioaalist when he
chose to be.
Duppa never posed as a man Of
wealth and was usually found with
empty pockets though he received i
quarterly remittance from England, a
fact that was generally known. His
custom was TO spend the greater part
of his time in the hills, especially dur
ing the later years Of his life. He
would come to Phoenix about the time
his quarterly remittance was expect
ed to arrive. Securing it he would pay
the obligations that had accumulated
since his last visit to the city and with
the remainder would outfit for another
trip in the hills. He was Ostensibly
a prospector but it is said of him that
he did not have to work and only did
so when he felt like it. \ large part
Of his camp outfit would consist of the
latest books and If he preferred to lay
around camp and read rather than
work there was no reason why he
should rot do so. 1t has been said that
he named Tempe and Phoenix. the
former after the vale OF Tempe in
Greece and the latter as symbolical Of
a new civilization on an old one after
the manner OF the tabled Phoenix bird
that rose from its own ashes.
Similar claims are made for Jack
Swill.ng. another picturesque Arizona
pioneer. by his surviving friends and
acquaintances. Where the honor should
rightly rest seems 10 be still open for
settlement. 1t is only known that both
men were N this vicinity at the chris
tening and both were classical schol-
ars and the credit when given 20 either
seems justihcable Duppa had no
family. so far as known here and a
number of .ears ago died in this city.
leaving no estate except his personal
effects.
Captain Banta says that his first
meeting with Duppa was in Prescott
in 1868. He strolled into a saloon in
that city, conducted by the late Cap
tain W. II. Hardy and a partner,
the former dying only few
months ago in California where
he went for medical treat
ment. after a long and adventurous
life in Northern Arizona. He was not
introduced at the time but the digni-
fed bearing of Duppa made such an
impression on him tha- he inquired
the mans name and learned what lit
tie there was to be known about him
at that time. He did not meet him on
any familiar footing until sometime
in the early EOS. when Phoenix was a
mere stage station consisting of a few
adobe houses. He had occasion to
travel down this way from Prescott
and reaching the Aqua Fria river, be
tween Phoenix and Wickenburg he
found Duppa in charge Of the stage
station there. He prepared to spend
the night and made himself as comfor-
table and as much at home as pos
sible Captain Banta noticed more
than anything else the fact that Dup
pas shack was full Of books of all
kinds. among them many classical
volumes including Shakespeare, the
older poets and some in Greek Latin
and French Not only were the books
an evidence OF the mans taste and
culture but this was further impressed
by the fact that nearly everyone Of
them was thumbwOrn and marked