Arizona republican., 1906-12-12
ARIZONA" Tilt TOPIC
 OF THE W0MAN'S CLUB
Interesting Addresses at Yesterdays Meeting by Col. McClintock and Miss Sharlot M. Hall.

Yesterday was Arizona day and d ''red letter day in .he history of tlIe Woman's club Mrs. Dwight R. Heard. chairman of the history department, presided with her usual grace and dig nifty.
 The session opened with two piano solos, Mexican dance music. Why Not?" and At Midnight" by Mrs. $. F. i CraVens.
 The club was peculiarly fortunate in being privileged to hear two such speakers as Col James II. McClintock who is a well known authority on Arizona matters. of remote as well as of recent origin. and Miss Sharlot M
 Hall the territory's most distinguished literary woman, whose knowledge of her theme was complete and exhaus- | tive
 Colonel McClintock's address was quite humorous and at times thorough | ly realistic. It consisted mainly of personal "reminiscences of life in Arf- zOna during the seventies and early eighties. He described in detail the conditions which obtained here during the "Maricopaville boom" A large | portion of his remarks was devoted to ! Phoenix. He spoke of attending the | first dramatic performance given here in which the classical play Uncle ! Toms Cabin" held the boards. Tn lieu of hand-clapping applause there was q staccato of pistol shots through the roof of the tent where the show was | held
 In 1879 the population of Phoenix was 15OO, one-half of whom were Mex tcans. Witchcraft was not unknown | here for one old woman was clubbed to death on suspicion of practicing her | incantations. Incidentally the colonel made a tenn perance argument. stating it as a fact that no mosquitoes were inhabitants of this locality until beer and beer kegs became known in the community. The incidents related of the punishment of transgressors, by vigilant committees.
 were thrilling in the extreme. and would furnish prime material for a whole group of realistic and blood cUrdling novels.
 1 He spoke of the establishmentio of the first church and of the first school house. and closed his remarks with an appreciative tribute to the early set
 tiers of Phoenix. The whole address. 1 if published as it should be, would b. of interest to the general reader. 1 Mrs. R. M. Tafel sang two cowboy
 songs. 'The Lone Prairie" and "To
 Phillis." Miss Sharlot NJ. Hall de-
 scribed the class of people who were the early settlers of Arizona, and the
 circumstances which led them to emi-
 grate from the south and the north to
 this territory. She spoke at length of
 the families. the miners and the ad- : venturers. who came out along the
 santa Fe trail" to subdue the people
 of this wild land. She pictured the
 dangers and vicissitudes of the trip.
 the methods of defense of the trains. and the means of subsistence of the
 emigrants while en route. She told of
 the burial of her little brother during
 their migration, and how the men of the party. rifles in hand. guarded the ceremony from interruption by hostile Indians. She described the sacrifices
 of women settlers. upon whom the
 burden of home making was especially
 heavy in those early times. But the narrative was enlivened with romantic and sometimes humorous incidents of f the frontier life of those days. | Her first Christmas tree was vividly recalled. About dozen families par ticipated in the affair and the presents for the little ones were necessarily O. home or-domestic manufacture. for the nearest town was sixty miles distant. At the first wedding in Prescott, many expcdients were resorted to in prepar- | ing the feast. For instance the pie l crust was shortened with "coon grease" instead of lard.
 She closed by reading a very pa thetic original story of life on the "Old
 TraiI' entitled "The Old Rocking | Chair
 A rising vote of thanks was tender ed Colonel McClintock and Miss Hall i for their very able and interesting ad- ! dresses.
 The next session. December 18th, i will be devoted to the Holiday club
 bazaar to which everybody is cordially 1 invited.