Bisbee daily review., 1907-06-22
OF APACHE RAIDS HUGHES RANCH
Thrilling Narrative By Pioneer of Arizona of Bloody Times In Which Twenty-Two Men Were Killed.

} afterwards re-occupied ia 1866 and
 named Camp sCrittenden. on the head waters of the Sonoita creek, Southern
 Arizona, 20 miles from the Mexican
 line. State of Sonora.
 The ranch is beautifully located in valley about one mile wide and
 2o miles long. with fine large springs of water passing through 1t from end to end. It is considered by all as one of the most beautiful spots on the | Pacific coast. The valley is closed up by the santa Rita mountains on
 the northwest. the Huachuca mount aims on the east and the Patagonia mountains on the south and cast. These mountains are the highest in Southern Arizona, the santa Ritas be ! ing oyer 10000 feet above the sea level. The Hughes Ranch had about 400 acres under cultivation and an orchard of 1000 fine fruit trees and
 bearing the finest apples, pears, peach es. plums and cherries in the world. Things seemed to have quieted down as far as Apache Indian depredations
 were concerned during the winters of
 'Gs and 69 but with the early spring
 the hostiles commenced murdering
 and stealing in every direction. I had | four teams breaking up the new land to plant crops as soon as possible. IL was necessary for every man to hare a sharp carbine fitted in holster
 on the blow. Each one of us had pis-
 tols strapped around our waists to
 have them handy in case of need.
 Early in April 1869 the ranches
 down the Sonoita river from five to
 six miles distnce were raided by the
 Apaches and about all cleaned out. the owners killed and everything laid
 waste. About ten days after this raid II was blowing in the field not far from the road leading down the val ley. There I saw coming down this
 road two teams loaded with farming | implements. 1 also saw MT. Penning- l ton and his two sons with the teams. When they were close up to me l
 asked them where they were going
 and he replied::'I am going down be- low to start ranching." l said to him:
 "Mr. Pennington don't go down there, you will be killed before month i passes over your head" and he re plied What are you doing?" "oh, ] I am farming a little and Joking out 1 for Apaches." We'll said Penning- | ton. If you can do it I guess can, 7 1 and he then passed down the valley | and inside of ten days he and his sons yere ali dead, being victims of the Apaches. They were shot down at their blows in the field while planting
 corn.
 From this time on no peace was
 known in Southern Arizona and for
 four long years on the ranch VIC 1 never left the house without rifles in
 our hands. No man worked in the 1 fields without his rifle standing near him. Every man in my employ had
 his arms, and 1t was as necessary in
 those days to outfit every man with arms as with tools for labor but for
 all that the arms were in fact of very little account The Apaches were
 never fighters. but were assassins and nothing more They hid themselves 1 for days near some ranch or highway and watched every movement made and as soon as the ranchman or trav- eler became a little careless then
 would come their chance and death
 and destruction would follow
 On the Hughes Ranch the men al ways lost their lives through care ! Iessness: tha when working in the fields they would get too far away | from their arms and the Apaches would get between them and their arms and destruction was sure and complete. On the highway they would go at it in a different way. They l had high lookouts at different sections
 on each road and from these points of
 observation they could easily select ] the place of assassination. It was not 1 fighting because one half of the men
 ever killed by Apaches never knew what happened to them and most of l the balance after being fatally shot 1 were murdered in cold blood. During 1867. TO, II. '72, '75, and '76 twenty two men were killed by the Apaehes
 on the Hughes Ranch.
 The first attack was made early Monday morning in March 1870 when men and ranches had been cleaned
 out about every week near to us. I We were always expecting attacks. A large crop of potatoes had been planted on the ranch in the year '69
 and they were left in the ground to be plowed out as needed. We hitched up our teams which were three of the 1 finest teams ever seen in Southern Arizona on Q ranch. Two teams were
 hitched to the blows and the other to
 wagon. The wind was blowing a gale with the prospect of a storm and
 we had OUT hats fastened down to
 keep them from blowing off. We had
 made three rounds jn the field when
 ] heard shots which were very faint
 as the wind was blowing with us al the time in the direction in which we were going I stopped my teams
 and On booking up I saw the valley full of Apacbes. They had at this time killed man of the team in front of me and had wounded another when he was making for the wagon On
 which were three other men but he being so badly shot he was oyertaken
 and lanced through the back, killing him instantly Tho Indians were be-
 tween me and the wagon and .he oth-
 CT two unwounded men and about twenty of them were coming for me i full tilt. cut away the harness from
 one of the horses and made my es- cape to Criftenden When ! arrived there got twenty men under com
 mand of Capt. ". !. Ross. On re- turning we found the Apaches had
 killed two of our men and destroyed everything not portable and had run off all the stock. We found where | the Apacnes had hid themselves Ia the high grasses surrounding the potato 1 field and from this point opened fire on us. I presume they had fired many shots at me but on account of the high wind I had not noticed them. t,-r<t 4t,<. hr,fff<z