Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-11-17
TENDERFOOT
EDITORS ASK
FOR THRILLS
Capt. Wheeler of Rangers Gets
Letters From Back East"
That Show Gross Ignorance
of Arizona Conditions.

Captain Harry Wheeler of the Ari-
iona Rangers returned to Naco Sun,
day after making an extended trip
over the territory in the interest o,
the ranger force. This fs a regular
trip which is made by the ranger
captain at certain intervals, and much
OF tae territory which is covered by
the ranger force is checked up.
In speaking of the work of the force
and the territory which is covereu,
Captain Wheeler stated for the Re
view that everything is making fino
progress and that conditions are Gu
tirely satisfactory. Conditions are
certainly gratifying all over Arizoua
and there is an excellent feeling pre-
vailing everywhere. The cattle aie
in unusually good condition and the
stockmen are in the best of spirit. ]
have never seen the cattle industry
more prosperous and Arizona cattIe-
men are bound to come out in fine
shape this year The range is par
ticularly good"
Continuing, Captain Wheeler SAID:
TT was pleasing to find that every
thing was reported quiet over the ter
ritory and the ranger force has been
confronted with little or nothing Sc
rious from an official standpoint of
late. There Is no territory where
everything is SO Quiet and where so
little disturbance exists as right here
in Arizona. The time of the bad man
is with the past, and the Sunday story
writer Of narrowing tales of the
bandit and the outlaw must draw
wholly upon his Imagination, or must
depart to other fields.
1T is amusing to read some of the
letters which I receive from the yell
low journalist of the east In quest of
material. From the tenor of their let
ters / am almost persuaded that we
still live in fear and trembling of oio
Geronimo and his raiding tribe of
Apaches, and that the shrek of the
iron horse has never been heard IN
our domain. Some of them even
think that we still live in nuts and
are cleaving our way through the
wilderness with a meat axe. 1t seems
as hard to civilize those blood-thirsty
writer's OF the east as It was to break
the power of the lurking Indian on
the frontier more than a generation
ago.
ITO all such there is but One
answer, and that is that there is less
lawlessness in Arizona today than in
any of the thickly populated cities
and states of the east; that law ano
order is the predominating feature in
the southwest, and that men are to-
busy building their homes, developing
their mines and founding a new and
splendid civilization to give a passing
thought of the robust and fertile
imagination which is continuing to
libel and nisrepresent the west"
Asked as to the continuing OF the
ranger force, Captain Wheeler OBJ
served that it was entirely with the
territorial legislature. "They know
what the ranger force has done TO-
ward looking after the interests oil
the Americans along the International
line, as well as the cattle in6&ests of
the territory. That a mounted police
Is to the benefit Of the citizens of
the territory there is no doubt. There
are twenty-three members of the
force and eight, or more than one
chise county. This for the reason
that there is more or less business
growing out Of Mexico, and of the rem
egades from both sides of the line
lodging back and forth. This is to
be expected. I have heard very little
objection to maintaining the ranger
force, but it comes up in the legisla-
ture at regular intervals, and has
some following from certain sources.
This is up to the people, of course,
and they must judge for themselves
what their best interests may be-"