Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1909-10-20
ORRIN BECKSTEAD
LAST SURVIVOR
MEXICAN WAR
TELLS ABOUT HIS LONG MARCH WITH GENERAL
KEARNEY TO AN APPEAL REPORTER

hills were not so high He kept ON
and finally in the afternoon he found
some cattle.
In Arizona We came across several
| old ranches. deserted DecauSe ;Leir
owners had been killed by the Indians,
but OF course the cattle We're left. 1t
! was one OF these places that our hunt
or had found. so he killed a beef He
waited there until night but the train
| did not come. SO he cut out such
meat as he could carry and started
and pretty soon he saw something i'll
the trees which reminded him OF tn"
wild turkeys at home. He blaZcd
away. Down dropped Il turkey. Tho
rest didn't fly SO he kept on shooting.
ne had four before they flew SO he
threw away tae meat and snouldercd
the turkeys. He at length came TO
place where he could ST." thar the
train had gone over some low hills.
He got into camp at daylight.
Four OF us in the mess soon had
two kettles on and We had Il high
toned" breakfast. We camped there
tor that day. We went out to see if
We could nnd any more of those tur-
keys. We only got one nut that gave
us Il good feed" anyway.
Then We started on Il march and
struck the San Pedro stream. We
found several old ruins. We stayed
here II day or Two and then started
out again one morning ON our march.
Some of the mounted officers saw
some cattle on the side of the noun
tain. Our train was Il little below
these mountains. Some of the bulls
fired at them and they made right
for the train. You would have thought
Il pretty good battle was on. all ol
It's shooting. We found We had Kill
mules were killed and two men
wounded. Well" the Colonel said,
Now boys, Wen camp right here.
You go at ii and jerk meat all You
can" We loaded down pretty we'll
with beef. Then We started ON ouL
march again.
We did not find any more cattle
so we struck then for what is now the
city Of Tucson. 1t was then just a
A.eXican government military post. |
Troops were stationed here to keep
the Indians off. The MeXican's : |
wouldn't fight us bur they left Tuscon
and drove before them everything |
that could walk. We had expected a |
fight. We found only four or five
MeXiCanS-old men and women
grinding corn and wheat with Il cOu-
pie of burrOs thai turned the stone. |
The grinding was very slow. We
didn't find anything here but wheat
and corn. suppose We got one
hundred bushels which was issued out
equally among men and mules. We
laid there one day, followed down
on the Mexican's trail but couldn't
catch any of them.
We had about eighty miles Of desert
o cross 10 get to the Gila river-and
without any water. We We're four
days on the desert before We got ac-
ross. We struck the Gila river at Pi-
ma Village. The Pimas were friend
ly, civil and quiet Indians, but they
were fighters. They We're the only
ones that could fight the Apaches.
They did not have much in the line
OF provisions that We could Set-Only
wheat and corn ground by hand. Our
quartermaster had some articles
which he had brought along for trade
looking glasses, pocket knives,
butcher knives, beads ,etc.-justsuch
things as the Indians wanted. Ii was
the first place ever | was wnere mon
cy was not worth anything. You
could offer an Indian five dollars for
Il little Of his flour or meal and he
wOuldn look at it. but il YOU had
trade with you quick. SO we got all
we could there from them. This viii
lage was ten miles long. We We're
there on Christmas day. For our
Christmas dinner we got some water
melons, pumpkins and such stuff as
they raised and lived on themselves. !
These Indians did not like the Mex |
leans and did not trade with them
continued On page foLr.