The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-01-14
correspondence of Asso. Press)


Hermosillo, Sonora, Mex, Jan. 10
The Yaqui Indian has been the
trouble maker of northwestern Mex
leo for generations and his recent
outbreak is but one of a large num-
Der which have occurred during the
administrations of Diaz, Madero and
other leaders
Starting with the Bronco Yaquis
along the Rio Yaqui in southwestern
Sonora early in September, the revolt
has spread to many of the allied
tribes including the Mansos Yaquis
who have been peaceful in the past
and who derived their names from
the fact that they worked with their
hands.
In the rich Yaqui River Valley of
Southwestern Sonora the Indian up
rising has had it's center The Indian
towns of Potam, Vacuum, Bacum, La
Colorado and Suaqui Grande have
been scenes of various Indian raids
and Mexican federal troops have been
unable to make any great Roadway in
conquering these warning tribeSmen-
The revolt reached its height after
the fall harvests of corn, beans and
garbanzo had been harvested. Store
houses where these crops were put
away for the winter: were looted and
the Indians extended their field of
operations far into the north toward
Hermosino, the capital. Ammunl-
ton and rifles were smuggled across
the Sonora border for them and a
number of engagements fought be-
tween the Yaquis and the federals
resulted in the routing of the gov
eminent troops
The basic. cause of the unrest
among these northwestern Mexico
Indians is the land problem, At one
time these Indians owned and titled
thousands of acres of the most fertile
land in the republic which was
watered by the Yaqui river, These
lands were gradually confiscated by
the various governments and parceled
out to favorites of the fagIling powers,
The Indians claim they were given
inferior lands in place of their orig
tnal holdings and insist upon the re-
storation of these tribal holdings, One
American company now controls
100000 acres of land in the Yaqui
country, much ofw hich is claimed by
the Indians.
The Yaqui tribes were originally
agricultural people with a bent for
hunting in the mountains during the
winter. They are stocky, sturdy and
possess many of the traits of the
American Indian. Fighting has lately
been one of their chief occupations
as they have been on the warpath
either in their own interest or for the
various de facto governments for is
years.
During the days of President Diaz
the Yaquis were dispossessed of much
of their fertile valley lands by Cen
eral Torres, the foderel governor of
Sonora Large numbers were deport-
ed from the state by boat to the hot
lands of Yucatan and to Tres Marias
Island, off the coast of Topic This
was one of the chief grievances which
caused the Yaqui war. This war con-
tinued until the outbreak of the Ma
dero revolution when the Indians
joined with Madero against their
sworn enemies of the old fedora
regime.
They did much of the hard fighting
during the Madero and subsequent
revolutions, especially at Colaya
where they were General Oregon.
cnIe1 InalnStaY when villa and hi!
powerful army attacked the en-
trenched positions Of Obregon's Car
rama force. The Yaquis were give1
much of the credit for this victory
which shattered Villas dream of po
litical power and drove him back t,
the border. At Aqua Prieta, Sonora
the YaquiS again aided in defeatin!
Villa and causing him to revert t
his guerilla campaign which included
the Santa Ysabel and Columbus, N
M. Massacres.
General Plutarco Elias Gales ha
undertaken a mailed fist campaign
against the Yaqui Indians in Sonor
to suppress the present uprisings. H
has interned the peaceful Yaquis i
RECOMMENDATION camps and has or
dered all others hunted down an
killed. Wholesale deportations to tn
hot lands of Mexico have also bee
threatened
The Yauuis are divided into tw
classes. One is the Bronco Yaqui,
which includes the frecest of the fight
ers and the sturdest of the trbesmer
The other class includes the ''Mansos
or peaceful Indians.
Numbers of attempts have bee
made to convert these Indians t
peaceful ways. President Madero ha