The Mena weekly star., 1918-01-17
YAQUI INDIANS
 THREATEN MEXICO
Continuing a Fight That Hase Gone oa for Years in EG0rtS to Held Lands Against Oppressors-The
 Worst Rising Since Diaz.

Hermosillo, Sonora, Mex, Jan. 10, --The Yaqui Indian has been the trouble maker of northwestern Mex ico for generations and his recent outbreak is but one of 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 southwest crn Sonora, early in September. the revolt has spread to may of the al- lied tribes, including the Mansos Yaquis, who have been peaceful in the past and who derived their names from the fact they worked with their hands.
 Tn the rich iaqui river valley of southwestern Sonora, the Indian up risings has had it's center. The In dian towns of potam, Vacuum, Ba- cum La Colorado and Suaqui Grande have been scenes of various Indian raids and Mexican federal troops have been unable to make any great headway in eonquering these warning tribesmen. The re- volt reached it's height after the fall harvest of corn, beans and garban- 70 had been harvested. Storehouses where these crops were put away for the winter were footed and the Indians extended their field opera tions far into the north toward Her. mosili, the capital. Ammunition and rifles were smuggled across the border for them and number of engagements fought between the Yaquis and the federals resulted in the routing of the government 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 l fertile land in the republic which was watered by the Yaqui river. These lands were gradually coniis- oated by the various governments and parceled out to favorites of the i ruling powers. Tho Indians claim they were given inferior lands in place of their original holdings and insist upon the restoration of these tribal holdings. One American company now controls 100000 acres of land in the Yaqui country. much of which is claimed by these In- dians.
 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 beer enc of their chief occu- pations as they have been on the warpath, either in their own in terest or for the various de facto governments. for i5 years.
 During the days of President Diaz the Yaduis were dispossessed of much of their fertile valley lands by General Torres, the federal gov- ernor of Sonora. Large numbers were deported 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 continued until the outbreak of the Madero revolution, when the Indians joined with Made TO against their sworn enemies of the old federal regime.
 They did much of the hard fight ing during the Madero and subse- suent revolutions, especially at Celaya. where they were General Obregon's chief mainstay when Villa and his powerful army attacked the entrenched positions of 0bre- gons Carranza force. The Yaquis were given much of the credit for this victory, which shattered Villas dream of political power and drove him back 10 the border. At Agua Prieta, Sonora, the Yaquis again aided in defeating Villa, causing him 10 revert to his guerrilla campaign, which included the Santa Ysabei and Columbus. N. M., massacres,
 General plutarco Elias Gales has undertaken a mailed fst- cam paign against the Yaqui Indians in Sonora 10 suppress the present up- risings. He has interned the peace fui Yaquis in recommendation camps and has ordered all others hunted down and killed. Wholesale tiepor- tations to the hot lands in Mexico have also been threatened.
 The Yauuis are divided into two classes. One is the ''broncho YaquiN which includes the fiercest of the fighters and the sturdiesi of the tribesmen. The other class includes the "mansos' or peaceful Indians.
 Numbers of attempts have been made te convert these Indians to peaceful ways. President Madero had a commission of Indians visit him in Mexico City. Later he sent commission to treat with the trib- al leaders. But the Indians claimed they were not given back their promised lands and were soon on the warpath.
 The present uprising is said by of ficials of the government to be the -.. e