davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
0LD- TIME STAGE DRIVER TELLS OF
 INTERESTING LIFE

News of big and wonderfully rich gold strikes reached us at White Plains, New, just as the excitement there was petering out" recalls John Branen, a guest at the Pioneers Home Most of these stories were spread by people who had never been to Prescott, but liked to be thought wise. Finally, party of IS started for the Arizona diggings. This was early in 1889. We arrived without mishap and. of course, found the stories of finds much exaggerated. In our party were Dan Thorne. Doc Tcmpkins, Jack Moore, Joe Cum mings and lot of others whose names I do not recall. We all went into the store kept by Abe and Dave Henderson, which stood where Kast- ner's is now, and got drink, and then we separated.
 While prices for everything were high, wages were low. I worked at Skull valley for while at SAC and found and it was all round ranch work. Then some friends of mine who knew I had driven on the Over land, got me a job on the stage from Prescott to LaPaz. I was not to start in until July 10, but Doc Tompkins, who was driving then, wanted to be in Prescott over the Fourth of July, so I took the stage
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

ters, good and bad, that made up the population of Maricopa county then and since.
 One of his best recollections is the fact that although he was employed by the Wells Fargo company for sev- en years as a messenger in guarding bullion shipments into Phoenix from the Nulture mine and from Prescott, his stage was never held up nor was ever an ounce of metal missing. On the third trip after Wells-Fargo had discontinued it's service in carrying the bullion and when it was being transported by the mining companies, the stage from the Nulture mine was held up, the superintendent of the mine. Dribble, and two guards were killed, and the bullion shipment sto- len
 Captain and Mrs. Mcdonald have six children living in Phoenix and one in New York, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren His children are: Captain Ted Mcdonald Phoenix fire department; Miss Belle Mcdonald, Mrs. Lizzie Coyle, Mrs. Frankie Collins, Mrs. Matte Crosier, Miss Ollie Mcdonald and Mrs. pr. Alma Godfrey of New York City.
 For 25 years Captain Mcdonald has been a member of the police depart ment and carries badge No. 1, having particular charge of the Five Points district, near which he lives.
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

T agreed, and he disappeared with
 his wagons loaded with wheat. And
 he returned, just as he agreed, with
 every animal I had bargained for.
 T suggested at the time that he buy my Nutrioso ranch on which had raised the wheat, but he only smiled. The next year he came to me and said: Mr. Coulter, l want to buy that Nutrioso ranch of yours
 and put colony on it. l haven't got any money, but I can pay you
 in cattle.'
 Again we made a bargain. The
 Mormons had the finest cattle in the country. He agreed to deliver 500
 head of Devon cattle. Again he had
 to ask for time since the cattle were in Utah and he wanted to put his people on the ranch at once. It was then March l felt that he was thor oughly worthy of trust and gave him | immediate possession In November he delivered every head of stock called for by his agreement. There never was a question between US as | To what was to be done.
 T then started a ranch on the San
 Francisco river about 75 miles from Silver City. This was about half
 way between the Agua Caliente and [ | looked on as neutral ground between l the Navaios in the north and the Apaches in the south and therefore safe country I started butcher | shop at Silver City and delivered by wagon to all the country raound- It was in the, latter part of 1878. The | Apaches were out, but they had gone down into Old Mexico and l thought everything was so quiet that l had -t,< l Silver City, come out to the ranch with the baby That baby was Fred, who ran for governor in 1915 l | had 15 men riding tho range and l didn't look for any possibility or | trouble.
 linen word was brought in one. day that a band of about 700 Apaches under Geronimo and Vitto- I rio had swooped up from Old Mex | ico and had killed nine of the men working at the Cooney and Chicker- ing mine. only short distance away
 We at once sent out to get in our
 horses, but they had already been
 driven off by the Indians. The men had gathered at the ranch house and
 we had plenty of ammunition so that | when the Indians did arrive. about o'clock the next morning, We were able to give them warm recepuoh- |
 1.-TWO of our fellows, Wilcox and
 Williams. were killed l was snoe | through the right leg and another of our men was shot in the arm But | we killed a number of Indians al their first charge and were able 10 stand them off The Indians hao expected to find us easy victims ana | thev were enraged at their losses. All that day and until 10 o'clock mat ! night they continued their aftacks-
 But they had been killing cattle out
 on the range and when their supply l of ammunition began to give out they
 withdrew, taking. their dead with | them.
 One of our men started for Silver | City shortly after nightfal to sum mon help. He got through all right and soon every ablebodied male in habitant of the town was on the way to our ranch But before they ar | rived. Captain Cramer had reached us with four troops of cavalry and | they kept the Indians on the run. The Indians had killed about 1.50o Of my cattle out of pure spite, leaving | the bodies to rot untouched, on inc range"
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
REPUBLICAN IN '76
 REPUBLICAN TODAY

'When I came to Yavspai county from Wisconsin in 1sS1," recalls An drew D. Whitney, guest at the Pto- neers' Home, ''the hills were covered with giant pine trees hundreds of years old. l got a job SIS head saw yer with a saw mill on the Big Bug and for three years we turned those trees into lumber for shipment to build the houses of Phoenix and for mine timbers- When we quit there were no trees left
 "A large part Of the supplies foe Prescott were then hauled up from Phoenix with heavy wagons and trail CTS. The wagons would then load up with lumber for the return trip
 Being a Republican was a pretty lonesome job in Yavapai in those days. But l had voted for John C. Fremont in 1856 and had joined up with the Union army in 1862. I kept on voting as l had shot and I expect to keep on doing the same for some time to come"
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
Early Days of Life In Phoenix
 Are Here Related By Lon Feel

Scene: A rangy adobe dance hall located on the site now occupied by the Doris -Heyman furniture com pany.
 Time: 1873.
 Characters: Pioneers of the Salt River valley.
 Men and women were stepping off the old fashioned square dance to the strains of an orchestra half hidden from view and we'll out of the way of the dancers on an elevated plat form. Suddenly loud voices arose in one corner of the dance hall. A shot was fired. Men clutched their six shooters which hung conveniently at their sides More shots were fired A man dropped Women screamed Members of the orchestra made q wild scramble for ambush, and then the platform gave way and the mu- sicians dropped to the floor amid a maze of struggling men and women and falling instruments.
 This is only one small incident Of many which occurred in the early days of Phoenix, as recalled by Lon Feel who now conducts a grocery store on North Central avenue.
 Lon Feel migrated from Texas to Arizona in 1870, when he was 16 J large party which travelled in a freighter train of 40 wagons. In this same train was Emma Morrell. At the Pecos river the train was di yided, one half taking the southern route into Arizona, and the others making the trip by way of Albu- querque, the San Francisco noun tains, and down into Prescott. Lon Feel came into Arizona by the north ern route, and Emma Mirrell made the trip with the other party. To- day Emma MorreH is Mrs. Lon, Feel
 Arriving at Prescott, October ' 1S7o MT Feel stayed there for about a month and then came south to Phoenix. There was not a house of any kind here when he arrived People were living in wickiups. The first house built here, according to Feel, was an adobe erected by man named Dennis, on the site of the pres ent Phoenix flour mili building at the corner of Ninth and Van Buren streets. The place was used as 8 postoffice and general store.
 Outdoor celebrations and entertain : ments of those days were generally held at the race track, which included a quarter section known as the Olo Man Buck tract. It was bounded by the town ditch on two sides and Sev- enth avenue and Roosevelt street.
 One of the events observed in the 79s was San Juan day. Those who participated in the sport of this oc-
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
How The City of Phoenix
 Was Given Present Name

beginning of the present great cana system of the Salt River valley.
 This company had individually taken up ranches, but in all this set clement there was no town, no cross road store, no postoffice and no name known in the world. The Salt River valley extended hundreds of miles along the river from its junction with the Gila to its source, broken by the ranges of mountains into many val leys-
 One of the four men sitting on the border of this new made canal was writing letter to Prescott. The let ter was a co-partnership affair, being joint order for supplies. When the letter was completed a question arose It goes to Prescott, but whence does it come? "We have no name for thii place: let's give it name Will someone suggest a name E
 Swilling said, Let's call it Stone wall" Starr, one of the party. in 6 sarcastic tone. said, "Yes, call il Stonewall" Swilling, Southerner was displeased, and said, Well someone name it"
 'I think Salina would be a goot name," said Starr. To this Larson re- piled. NO, we don't name it that; tllat means a salt marsh. Let us no give out the impression by it's name that this valley is a salt swamp ol alkali flat"
 "Then," said Lord Duppa, '1et mt suggest a name. This canal was partly built in a time forgotten now Prehistoric cities, now in ruins, arr all around you; a prehistoric civ ilization existed in this valley. Let { new city arise from the ashes of these ruins. Let us call the city that is tt be built Phoenix" Swilling asked fol the meaning of the name.
 Lord Duppa replied: There Is mythical story of a bird in Arabia resembling an eagle, with wings rec and golden. On arriving at the ag' of 500 years it built funeral pyr' of woods and aromatic gums and lighting it by the flaming of its wings, it was consumed to ashes Out of these ashes a new bird arose.
 Good. the very name." exclaimed the others So the address. Phoenix Salt River valley" was written fol the first time. Near where thes' men were sitting was, and 1un is.
 ruin of perhaps the largest pre- i historic temple in America. Som' years later, about four miles west l a town was laid out, and from m ashes of forgotten cities new cit! has been built and its name Is Phoe nix
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
PHOENIX MANF INDS THE FIRST LIME IN
 THIS STATE IN 1892

Lime was first discovered in Ari- zona by George H. Putenney, Of 1ls Woodland avenue, in 1892. At that time MT. Putenney was working on the branch of the Santa Fe railroad under construction from Ash Fork to Phoenix, and he discovered the mineral in a railroad cut. Although many others had noted the formations they were searching for blue lime stone and failed to recognize the gray variety in the northern part of the state.
 He established the first kiln at Ask Fork and for many years supplied the entire territory with lime.
 MT. Putenney is SS years old He located in Denver, Colo, 62 years ago, before the city was named or had a house. and remained there for 20 years. During the Civil war the set tiers of that community were os- tracked from the rest of the world by the Indians who realized that fed eral soldiers were engaged in warfare in other parts of the country The Indians kept the Colorado settlers banded together in their limited zone of safety for four years
 Eli Putenney. brother of George H. Putenney, settled in Prescott in 1864 and finally prevailed upon George to join him in 1873 Coming down from Denver, George Putsnney arrived in Yute. N M. at the time the Indians had massaacred the agents and many of the inhabitants of the place AL though travelling with only two help CTS fin addition to his family and bringing 20 head of horses and eight mules, the party managed to get through to Arizona without molesta- ton.
 Their danger was not so much from the Indians as from lack Of food and water. The trip from Pu- eblo, Colo, to Prescott required two
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
MET INF AMOUS
 APACHE KID YET
 HE STILL LIVES

One of the pioneers of Arizona who has seen more thatn his share of ad- ventures is J. H. Lynch of this city. A native of Pittsburg. he left the Smoky City in the early 7O's ana found employment with the Atlanuc S Pacific railroad which was then pushing it's way through Kansas and New Mexico He remained in the employ of the railroad until after the line had reached Arizona. Then. attracted by the rising glory or Tombstone, he went there and for several years he remained there and about Tucson
 MT. Lynch kept meager notes of the things he witnessed in those days On May Is, 1883. accompanied by Filipe Garcia, he left Tucson with 1s head of horses for the Tres Bio tes ranch, eight miles south of Ariv- aca. On the first night out, at the ranch of Alfredo Durazo. they got the first word of Indian trouble. It was then that Geronimo was start ing out on his last great raid which couple of years later was to end in his capture and removal from the west.
 The second night they reached the
 Sopri ranch, kept by Juan Elias.
 There they found all of the houses deserted. They went into the Indi-
 an country one day further and at Mexican ranch the third night out they met an Indian boy whom they asked about the Indians on the war path. The boy told thenf that Ge-
 norimo headed the party. From the things that afterward developed they concluded that the Indian boy be longed to the party and that he was travelling through the country as a scout for Geronimo to report upon 1 the condition of the ranches.
 The next morning they learned 1 that butch Henry" driving a freigh- l ing outfit from Tucson, had been 1 murdered by the Indians who had l captured a load of flour and had | driven off a large number of mules | That day they learned that all ot | the stock on the Arivaca flat haG l been driven off by the Indians. Here they were overtalIen by a | letter sent after them by c. C. Ste vens of Tucson, the owner of the l horses. They could not read the let ! ter but they guessed at the mean l ing of it and their guess turned out | 10 be a good one-that it was to i bring the horses back. But Mir. Ste
 vens had wasted paper and ink. tc say nothing of the time of the mes
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13
By James c. Goodwin University of Arizona Monthly,
 I.r,,,r,k 1o0f

In the fall of 1869, four men sat on the border of a newly constructed ca nal. These men were citizens of the world, the nucleus of the citizenship of Arizona. J. L. Larson was of Da- nish birth. He had prospected Arizo- na from Harrisburg on the Colorado river to Pinos Altos on the New Mex ican line. He had passed over trails, stumbling upon victims of Apaches, while behind him the Apaches killed and scalped others. but "Burro John was never molested. He travelled al- ways along a trail behind his burro with his eyes on the ground Alone, always alone, except for his burro The Apaches looked upon him as crazy, and in their superstition they never harm crazy man.
 Another of these men was an Eng lishman, Lord Duppa- He was a sec ond son of a noble family, well edu- cated, a great reader, great thinker and pleasing talker When his elder brother died he inherited the English estates, but he never returned to Eng land. Drawing rents quarterly, he lived like a gentleman, spending the rentals for drink He died in Phoe- nix a few years ago.
 The most important and most noted of the trio was J. w. Swilling. He died at Yuma penitentiary while un- dergoing confinement for crime oi which he was not guilty. He was 8 typical Western man. He had mined for gold at Weaver and along the Hassayampa, and almost everywhere else in Arizona. He organized pros- pecting parties, gaining money to lose in other enterprises, bluffing fate living a life of danger, toll and hard ship. fighting Apaches, outrivaling in real life any story Of fiction. He was an optimist always, believing that to- morrow woud give him what yester- day had cheated him out of He was a good friend and a vigilant enemy ever ready to exchange a shot for ar insult, a dreamer of great possibili- ties, a believer that what man has done, man can do. He organized 2 company to build or reconstruct ar irrigation canal upon the ruins oi a prehistoric one. In the old one, wa ter had once run, but when and bs whom it was used and why it hac been abandoned, To one knew.
 His company surveyed and exca- vated a canal partly along the sidt Of and partly in an old one. Wher completed, water was turned in ant it flowed through to the end and orl upon the desert. This canal was thu
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

senger- that was the very thing they were preparing to do-
 That expedition of Geronimo was marked by red path and a broad one that extended across the MeM- can border
 The next trip of MT. Lynch was with a surveying party under the di- rection of John R. Heise, son of the surveyor general, into the White mountains. The other members of the party were Wallace Hicks. J. Jackson, Lewis and Gus Heyer and w c. Co1cord, the last named still living in the White mountains.
 An escort had been arranged for at Dudleyville, and for that reason the party had started without arms Through some misunderstanding the escort did not appear and did not join the party for several days The surveyors went on and soon found themselves in the Apache country and it was on that journey that MT Lynch saw the notorious Apache Kid MT. Lynch is one of the few men who has ever regarded a meet ing with that renegade as a for tunate one. He has naturally be- lieved that the Kid was not so bad as he was painted and that 1t was the treatment of him by the whites that sent him on a career of murder
 On this occasion. MT. Lynch said that at one point when he was alone with two members of the party, Heise and the rest of them having gone on, a band of Indians rode to- ward them in the canyon where they were encamped. in single file The Kid, dressed like a white man, was in the lead.
 An attack was expected, and Mir Lynch and his companions unarmed could do nothing but await 1t. The space on which they stood was SC narrow that as the Indians passed they brushed against them. The Kid and some of the others passed, but Lynch noticed another Indian in the rear draw long, sharp knife as he approached. Lynch believed that his time had come. He took a last look at the sky and, holding his arms aloft, waited for the thrust whict did not come.
 The Indians passed on out of sight down the san Pedro. But he knew that they would be encountered again. Soon after that, Heise anC the party returned to camp and wher Heise was told of the visit he turned pale. The surveying party went or and the same afternoon the ban1 was encountered again. As soon a: the party came in sight all of the In dians except the Kid threw them -s1~es on the ground and presented their rifles. The Kid, holding up on, hand, exclaimed, No, No," The In dians rose and moved on and tn, party was not further molested.
 II was on this journey that the party came into touch with the Pleas ant alley war between the Tewks- bu1ys and Grahams which was tlici in it's inception. Several members O each faction already had been killed 1 One 9ttcrnoon as the party was ap- preaching Payson it went into caml
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

which turned out to be that of ao- torious band of horse thieves which had taken refuge in the White noun tains. As the party was leaY- ing it was stopped by one of the men who ordered that a different course be taken and il was explained that if the surveying party kept on Il would find itself between the fire Of the cattlemen and sheepmen.
 It was about this time that they were stopped by a man who said he was an officer from Globe; that he had come out to arrest an offender against the law. and as he had busi- ness furthea on. he asked if the party would take his prisoner back to Globe since it was headed in that direction He said he would then go aud make the arrest so $ not to de tain the party. He was gone but a short time when he returned and said that he had found it necessary 10 kill his man, so that ths nnTty could move at it's pleasure.
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

casion mounted horseback and raced for a chicken. The first one to pick it up from his horse would hit the others over the head with it until someone managed to take it from him
 This wild game almost precipitated a race riot in 1873 In telling Of IL Feel said:
 ''We got a big husky negro with a head of stone to get into the game. No matter how hard the chicken was threshed across his skull it never seemed to bother him, but when he used the fowl as weapon it resulted in some sore Mexican heads. This aroused some of the Mexicans and presently someone fired a shot. There was then a general free -for-all One white man rushed past me. flashing his horse into greater speed with his revolver, while immediately be- hind him rode a Mexican brandish- ing a long biaded knife. I did some fast scrambling for safety"
 In making a horseback trip to Prescott. accompanied by Bill Wade, Feel found the bodies Of two men and a boy who had been killed by Indians at the Agua F'ria crossing on the old wagon road The Indians had SlTlppeu the DCJ HdheC dnu lHeH udU burned him at the stake
 There were several times that l helped to fight the Apaches right here in the Salt River valley Feel said
 Another Indian atrocity recorded by Feel was an attack made on a train being freighted by Joe Fry. Just reached the summit of Wolse hill, the Indians sent a fusillade of arrows, killing one man. Fry quickly took his lead mules to the front, as much out of danger as possible, and re- turned lead for the arrows. He killed several Indians and the rest fad. One of the first improvements made in the vicinity of Phoenix was the digging of the Swillen ditch above the location of the present state hos pital, up to the joint head diversion dam of today. All the first ditches were taken out with hand shovels. Among these was the Dutch" ditch which irrigated the Wilson district, the Griffen ditch and the Prescott ditch, which was on the south side of the river.
 ''Those were days of hard work and many privations when I farmed on the south side of the river" Feel commented, but at that time none of us realized the real nature of the conditions about us. It is in ret respect that we appreciate the ex- citement and the hardships.''
Arizona republican., 1921-04-13

months and during that time the cattle got very little grass and only occasional buckets of water. Every mud hole along the old Santa Fe trail had it's settlers and claimants who charged 10 cents bucket for the water. This proved a heavy ex- pense for those who had cattle
 Settling in the Cheno valley, Mfr Putenney went into the cattle rais- ing business. but found it very tn- profitable as there was no market for the product Cattle at that time. sold for ss a head and cattle men suffered heavy losses from raids by rustiers who were never satisfied with single steer or horse, but stole a herd or more a time
 Although MT. Putenney disposed of his interests in the lime business sev-l eral years ago, the kilns are still be.I ing operated successfully and supply ing trade over a great portion of the southwest and the west coast