Arizona republican., 1922-03-01
Seemingly Conduct Themselves as Independ-
emf Party and Are GiOen Recognition BY
Unusual Permission to Bear Arms at All
Times-Yaqui Troops Guarded Obregon
When He Entered City of Mexico in 1920
By HERBERT COREY
ARTICLE NO. z.

GUAYMAS, Sonora, Feb. 2s.-This
city is on the edge of the Yaqui
country Everyone talks Yaqui-or
rather talks about the Yaqui-au the
time. The Indians are as staple a
subject OF conversation as prohibi-
tion and taxes north of the line. Some
insist that the Yaqui are good In
dians. That their outrages of the
past have been mere ebullitions of
good spirits. and that those who say
that the Yaquis are on the edge Of
another outbreak are enemies of hui
manity. Nothing. apparently. stirs
up the angry passions of the Ameri-
can in Sonora as quickly as a talk
about Yaquis. The others say:
THE Yaquis are dangerous. They
have always been dangerous. They
have never been subdued. They are
pressing in on the occupied terri
tory. They may start to numbering
at any time"
The Other Side Of the Yaquis
There are certain perfectly appar-
ent facts which go to make up the
most unusual set of relations which
have ever existed between a savage
Indian tribe and a civilized govern
ment. In order to comprehend this a
preliminary statement as to the
Yaqui himself is needful. He is of
Apache blood and therefore savage.
He loves blood and torture. He kills
at times for the sheer love of killing
and burns just to see the flames.
But there is another side to his char
acter.
The Yaqui is far higher type of
Indian than is the Apache. Most of
the Yaqui bucks are either at work
or have worked in the past. The
idle nYaquis are the bronco" Yaquis
The others work with more or less
steadineSs on the ranches or rail-
roads of Arizona and California. and
the testimony is invariable that they
work steadily and seem to take a
pride in doing their jobs well. The
unpleasant thing about the working
Yaquis is that they have always been
the provisioners for the "broncos|
They have kept them supplied with
food, arms and ammunition.
An Unsual Combination
The consequence is that the Yaqui
is unique combination Of unsub-
dued savage and partially civilized
man. The Yaquis as a tribe have be-
come shrewd politicians. Up to the
Madero revolution they were kept
more or less in subjection by Diaz,
who sent a shipload of their braves
to Yucatan as punishment for one
outbreak--though there has always
been some question as to how many
of them actually got there-and who
hunted them down as mercilessly as
wild beasts. At one time a Yaqui
scalp had a cash over the counter
value. That brought them to time.
Up to this time they had always
been fighting the Mexican govern
nent. But Francisco Madero. who
doubtless was an idealist. but who
was also practical. saw that without
the help Of this stout fighting tribe
his revolution might fail. He per-
suaded them to join him, furnished
them arms and gave them their first
glimpse into the political possibili-
ties of their situation. From that
time on the Yaquis have conducted
themselves. according to the best in
formation available here, precisely as
any Independent political party
might, except that bullets were their
assets instead of ballots.
Yaqui Troops Big Element
They have played with the various
political elements ever since. It was
Yaqui troops which surrounded OBJ
regon when he made his entry into
the City of Mexico in 1920. and which
enabled him to demonstrate to Cen
erai Pablo Gonzales the station at