USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. II > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
Swilling was known as a kind hearted, gener- ous man, public spirited, and always ready to assist any needy man, or any public enterprise. He went on periodical sprees, however, in which he drank heavily and also used drugs. The year preceding his death, he was drinking heavily, and, while on one of these jamborees, in April, 1878, his wife formed a plan to get him out of town and sober him up. She secured the ser-
254
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
vices of George Munroe and Andrew Kirby to join Swilling and go into the White Picacho Mountains, and exhume the bones of his old friend, Colonel Sniveley from the place of their burial seven years previously, Sniveley having been murdered there by the Apaches while on a prospecting trip, and to bring the remains to Gillett for burial. The party went out, accom- plished the object for which they went, and, dur- ing this time, the stage was held up near Wicken- burg, and plundered. When the news reached Gillett that three men had stopped the mail coach, and that one large man and one small man had done the job, Swilling, in a jocular way, re- marked to George Monroe: "George, that fits us, one big man and one little man," whereupon he and Munroe were arrested and taken to Pres- cott. Rush & Wells, were their attorneys. They had an examination before Judge Carter, and their discharge was ordered, but before they were released, the marshal found that the rob- bery was committed in Maricopa County, and took them from the Prescott jail to Yuma for safekeeping, and to await their examination. Evidence was secured for the prosecution of a kind intended to convict regardless of justice. The examination was somewhat of a persecution ; the depositions for the defense, taken by stipu- lation with the United States Attorney, were ruled out, and the prisoners were held in $3,000 bail, which was about to be furnished, when the sad news reached his family and friends, of Swilling's death, although innocent, within the walls of Yuma Prison. He left a wife and five children, besides numerous friends to mourn
255
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
his death. He died on the 12th day of August, 1878, at the age of 47 years. Munroe was dis- charged, no indictment ever having been found against him.
The Prescott Miner, under date of September 13th, 1878, contains the following :
"Jack Swilling's Statement.
"Mr. Swilling, who died at Yuma, August 12th, 1878, it seems had a presentiment that his days on earth were done, and were to end within the walls of Yuma Prison and was, therefore, in- cited to write the following statement for pub- lication, which we give verbatim et literatim:
"Yuma Prison, 1878. "To the public :
Jack Swilling, whose doors have always been open to the poor alike with those of the rich and plenty, looks forth from the prison cell to the blue heavens where reigns the Supreme Being who will judge of my innocence of the crime which has been brought against me by ad- venturers and unprincipled reward hunters. I have no remorse of conscience for anything I have ever done while in my sane mind. In 1854, I was struck on the head with a heavy revolver and my skull broken, and was also shot in the left side, and to the present time carry the bullet in my body. No one knows what I have suffered from these wounds. At times they render me almost crazy. Doctors prescribed, years ago, morphine, which seemed to give relief, but the use of which together with strong drink, has at times-as I have been informed by my noble wife and good friends, made me mad, and during
256
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
these spells I have been cruel to her, at all other times I have been a kind husband. During these periods of debauch, caused by the mixture of morphine and liquor, I have insulted my best friends, but never when I was Jack Swilling, free from these poisonous influences. I have tried hard to cure myself of the growing appetite for morphine, but the craving of it was stronger than my will could resist. I have gone to the rescue of my fellow men when they were sur- rounded by Indians-I have given to those who needed-I have furnished shelter to the sick. From the Governor down to the lowest Mexican in the land have I extended my hospitality, and oh, my God, how am I paid for it all. Thrown into prison, accused of a crime that I would rather suffer crucifixion than commit. Taken from my wife and little children who are left out in this cold world all alone. Is this my re- ward for the kindness I have done to my fellow men and the pay I must receive for having done a Christian act, with Munroe and Kirby, that of going after the bones of my poor old friend Sniveley, and taking them to Gillett and bury- ing them by the side of my dear child ? George Munroe, Andy Kirby and myself are as innocent of the charge brought against us of robbing the stage as an infant babe. We went out to do a Christian act-Oh, God, is it possible, that poor Jack Swilling should be accused of such a crime ? But the trouble has been brought on by crazy, drunken talk. I am willing to give up my life to save Munroe and Kirby, as God knows they are innocent. Oh, think of my poor babies and you would know that I would not leave them for
257
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
millions of money. I am persecuted and prose- cuted until I can bear it no longer. Look at me and look at them. This cruel charge has brought me for the first time in my life under a jailor's key. Poor L. G. Taylor, whom I liked and tried to help, has been one of those who have wrought my ruin, and for what I cannot conceive, unless it was for the reward money or to rob my family out of the old ranch. The reason I write this is because I may be found dead any morning in my cell. I may drop off the same as poor Tom Mc- Williams did at Fort Goodwin. My persecutors will remember me. And may God help my poor family through this cold world, is my prayer. John W. Swilling."
This statement is most pathetic and appeals to the sympathies of everyone. Had Swilling lived in our day, there is no doubt but that an operation would have restored him to normal health. That he was a good man and useful citizen who was hounded to death in a frontier community of self-seeking, unscrupulous and avaricious enemies, goes without saying.
Samuel C. Miller as we have heretofore seen, was one of the Walker Party, the first to dis- cover gold in northern Arizona. He was the youngest member of this exploring band, and was, in many respects, a very remarkable man. He was born in Peoria, Illinois, November 4th, 1840. At the age of fifteen, he crossed the plains to the Pacific coast with his father and mother, making the entire journey on foot. He was naturally a frontiersman, which may account for the fact of his joining the Walker party at
17
258
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
the age of twenty-one years to explore the wilder- ness of Arizona. During the days of Indian dominancy, he had many thrilling experiences with the savage tribes, the most notable of which was the killing of Wauba Yuba, at which time he was one of the largest freighters in the Terri- tory, owning a large number of mule teams, and engaged in hauling from the Colorado River to the different army posts, mostly under Government contracts. During this time, he had many adventures with the Indians, the prin- cipal one, as has been noted, being the killing of Wauba Yuba, the Hualapai chief, the following account of which is taken from the Journal- Miner of October 13th, 1909, and may be consid- ered the personal statement of Mr. Miller him- self :
"In the early days, Mr. Miller took passen- gers along with merchandise, Pullman accommo- dations barred. He left Hardyville on the Colorado River on one trip loaded to the brim on the main deck and in the 'trail' wagon there were three families, and that means several women and more children. George Banghart was among the passengers, and with his wife, and four young ladies, the preciousness of the occasion will be appreciated, as these ladies were gifted with more than ordinary beauty and per- sonal accomplishments. Mr. Miller, on the other hand, says he was 'skeered' up somewhat as the route of his journey lay through the Wallapai country. The trip was uneventful until Beale Springs was reached and the many wagons were parked for the night. As the sun was setting, the horizon seemed to be alive with the red devils, and it seemed to Mr. Miller that
SAMUEL C. MILLER.
259
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
the entire tribe was in action. Suddenly, the head man of the tribe, Wauba Yuba, rode up and demanded a 'treaty,' saying that the horses and mules and the flour was all that was needed. The argument was brief. Mr. Miller reached for his Hawkins' rifle and sent a bullet crashing through the lungs of the Indian, tearing a hole in his body as big as his hand. Immediately, there were preparations made to resist an attack. This was unnecessary. Being trained to know the characteristics of the Indians, Mr. Miller knew that when once a chief falls, the 'jig is up.' He allayed all fears and felt 'very comfortable.' The entire band disappeared, and from that time there was no sign of Indians on the road to Pres- cott. Had the demand of Wauba been complied with, there is no question in Mr. Miller's mind that a massacre would have followed pell mell, and the women would have been taken into cap- tivity. The rifle that did the 'business' is still in possession of Mr. Miller and may be seen at his home in Prescott. There is one woman re- siding in Prescott to-day who was present on that critical evening; she is Mrs. E. W. Wells, a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Banghart. She is the wife of Judge E. W. Wells, and in the 60's, shortly after the memorable event at Beale Springs, she was married. She still talks of the narrow escape that signalized her coming to Prescott."
Another account of this same incident is con- tained in the Miner of April 25th, 1866, which is as follows :
"On the night of the 30th of March, a cabin at the Willows on the Mohave road, in which Ed-
260
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
ward Clower, formerly of Prescott, was sleeping, was totally destroyed by fire, and Clower lost his life, his body being burnt to a crisp. The story goes that Clower had lost his horses and been engaged for a day or two in hunting for them,
assisted by a Hualapai Indian. On the night in question, the night of the eclipse of the moon, when Clower returned to sleep in the cabin, the Indian was permitted to sleep there also, and it is suspected that he first murdered Clower and then started the fire. This suspicion is strength- ened by the evidence that all the arms and provi- sions had been removed from the cabin and no traces of the Indian being found. Two men en- camped near the cabin thinking Indians had gathered in numbers, were afraid to venture there until daylight, and they started next day, for Hardyville. After a day or two, they met with Mr. Milton Hadley of Prescott, whom they met at the Cottonwoods, and who had been liv- ing with Mr. Clower and was returning from a hunting excursion, and met the trains of Messrs. Miller and Bowers, and returned with them. Hualapais hovered around their camp at night, but none came near until Tuesday following the fire, when Wauba Yuba, the chief of the Huala- pais, presented himself, bearing a paper certify- ing to the treaty sometime since made with him by Mr. Hardy. After consultation, it being the judgment of the party that the Hualapais meant to make war, and that the killing of Clower and the burning of his cabin was the commencement of the hostilities, they determined to kill Wauba Yuba, and he was at once shot.
261
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
"While it is doubtless a fact that the actions of the Hualapais, or some of them, have of late been strange, and the fate of Clower is greatly to be deplored and must be revenged, we think the conclusion that the tribe wished to wage war with the whites is premature, and that the killing of Wauba Yuba will prove an unprofitable step. If, after an appeal to him for the delivery of the supposed murderer and incendiary he had not been given up, it might have been well to make an example and to have taken Wauba Yuba as a hostage, and perhaps to have executed him, but to kill him in cold blood before he had time to make an explanation or to prove his innocence and readiness to aid in bringing the culprit to justice, was a harsh and, we fear, a most un- fortunate measure. It will exasperate the Hualapais and probably lead to an interruption to travel upon our only practicable road (in the absence of water on the La Paz road) to the Colorado."
Whether the killing of the Indian chief was justified or not, the result was very disastrous as far as the Americans were concerned, for the Hualapais and all of the tribes of the Colorado River immediately went upon the warpath and that portion of Arizona was the scene of much bloodshed for many years thereafter, until these tribes were finally subdued by General Crook.
Just before the advent of the railroads into the territory, Mr. Miller disposed of his freight- ing interests and engaged in mining and ranch- ing. He located a ranch in the early days about a mile and a half from Prescott, in what is now known as Miller Valley, where he lived for many
262
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
years, and until his death on October 12th, 1909. He was survived by four sons and a daughter. Miller was a man of great firmness and force of character. He was honorable in all his dealings and universally respected; a valuable citizen in any community. He refused political prefer- ment, preferring always a quiet home life.
Edward C. Peck was born in Canada in 1834. When a young man he came to the United States and in 1858, he joined a party of emigrants en route to California. He came over the old Santa Fe trail as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico, at which point they decided to strike westward along the Whipple trail and emigrant route be- tween Albuquerque and Los Angeles. Without any serious mishaps, the party reached the vil- lages of the friendly Zunis. Although warned against the Navajos and Apaches, the party con- tiued their journey to the west. They reached the little Colorado and crossed to the west side at Sunset, near the present town of Winslow. They then travelled down the west bank of the little Colorado to the mouth of the Canyon Diablo, from which point on they were con- tinually harassed night and day by Apaches. By the time the party reached Antelope Springs, near the present city of Flagstaff, the Indians had become too numerous to proceed further. The emigrants decided to retreat at once. They travelled all night in comparative safety, which was a disappointment to the Indians, who ex- pected to murder the party at their leisure. The party travelled altogether at night until they reached the Zunis, where they stopped for some- time to recuperate their wornout animals and
ED. G. PECK.
263
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
themselves, following hunting and trapping until the fall of 1863, when Peck returned to Arizona in company with two others, Collier and Far- rington. Peck secured the first hay contract at Fort Whipple, which was then located in Chino Valley. It was for three hundred tons of hay at thirty dollars a ton, to be cut with hoes. After completing his hay contract, in the forepart of 1864, he and his partners moved to Granite Creek to a point just above the Point of Rocks, two or three miles from where Prescott now stands. Here they built a cabin and cared for loose stock at three dollars a head. King Wool- sey, a member of Governor Goodwin's staff, was selected to lead an expedition of a hundred men against the Apaches. Their rendezvous was at Woolsey's ranch on the Agua Fria, now known as the Bowers Ranch. The command was di- vided into squads of ten men to each squad, with a captain over it. Peck commanded one of these squads. Afterwards, when General Frank Wheaton commanded the Northern District, with his headquarters at Fort Whipple, Peck was his general guide and scout at that fort. He knew the country well and was invalua- ble as a guide, being cool, cautious and brave. After retiring from the army, he was shown in Prescott some rich silver ore. After ex- amining it carefully, he said: "I know a place where you can get tons of ore as good as that is." The result was that he and two or three others went out and Peck showed them what after- wards became the Peck mine, where there were tons and tons of ore that would go from one thousand to two thousand dollars a ton. For a
264
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
time his mine paid largely, but it became in- volved in litigation, and Peck retired from it a poor man. He died in Nogales, December 13th, 1910, at the age of 77 years. Could the history of his life in Arizona be written in detail, it would be as romantic and interesting as that of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and other early pioneers in our country.
Jackson McCracken, a member of the Walker Party, served in the First Legislative Assembly of Arizona Territory in 1864, as a member of the lower house from Yavapai County. He was born in South Carolina in 1828. After his ar- rival in the territory with the Walker Party, he spent his time in mining and prospecting. Evidently, he was not very fastidious as to dress or personal appearance, for the following story is told of him: After his election, some of his constituents went to him and told him that he was now a member of the First Legislature of the great Territory of Arizona, and he should be dressed and equipped in keeping with the dignity of the office. He replied : "I am in the hands of my constituents." For answer they said : "All right Jack, we'll attend to you." So they formed a committee, took Jack down to Granite Creek, where they had a tub made from the end of a whiskey barrel, filled with water and soap. They gave him a good wash, scrubbed him down with a horse brush, wiped him off well, dressed him up with clean underclothing and a hand-me-down suit; took him to a barber and had his whiskers and hair trimmed properly, and turned him over to the Legislature, a man
265
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
of the people, a thoroughly clean and Progessive Democrat.
McCracken was an indefatigable prospector. With few advantages in early life he became a wanderer in the west, prospecting through Colo- rado and New Mexico until finally he reached Arizona. He discovered the Del Pasco mine, and also the McCracken mine, both of which are well known in Northern Arizona. He blazed the trail for others to follow and was among the first to set foot upon the soil where Prescott now stands. He went to San Francisco late in the seventies, and, on the 28th of December, 1882, was married to Mrs. Josephine Clifford, whose former husband had been an army officer sta- tioned in Arizona, where she had a sad and varied experience. Immediately after their marriage McCracken and his wife located the Monte Paraiso ranch in the Santa Cruz Moun- tains in California, and invested their money in clearing the land, setting out vineyards and or- chards, building roads, etc. The ranch was located about three miles above the station at Wrights in a redwood forest. It was, in- deed, a paradise; a home surrounded with or- chards and vineyards, gardens and groves, and an abundance of water, fountains and reservoirs. The house was the finest in the mountains, and Mrs. McCracken, being of literary taste, at one time associated with the old Pioneer Monthly Magazine as one of its editors, their home be- came a place of resort for men like Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte and others, who always found there a hearty welcome.
266
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
In 1899 a forest fire swept over that portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains, destroying their home and ranch and the forest. McCracken came near losing his life because he had ven- tured into the forty acre timber tract trying to save the forest by back-firing. His hair and long beard were singed and the boots on his feet were burned before he got out. "This forest fire," says his wife, "was remarkable as wine had been used to extinguish the flames when they reached the Meyer winery building."
They created an indebtedness in rebuilding their home, which filled McCracken with worry and anxiety, under the strain of which his health failed and his life came to a close on December 14th, 1904, at the age of 80 years. He was buried on the ranch in a spot he had selected for him- self long before. The accompanying picture shows him and his favorite dog on the Picture Rock. To the right, as you look at the picture, a little forward, is his grave. This rock was his favorite resting place, and he wanted to be buried at the foot of it. Standing by the grave a group of young firs rises behind you, and you look through an avenue of olives out on the Bay of Monterey.
His wife, now over seventy years of age, is en- gaged as a reporter for a daily newspaper in Santa Cruz, California.
John T. Alsap came to Arizona a few months before the organization of the Territory, and settled in what is now the city of Prescott. He was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1832. He was graduated in 1854 from the New York Col- lege of Medicine as a bachelor of law and physi-
JACKSON MCCRACKEN.
267
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
cian, in which year he crossed the plains, and for some years thereafter practiced medicine to some extent in California in conjunction with mining and prospecting. Upon his arrival in Arizona he took up mining and prospecting in the vicinity of Prescott. The Apache Indians being troublesome the following winter, he ac- companied King Woolsey on an expedition against the tribe as surgeon of the command. He was appointed the first Territorial Treasurer of Arizona, and served during the administra- tion of Governor McCormick. In 1868 he was elected to the Legislature as the representative from Yavapai County. In 1869 in company with his wife's brother, W. L. Osborn, he settled in the Salt River Valley, about a mile northeast from Phoenix, and thereafter was intimately connected with the development of this section. He was elected to the legislature in 1870, and aided in the organization of Maricopa County. The same year he was Probate Judge of the new county. His term in the Assembly expired in 1872. He was admitted to the practice of the law in Arizona in 1871, and afterwards served as District Attorney of Maricopa County, after which he served again in the Legislature. In 1886 he was nominated for County Treasurer of Maricopa County, but died in September of that year prior to the election. In the intervals of his public duties, he was actively engaged in the practice of law, and won an enviable reputa- tion as a member of the bar. He was a member of the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and was prominent in Masonic circles, being a past officer in the commandery and its represen-
268
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
tative in the Grand Lodge of the Territory. He was a strict Methodist in religion and in politics a Democrat. He was twice married, his first wife being Louisa A. Osborn, a daughter of John Preston Osborn, one of the pioneers of Prescott, and his second wife being Anna D. Murray. Some of his descendants are yet living in the Salt River Valley.
WILLIAM SANDERS OURY.
269
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
CHAPTER XIII.
EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS (Continued).
WILLIAM S. OURY-MEMBER OF EXPEDITION AGAINST INDIANS-PARTICIPANT IN "CAMP GRANT MASSACRE"-HIS OWN STORY OF IT- MENTIONS MANY KILLED, WOUNDED AND ROBBED BY INDIANS-INDICTMENT, ARREST, TRIAL AND RELEASE OF PARTICIPANTS IN MASSACRE - FIRST PRESIDENT OF ARIZONA PIONEER'S SOCIETY-GRANVILLE H. OURY- COMMANDED EXPEDITION OUT OF TUCSON TO JOIN CRABB-SENT AS DELEGATE TO CON- FEDERATE CONGRESS AT RICHMOND-RETURN TO ARIZONA-TWICE DELEGATE TO CONGRESS FROM TERRITORY OF ARIZONA.
William S. Oury was born in Wythe County, Virginia, on August 13th, 1816. In early life he drifted to the west and was with General Sam Houston, at the battle of San Jacinto. He came to Arizona in 1856, and engaged in stock rais- ing and trading. He bore his part in the early history of the Territory, and was a member of several expeditions against the Indians. He organized the expedition against the Indians which resulted in what has been called the "Camp Grant Massacre." The following is his own story concerning it; and is a paper read by him before the Society of Arizona Pioneers on April 6th, 1885 :
"Having been chosen by our President to give a paper upon some events connected with the early history of Arizona, the writer has selected
270
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
for his theme the so-called Camp Grant Massa- cre, believing it to be one of the events most important in its result to the peace and progress of our Apache-cursed land. To give a mere re- cital of the act of killing a few more or less of the blood-thirsty savages without the details of the causes and provocations which drove a long- suffering and patient people to the adoption of remedial measures so apparently cruel in their results, would be a great wrong and injustice to those of our friends and neighbors who in various ways gave sanction and aid to the under- taking, and would fall far short of the object and aim of the writer to give fair and impartial history.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.