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The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, August 27, 1903, Image 8

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Trogmausj
W is
am
Dy JOHN A SPRING
Although my partner in the brewery
business Mr Porter Will was a very
pood brewer and produced a very fair ar
ticle of beer our efforts were financially
far from successful The influx of popula
tioninto the Gila Valley anxiously expect
ed by all and predicted by many failed to
materialize so that we found it frequently
dillicult to dispose of a single brew of CO
pallons a week I had tiierefore much
leisure time on my hands and made fre
quent excursions into the surroundiiiK re
gions Heing in the country of the Timas
and JIarieopas whither no Apache dared
to penetrate traveling was perfectly safe
so that I often pursued my explorations
entirely alone Sometimes I would engage
n Pima Indian as guide over the tortuous
mountain trails
tostoxs roixY
One of the most prominent landmarks
near Florence is located between two and
three miles northwest of the town on the
opposite side of the Gila Iiiver It is
now generally known as Poston Butte
from its association with a scheme of Hon
Chas D Poston This remarkable some
what erratic man died about a year ago
In a lone cabin near Phoenix Ariz at
rncnisTOKic eixouds ox the kocks
1k of S2 alone and in nttcr
Tinvortv1 a former Delegate to Lou
cress from Arizona who conceived the
idea of erecting upon its summit a
iiificpnt temiile dedicated to the worship
of the sun While he was holding the of
fice of Itegistcr of the United States Land
Omen at Florence he conceived the idea
of obtaining from some of the wealthy
Tarsees of India whom he had met in his
travels through China and
Hindostan during his earlier years a do
nation to build a temple on the summit
of the little hill northwest of Florence
which has an elevation of about GOO feet
At that time the Colonel had sold some
btock in the Arivaca land grant and pos
sessed the means to take the initiatory
Rtens towards building the temple He
caused a survey of a road to be made from
the base to the summit of the hill and
built a good buggy road at considerable
pxnense
For a long time Col Poston devoted his
leisure hours to the study ot Hydraulics
and contemplated putting in a hydraulic
rnm Komnwhere on the river bank that
would force the water to the summit of
the hill for the use of the worshipers at
the temple
He argued and contended that the re
ligious belief of the Pima Indians was
similar to that of the Parsecs of India
and that they were descendants of the
Bun worshiping Aztecs and if he could
establish that fact to the satisfaction of
his Parsee friends in Bombay they would
willingly donate an hundred thousand dol
lars for the purpose of building a temple
to be dedicated to the fireworshipers of the
Gila Indian reservation
However no donation ever came and
after Col Poston had expended about
1000 some say from 2000 to 3000
on his pet scheme it gradually faded from
his memory and in after years when the
people of Florence spoke of it as Pos
tons folly he did not have much to say
A great many people climb up on the
Butte even to this day When I reached
Its summit in 1870 I enjoyed the splendid
view of the valley and surrounding coun
try The Butte itself rises abruptly from
e broad expanse of somewhat sandy prai
rie land strewn with prehistoric remains
end is the closest of the various peaks
adjacent It is nearly black in color a
huge mass of limestrne and lava Roman
tic cliffs and almost inaccessible caves and
nooks abound on Its rough exterior Here
the various birds of prey find a safe re
treat and security for their young In the
caverns rattlesnakes and other smaller
reptiles in great numbers find a home
A person is at once struck with the
adaptability of the vast monument for a
lookout or signal post during hostilities of
avagc tribes Situated in the center of a
once prosperous community of people a
people whose habitations were all built
with a view to defense we would at once
expect to find that some advantage had
been taken of the opportunity offered by
nature
HOME OF Tnn KATTLEnS
I ascended with difficulty the terraces
of hard forbidding rock Postons road
bad not yet been builti In such an aFcent
one must be very cartful to avoid rattle
snakes It often happens not only on this
mountain but in hundreds of others in
Arizona that the explorer must walk on
the edge of some cliff or narrow ledge
must sometimes stoop down and creep on
account of overhanging boulders where
but an outward movement would precip
itate him upon the jagged rocks below
While thus imprisoned a mountain wall
on one hand a dizzy depth on the other
a narrow ledge on which to creep one
must pass undaunted myriads of crevasses
and openings any one of which may con
tain rattlesnakes of the most venomous
kind and the explorer entirely at their
mercy The writer has been attacked by
rattlesnakes in similar positions but has
escaped by a hairs breadth from the dou
ble danger
When I say attacked by rattlesnakes
I mean to imply that there exists a kind
of rattlesnake in that region which un
like the common Crotalus will not go out
of your way but curl up right before you
elevate his head with about a foot of its
neck and hiss and strike at you compel
ling you to either walk around it or kill it
This species is entirely black although the
diamond shaped pattern upon its back is
distinguishable being somewhat paler
black than the body itself This kind of
rattlesnake is not sluggish like the one
with the yellow diamond markings It is
more slender in body and very quick in its
motions The same black rattler is often
met with in the canyons of the Arivaipa
old Camp Granf jit first called Fort
fireckinridgoj region
After a few falls and bruises from roll
ing stones a few scares from frightened
hawks and owls that frantically escaped
from tjeir holes and a few painful stiugs
irom the barbs of the cver prcscnt cacti
the fatigues of the ascent When I had
gazed to my hearts content at the scene
before and around me the verdant
winding valley of the Gila River the dis
tant town of Florence clothed In a beau
tiful sreen the far away hazy mountains
bzF
of grotesque shapes and forms that bound
the horizon on the north 1 turned to ex
amine my immediate surroundings
A circular almost level oppression on
the summit of perhaps 20 feet in circum
ference is strewn with ashes and charred
remains of ancient camp or signal fires
Evidently the use of the site was long in
the past that of a lookout or signal hill to
which perhaps for thousands of years
the tribes in the valley below have been
wont to look for the daily signal All is
well or Danger ahead
The once smooth face of the cliff has
been damaged and disintegrated by the
ravages of time But we can still seethe
public records of the prehistoric race in a
few spots written in an unknown lan
guage Even thee reminders will ere
long vanish while yet no tongue has been
able to explain their meaning Near the
summit on the face of a much broken cliff
appear the figures shown in the cut
Originally these were united but crevasses
have separated them and broken off por
tions
In the Fall of 1870 a Deputy Sheriff
arrived in Florence from Tucson the
Countyseat of Pima County with a sum
mons for me to appear as a witness in
the case of the Major Duffield mentioneu
in a previous chapter whom the Common
wealth of Arizona accused of disturbing
the peace of the community with weapons
ie fii earms then and there being load
ed as aforesaid with powder and ball as
aforesaid as the ancient form of the in
dictment read as drawn up by the District
Attorney m pursuance to a true mil
found against said Dullield by the Grand
Jury
TIIH SILVEIIY YUCCA
I arrived in Tucson too late for the trial
however being detained en route by a
silvery yucca a cactus growing nver
plentifully in southern Arizona 1 spoke
above of the barbs of the cacti encoun
tered upon Postons Butte and I did so
advisedly for although many species of
the Cactaceae produce straight smooth
thorns or prickles there are some which
carry at their points an exceedingly fine
barb that will lift up a persons skin
when being pulled out fully a half inch
before they let go Xow it happened
that on the day following the Deputy Sher
iffs visit I hired a horse to make the
trip to Tucson in obedience to the Courts
summons with the intention of making a
short cut across the dw ert by the new
road we of Florence had partly establish
ed and upon which we had begun the
digging of a well about 30 miles south of
the town as related in a former chapter
I started about dark and soon after my
start the rain began to pour down The
road had not as yet been traveled over
much and was tiierefore not very dis
tinct I knew that after about five or six
hours riding I would arrive at the camp
of the wclMiggcrs where I intended to
stop till early inornins when a sharp ride
of six hours duration would bring me to
Tucson in time for the session of the
Court set for 10 oclock a m But I rode
and rode and came to no camp the well
diggers had set up a large tent on the im
mediate edge of the road and I knew
that I could not miss seeing it At last
towards about 11 oclock I perceived that
the road I was on was very hard and led
more and more to the left into some foot
hills while in the distance straight ahead
I could plainly perceive a high dark jag
ged line Then it occurred to me that
somewhere and somehow I or rather my
horse had branched off upon the road
leading to old Fort Grant and that I was
making a bee line for the mountains sur
rouuding that military camp I had no
sooner made this discovery when I came
to a branch road leading still farther to
the left which shone out quite white and
plain even in the dark As soon as I re
alized that I was really lost I resolved
remembering former occurrences of a like
nature to stay where I was and wait for
daylight when I could probably get my
bearings from the lay of the surround
ing country I led my horse to a small
palo vcrde tree tied him to it and un
saddled Near by there was another tree
that looked very inviting on account of
its overhanging branches Thither I car
ried my saddle blanket and spread it un
der those inviting branches holding it by
two corners some distance from the tree
and shaking it open towards the lattcrs
trunk Then I brought my saddle and
AIACIin TAPOOSE
placed it at the outer edge of the blanket
for a pillow not wishing to have it too
near the tree trunk for fear ot ants
AJf UrfCOiirORTABLn BED
Then -I lay me down But only for a
second Immediately I made a masterful
jump ns if bitten by a million tarantulas
For you must know that this silvery cac
tus carries at the ends of its innumerable
branches equally innumerable clusters of
the finest nccdlc like prickles from a half
inch to one and a half inches long These
clubters of bristles the cactus ulieds dur
ing the Winter months before clothing it
self enew witlf another edition in the
Spring time when the new and frcsli
needles glisten with a silvery sheen which
circumstance gave this Yucca its adjec
tive It had been my ill luck to stumble
upon a tree of mature age upon whose
many shedded crops of clusters I had
prepared or attempted to prepare my bed
As I had lain down carelessly and
heavily without the least suspicion of
lurking danger I had received the full
benefit of the penetration and adhesiveness
I considered myself lucky at having of several thousand sjiarn needles whicji
gamed the summit wltjiout Serioug GVefi penetrated tho light aJ31e blnnW
aent unc ueauiitui vista that met my
eye and the exhilarating effect of the fresh
brcezc3 at once banished nil memories of
and any Summer clothing They Can pen
etrate shoe leather I will not attempt to
describe my sufferings during that night
and the next day when I began my return
walk to Florence I say walk because to
ride was out of the question I could not
have sat on n feather pillow When 1
reached the town I was completely
sgrvtti3Gpmiigpc
4THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE WASHINGTON D -THURSDAY AUGUST 27 1903
thousands of needles had to come out had
to be picked out one by one each single
operation lifting the skin nearly au inch
high
Although I had missed the Court pro
ceedings in the case of the Territory vs
Dutlleld during that session I came in
later on when the grand dramatic finale
of the case passed upon the boards so to
speak of the First Judicial District of
Arizona But of this later
A MYSTERIOUS AFrAIR
About this time the mjstcrious disap
pearance xif a man well known and uni
versally liked by all the Americans in
the valley created a great sensation
THE SILVERY YUCCA
caused the violent death of several men
and came near producing a race war be
tween the American and Mexican inhab
itants of the valley I have mentioned the
mail station at Sacaton kept almost on
the immediate border ot the Pima reser
vation then iu charge of Capt Grossman
U o A uy Messers Peter Jhorbach and
Win McFarland The latter was the
blacksmith of the place a wholesouled
congenial man about -10 years of age One
Saturday afternoon iu the Fall of 1870
this man went to Adamsville on his sad
dle mule and purchased several articles
of female wearing nppaicl at the store
of the Brotheis Bichanl About 4 oclock
p in he mounted his mule and set out
on his return trip taking the regular much-
traveled road leading by Black Water
and a small station called Montezuma to
Sacaton Near Black Water there lived
on the high bank of the Gila River a Mex
ican farmer married and having quite
a large family of children named Gan
dara This man had two full grown pret
ty daughters one of whom was said to
be McFarlands sweetheart He himself
told me a short time before the occurrence
now to he related that he intended to
marry the oldest daughter of Gaudara
but that there was something in the
way Probably the articles of wearing
appaiel were destined for that young lady
and perhaps she received them because
when McFarlands mule returned home
to Sacaton ou that Saturday evening about
dark without its rider these articles were
net on the saddle where McFarland had
fastened them before his departure from
Adamsville iu presence of several persons
At all cvents McFarland was not seen
alive by anybody except two Pima bucks
and a squaw after he left the store of the
Bichard Brothers Neither was his body
ever found Several clots of blood upon
the saddle pointed towards his probable
assassination But although the best
trailers of the Pima and Maricopa tribes
were employed to track the supposed
murderers and hearly everybody took a
hand in trying to solve the mystery of
McFarlands death it has lemained
to this day Gandara and his whole
family positively denied having seen him
on that day but the fact of the female
wearing apparel having disappeared front
the saddle kept rankling in the minds of
McFarlands more intimate friends and on
the third day after his disappearance they
formed a committee of inquiry About
six of them armed themselves with full
batteries and proceeded in a body ou
horseback to Gandaras ranch with the in
tention as they said to get to the bottom
of the mystery- When tiny arrived at
the latter s place one of the posse quick
ly got to the bottom of the mystery
of a future life for Gandara had
heard of their coming and had barricaded
his strong adobe building in good shape
He was requested to come out and answer
questions As he refused to do so and on
his part uttered the reasonable request to
bo let alone the posse fired into the door
and windows This called upon them
Gandaras fire which reached the center
of a young fellows heart and stretched
him out cold Then the remaining five
Americans set the roof of the house on fire
The women and children were allowed to
pass out unharmed but Gandara was
pierced by five bullets the moment he tried
to run out from the burning and smoking
building
On the following day hostilities were
resumed without any particular reason or
tendency except to kill a few Greasers
Two of them known to he Gandaras
friends were hunted down till they found
refuge in a small adobe house in the town
of Adamsville A 10 pound keg of powder
was procured and let down through the
chimney ignited The explosion killed
one of the Mexicans and threw down the
wall on the chimney side through this
opening favored by tho powder smoke
the other one made good his escape
Thereupon we held a short meeting the
result of which was that we advised the
hot headed firebrands to desist from fur
ther violence We intimated to them that
if they persisted in their wanton crimi
nal murder and destruction we the cooler
headed and order loving inhabitants of the
valley would take a hand in the game
This phrase meant a good deal in those
days and under those circumstances They
knew it and dispersed Four of them
have since died a violent death two over
n game of cards ending with a game of
pistols and two were hanged for stage
robbery accompanied by murder
The snow was yet lying upon the moun
tain peaks of even southern Arizona in
the Spring of 1871 when the hostilcs de
scended from their mountain fastnesses in
which they usually made their Winter
quarters and began a bloody raid through
tho Sonoita and Santa Cruz Valleys
Personally I was safe from them living
in tho country of the Pimast but I had
many good and stanch friends in the
dangerous regions
A TELEPATHIC WARNING
ine morning or March 21 I was
planting some seeds in a small garden
behind the brewery at Florence with a
view of raising somo vegetables for home
consumption While thus occupied a
feeling of restlessness or rather appre
hension for impending danger gradually
came over me and soon took possession of
my mind to such a degree that I aban
doned my work went into the brewery
and engaged my partner Will in conver
sation Mentioning to him this feeling of
mental and hence at least partly physi
cal depression he suggested that I was
suffering from indigestion That wns
downright ridiculous as in those days I
was not aware that I had a stomach at all
except after protracted fasting
You do not understand good Peter
I said to him What I feel is mental a
certain anxiety of miud a fear of impend
ing danger a sense that I am wanted
somewhere to avoid a disaster a
I see said he a person sometimes
is overcome that way We call it at home
a Vorahnung presentiment and some
times I have heard it said it is the fore
runner of an actual catastrophe Well
you had better go and see if anything is
wrons with your wife although wo ift
her quite well this morning after break
fast
I followed his advice and walked the
two blocks to the lodgings where I had
installed my wife some months previous
ly Sho was then expecting in the near
future that happy event which makes a
young father act temporarily like an in
sane man laboring under the delusion that
never before was suck a baby born nor
haubted and in a hiU ever Still UiesgUvej wiy ojpUfc
I found my wifeqnlte well and cheer
ful in fact she was ringing a lullaby in
anticipation of saidiappy event while her
deft fingers were busily plying the needle
upon some snowwhito material cut into
sundry diminutive patterns
She was somewhat astonished at my
visit at tliis unusual hour and I explain
ed to her my reallydnexplicable uneasiness
and anxiety She knew the story of my
telepathic warning at Crittenden and al
though she certainly j could not under
stand the ethics- of rtheimysticlsm she was
far too sensible to Iridicule the matter or
doubt its possibility After some reflec
tion she said You know my dear you
have not heard any news for a long time
from your deaf good friend Wooster upon
the Palo Parado Ranch nor from or of
your many other friends and pioueer com
rades all along the iHauta Cruz River
There was a man here yesterday fiom
Calabazas and he told Don Manuel our
landlord that the Apaches up that way
had already put in an appearance in the
valley and bloody doings might be expect
ed almost any day Perhaps your friend
Wooster is in danger nt this moment
thinking of you and wishing your presence
with all his miud power
My sweet little untaught almost illit
erate wife had guessed right I knew then
that Woostcrs life was in danger that
is I felt it with such absolute certainty
that when towards noon my feeling of
unrest subsided I was morally certain
that Wooster was dead for in his isolated
situation if lie was attacked at all there
was no help I knew the Apaches 1 knew
their ways and from that moment on I
gave up all hope of ever seeing Wooster
again
About a week after these occurrences
there came to Florence Mr Hiram Ste
vens of Tuscon and my old friend J W
Hopkins late First Lieutenant 1st U S
Cav The latter had retired from the
Army and was then farming at tile
Agua Fria Ranch in the Santa Cruz
Valley as before related The two had
come to Floicnce to seek some fanning
lands upon which they might pursue their
agricultural enterprises in peace and quiet
protected by the Pimas and Maricopas
Mr Hopkins looked me up at once at the
brewery and shaking hands witli me
mine was trembling he said Dear boy
are sou prepared to hear sad news I
was my answer you have come to
tell me that Wooster my friend and
brother is no more
MURDER OF WOOSTER AVI WIFE
And his wife also continued he they
are buried together under the tall cotton
wood tree that stands in the middle of the
corral It happened thus On the 21st of
this mouth about S oclock in the morn
ing the identical hour and date of my pie
sentiment experienced about 1 10 miles
distant Wooster was feeding his hogs in
the corral Since you left there he had
built an adobe wall inclosing a space of
about feet As he was unable to ob
tain a decent price for the corn you and he
planted together owing to the low con
tract rates he bought about 50 hogs and
was turning them into bacon ami ham
while Iiis wife tried out the lard for the
Tucson market The wall surioiiuding
the corral was only about five feet high
and over the wall he must have received
the first shot which struck him in the
thigh The bloody tracks leading from
the corn pile into the house led to the sur
mise that he went into the latter in order
to procure a rille or carbine both of which
were standing in a corner of the room ad
joining the kitchen He must have taken
the carbine and hurried with it to the
window opening upon the corral when a
bullet struck him in the right eye and
ppnetrated the brain causing him to drop
dead The carbine was niRsing but the
rifle was found standing in its accustomed
corner As soon as the Indians saw
Wooster drop and had made sure of his
death they penetrated into the house
through the same window as their moc
casin tracks upon the window sill proved
and dragged forth his wife Trinidad
They partly dragged and partly carried
her about a -half mils from the house iu
the direction of the neighboring San Cay-
etan Mountains She must have fought
them tooth and nail ns her condition
showed when her body was found This
and the further fact that her brother who
was plowing in a field about SilK yards
from the house had heard the shots and
was running to the rescue induced the In
dians to abandon the idea of taking her
captive They killed her with lances at
the beginning of a steep path over the foot
hills and made good their escape They
drove off all the animals except the hogs
which were nearly all roasted by the fire
the Indians started in the corral by ig
niting the hay stack and a big pile of corn
fodder
Thus ended my brave good and true
friend Since my departure from the
lanch he had from time to time made me
such remittances as his limited income
permitted in payment of my outlays for
the establishment of the ranch surveying
and making the irrigating ditch and the
purchase of stock Had his life not been
cut short when it was he would undoubt
edly hnve liquidated the whole debt with
the proceeds of the ham bacon and lard
enterprise for he was a perfectly honest
and exceedingly industrious man
The Indians had indeed begun a bloody
raid On March IS they killed William
Cook of Lieut Rosss company nt
Hughess Ranch in the Sonoita We have
seen how three days later L B Wooster
and wife succumbed to their bullets and
lances The same band swept down ou
the San Pedro settlements killing Alex
McKenzie II C Long Walter and Owry
Chapiu on April 18 1871 On May C of
the same year Lieut II B Cushing 3d
U S Cav citizen Win II Simpson and
Private Gurn 3d U S Cav were killed
in an ambuscade in the Whetstone Moun
tains on May 23 two Mexicans were
killed on the Upper Sata Cruz River near
the Mexican boundary On May 21 J P
Planchard and George Saunders were
killed near Calabasas June 17 Chas
McKinney was killed by the
gang on July 17 a son of Peter
Kitchen aged 11 years was killed at the
Potrero four miles west of Calabasas
W H Harris was killed July 18 near
Cicncga about 15 miles distant from Fort
Crittenden
But why make a long detailed enumer
ation I have before me a list of the
number of people killed in tho years 185C
to 18C2 made according to a record kept
by Hermann Ehrcnberg a civil and min
ing engineer which enumerates 425 per
sons being at that period about one half
of the American population My own
data give the number of murdered men
women and children during the years
1SC0 1870 and 1871at 223
Although L was during the period of the
nbove detailed murders safe from Indian
attacks I had othcrjtroublcs As already
stated our business proved to be a far
from remunerative undertaking
Therefore when towards the middle of
March n communication of the recently
established school e board at Tucson
renched me containing the inquiry if I
were willing and ready to become the
teacher of tho first jobjic school in that
town which now had become an incorpo
rated city I answered iu tho alllrmative
My new duties were to begin on April 1
Before leaving Florancc I paid a visit to
Ruggles In ordcrl to guard my part
ner Will against los and litigation
I offered to give to him Will and
Ruggles jointly n quit claim deed to ev
erything absolutely that belonged to the
brewery the lot which we never really
owned the buildings barrels hoops
bungs bung holes etc provided that he
gave Will n deed to one half of the lot
and acknowledged him said Will as full
partner and owner of one Iutlf of all real
estate utensils material etc
Iu this manner I stepped out of tho
brewery business very much poorer In
pocket than I had entered it but a great
deal ricner in experience
It was later ascertained that it was
reinforced by Indians from
band supposed to be under friendly
agency control at old Fort Grant
To he continued
-
A LOST SWORD
The Prized Belle Returned to Ita Owner
Alter Many Years
Manassas Va Journal
One of the interesting incidents of the
Horso Show week at Manassas Va was
the coming of Lieut W Simpson Harrison
of Landmark Farquier Co bringing a
sword captured by the 17th Va form an
officer of the 53th Pa in the days of the
civil war It seems that a few weeks
ago Lieut Harrison wns iu Manassas on
business at the real estate olllce of George
C Round Co In swapping war stories
as veterans aie wont to do lie told Lieut
Round the story of the sword and his de
sire to tettiru it to its original owner
Lieut Round who is a native of Luzerne
County Pa took at once a lively interest
in the affair The inscription on the scab
bard furnished a clew being ns follows
Presented to Lieut P F Hodge by the
members of Co A 53th Regt Pa Vols
July 13th 1S03
He wrote nt once to Adjt Gen Stew
art at Harrisburg who is also at this time
the National Commander of the Grand
Army of the Republic -He also sent an
inquiry to The National Tribune the sol
diers paper published nt Washington
From both sources he heard that an old
soldier named Patrick F Hodge was liv
ing at Swissvale Allegheny County Pa
An interesting correspondence followed
pursuant to which Lieut Harrison dined
witli Lieut Round on Thursday and the
sword which by the stern fortunes of war
fell from the grasp of Lieut Hodge as a
minie ball struck him in the face May
10 1SC 1 was returned to him by Adams
Lxpress
It seems that when Mr Hodge was pro
moted from First Sergeant to Lieutenant
the members of his company presented
him with an elegant sword He had pos
session of it 10 months and one day
when the armies of Butler and Beaure
gard got badly mixed up in the fog fight
along the Petersburg tc Richmond Rail
road In the mix up the Confederates
came out ahead and Hodge and some of
his men were taken prisoners and march
ed to the rear Mr Round by another co
incidence was near by at that time a Cor
poral in a Connecticut Battery but owing
to the dense fog the artillery could render
no assistance though they could tell from
the increasing roar of the battle that their
friends were being forced backward Later
in the day his battery put in a few shots
to warn the visitors to attempt no further
conquests
It is interesting to note that when Lieut
Harrison let inn ed home in the Spring of
18t5 it was his own mother who sug
gested the idea that lie hunt up Lieut
Hodge and return the sword His duties
on the farm however were pressing and
after a time he left the homestead nnd
the sword was missing when it again
came into his mind He supposed that a
relic hunter had confiscated it when re
cently it was found with a pile of rubbish
iu the attic of the Harrison homestead
near Haymarkct
The sword was shown to Governor
Montague and other distinguished guests
at the Horse Show to whom as well as
our own citizens it wns an object of
special interest Lieut Hodge expressed
great gratification at his singular good
fortune and Lieut Harrison sends his
best wishes for health and happiness
along with the sword to his former foe
man The three Lieutenants are planning
a reunion to he held some time in 1004
Your correspondent desires to say that
the fog fight alluded to was tho battle
at Drcwrys Bluff and that the 53th Pa
lost in killed wounded and prisoners SCO
men in the fight Lieut John Barnhart a
brother of Aliram Barnhart of Bedford
was one of the killed on that day
The Origin of Coffee
Thomas It Dawley jr in Success
As to the history of coffee the legend
runs that it was first found growing wild
in Arabia Hadji Omar a dervish dis
covered it in IUSo 017 years ago lie was
dying of hunger in the wilderness when
finding some small round berries he tried
to eat them hut they were bitter He
tried roasting them and these he finally
steeped in some water held iu the the hol
low of his hand and found the decoction as
refreshing as if he had partaken of solid
food He hurried back to Mocha from
which he had been banished nnd inviting
the wise men to partake of his discovery
they were so well pleased with it that they
inndo him a saint
The story is told that codec was intro
duced into the West Indies in 172a by
Chirac a French physician who gave a
Norman gentleman by the name of De
Clieux a captain of infantry on his way
to Martinique a single plant The sea
voyage was a stormy one the vessel was
driven out of her course and drinking wa
ter became so scarce that it was distrib
uted in rations De Clieux with an af
fection for his coffee plant divided his por
tion of water with it and succeeded in
bringing it to Martinique nlthough weak
not in a hopeless condition There he
planted it in his garden protected it with
a fence of thorns and watched it daily
until the end of the year when he gath
ered two pounds of coffee which he dis
tributed among the inhabitants of the
island to be planted by them From Mar
tinique coffee trees in turn were sent to
Santo Domingo Guadaloupe and other
neighboring islands
The coffee tree is an evergreen shrub
growing in it natural state to a bight
of 14 to 18 feet Itis usually kept trim
med however for convenience in picking
the berries which grow along the branches
close to the leaves and resemble in shape
and color ordinary cherries The tree can
not be grown above the frost line neither
can it be successfully grown in the tropics
The most successful climate for production
is that found at an altitude of about 4000
feet Anything much nbove this is in
danger of frost which is fatal to the tree
and when coffee is grown much below
this it requires artificial shade which ma
terially increases the cost of production
and does not produce as marketable ber
ries It is owing to this particular re
quirement that coffee has never been suc
cessfully produced in the United States
A Pen Picture of Surgns de Wltte
Vance Thompson in Success
A shrewd man is Sergius de Witte Min
ister of Commerce and Finance under the
white mild beneficent Czar
What manner of man is he you ask
me
I do not know I have never seen him
I know as all the world docs that he is a
quiet home keeping man who hides in the
dark nnd lets his deeds speak for him
He sent me his photograph and a slim
cynical note when I asked him by letter
to tell me what kind of man he was when
he smoked his pipe nnd toasted his slippers
before his domestic fire His good friend
Rnffalovich is equally reticent Yet Itaf
falovich who is the agent of Russian
finance here in Paris knows Do Witte as
well I dare say as if he had gone through
him with a lighted candle Certain tilings
he told me ns we watched tho day die iu
his tall library in the Rue des Ecurics
dArtois Sergius de Witte is the sou of
German immigrants into Russia That
worked against him in the beginning He
was not of the race he was not of the no
bility and he was not of the people His
folks were poor His early life was spent
among many hardships Ho was obliged
to borrow the books that gave him his first
insight to knowledge nnd like our own
Lincoln he returned them in a rather worn
condition At first a chance to attend
school was denied him and he taught him
self the first rudiments of his own reader
and of a little French reader which he
found in a garbage heap His superiors
tried to force him into the peasantry as
his friend1 put it Often his books were
confiscated He was shut in a dark room
so that he could not study but even then
his mind was building with the knowledge
that he had gained Quiet modest but
forcible his rise came slowly but surely
As ho once said Only death can steal a
mans brain He secured a position in
the freight department of a Southern
fittSSJan BajlKatL gjojyly hg cgfl uj He
j --v-
Isq
spTsisMnfsJ
SOMETHING NEW
A Gold Watch and Chain for 3
ao yeai T3VjjgrrKE
n Mku4Mrt i mm pcrfMt Gaal ArW mm CU fln4 vtteb u4 cWa rar 1W4 fcr
Ekil arT4 Dbl haatltf mm t h 414 fH vnm t mmt tnil Mlm rttat tk kaat
7ii4 AKirtrm mnaMti a ta kmi tin ii m4 w m Mmnt t ta4 mj atUlrl panaM4
f for tOyMtt Bilf4lMkCint4lrrnaCa4rkUdjalinmu4kftalMm4rfkU tnin
I Tm t1l a nana t cvftll ataa atrft raaltlvt tt trtMM Wfl taa faaa af tka Ftffa
SbLirid IZ ULLILVin tlllBtitlIU4NHUHUiufwMalCMM4limNIBM
a4na a 4 a wl ifta aHa4 efcala a paJaaa Htwr ataw aflU fcf ait laad Tra n m m tw i
aa aftaa aallf ai rrrraT4 a tiia at twaaa aarrxia fa ptW flW aa4 atraa aharfaa a4 tWrtii
jaara Xndai alaa af vaxa C F NTS LA D VS 9r4if aa AU U1 aa4tfatr at aca
Address R E CHALMERS 6c CO 352 356 Dearborn St CHlCAQolLL
Tell Mother 111 Be There i
President StcKInleyi Immorla msaco to ht dj tns mother
ftrniHlcr llinn All Hip Runner or III World
lifafct of nil flag tongs
Jly Rurkrje Home
Im LouMiik Tor Hie Tlnllmnn
Kverybodya Waltz sonir
I Am Uolni 11001 Co Tfothrr
Hero llobsoti Waltz bons
FIto Iamoui finr llunl lirfl mnlr All FIt Monc
for 30c btainin taken JIVMIUCO Columbn0
showed talent and industry no had the
flair of finance VI 40 he was a director
of the road His reports to the lovern
uient attracted the attention of Vislinc
gradski then Minister of Finance He
was invited to enter the Department of
Finance a few years later he was made
Chief It is simple biography as you see
almost American iu its direct simplicity
it was brain nnd work that made him what
he is
He has the confidence of the Czar the
confidence of the people the confidence of
Europe and over 120 degrees of latitude
he is working for peace thrift progress
and the betterment of the average man
He hides in the dark letting his acts speak
for him He has never been a victim of
audacious eloquence but has been con
tent to repose in the modesty of fearful
duty Iu a few years we shall know him
better
New Light on the Star of Bethlehem
Literary Digest
The countless literary finds made of late
especially in Egypt that pertain to the
period of the New Testament writings
have often surprised scholars by furnish
ing data iu perplexing Biblical problems
One of the latest contributions of this
sort comes in a special pamphlet from the
pen of Baron F von Aefele Die Auga
hen der Berliner Planeteutofel I S271
which thiows new light on the Star of
Bethlehem The leading facts are as
follows
Kepler on the Casis of his discovery of
the course of the planets made the dis
covery that after the year 7 IJ C there
occurred the rare conjunctio maxima of
the constellation of Jupiter and Saturn
the sign of the Ram The leading star
of this constellation Jupiter he declared
to have been the Star of Bethlehem This
claim secured all the more recognition
by the further discovery that the tradi
tional chronology of the New Testament
as worked out by Dionysius was incor
rect and that Herod the Great had died
in the fifth year before Christ so that
Christ would then have been born 4 15 U
at latest The suggestion of Kepler nev
ertheless met with a good deal of doubt
the story of the star being considered ra
ther in the light of a myth than of histor
ical fact
Recently however there has been dis
covered in Egypt and brought to Berlin
a list of the positions of the planets from
the year 17 15 C to 10 A D In this list
this conjunctio maxima which the mathe
matical calculations of Kepler had worked
out is mentioned as a fact and is describ
ed with all possible details as a phenome
non that had on this occasion appeared
for the first time since the days of Alex
ander the Great A demotic description
accompanies this papyrus table which
agrees throughout with the main facts as
reported in the second chapter of Mat
thew In fact the agreement is surpris
ing in its extent It is said for example
that the star stood over Bethlehem a
statement which commentators and among
them the latest Holtzmann declare to be
poetical but in this Egyptian account it
appears that the expression stood is the
astronomical technical term used to desig
nate the conjunctio maxima of Jupiter
that occurred on the 2Gth of December
0 B C This latter fact explains too why
the primitive Church appointed December
as the Christmas month not because this
or that Roman or Greek divinity had been
celebrated on that day and his service
was adopted by the Christian Church
lint linpnntjf tin onrlr Christians knew
that Christ was born in December
GOING THE GRAND ROUNDS
Discomfiture of the Officer of the Day
Editok National Tribune Some
months ago an amusing story Getting
even with the Major appeared in The
National Tribune and when I read it I
immediately thought of another a com
panion piece which I send yo herewith
Once upon a time when the weather
was cold my command was encamped on
Elk Creek Mo Between sundown and
dark the Officer of the Day a pompous
arrogant Captain visited the picket post
The countersign not yet having been given
to the guards the sentry very respectfully
presented arms instead of halting the of
ficer and demanding the watchword Said
the Captain Is that the way you receive
the Officer of the Day When the picket
attempted to explain saying the counter
sign was not yet outJhe officer said Not
another word sir lought to arrest you
The sentry said nothiug more notwith
standing the Captain berated him out
rageously ne however thought much
the result beiug a determination to get
even with the inconsiderate Officer of the
Day
Some 10 or 15 minutes after the officer
had resumed his grand rounds the Ser
geant came with tho countersign and
moved the picket down to tho margin of
the creek at the crossing The erratic
road entered the creek about 50 paces
above followed the channel down stream
and came out where the sentry was post
ed the water being nearly three feet deep
About miduighfthc lone sentry heard the
Grand Rounds coming and prepared to
receive the Officer of the Day according
to the rules and regulations of war
When the Capttain riding through the wa
ter had reached a point some SO paces
distant a sharp clear voice cried
Halt Who conies there
The Officer of tho Day with the Grand
Rounds
Dismount Officer of the Day advance
and give the countersign
Let me ride out of the water before
I dismount
Dismount where you are Officer of the
Day advance and give the countersign
Seeing the sentrys gun had the accurate
range nnd hearing an ominous click
the Captain of the Grand Rounds dis
creetly dismounted waded to the shore
and duly gave the countersign When he
identified the faithful and inexorable guar
dian his feelings as the novelists say
may be better imagined than described
The sentinel had achieved a glorious vic
tory Wir J Howe Co D 20th Iowa
Fairfield Mo
MARCHED FROM HOMETO BATTLEFIELD
The 12th m Received Its Baptism of Fire
at Perry vllle
Editor National Tribune The
123d 111 was organized at Mattoon 111
and mustered into the service Sept 6
1S02 Col James Monroe in command On
tho 19th we took passage on freight cars
for Louisville Ky where we were as
signed to Tcrrills Brigade Jacksons Di
vision McCooks Corps On Oct 1 we
moved out to participate in what is known
as the Kentucky Campaign Buell and
Bragg being the star actors
Our opportunities for drill had been ex
ceedingly limited the oDlccrs excepting
the Colonel being no more familiar with
the School of the Soldier than the en
listed men Col Monroe had seen some
service as Major of the 7th 111
On Oct 8 scarcely knowing how to load
pur emist KSttt to tjjo battle of
irtry -ii-A- jLc isi
ryville just 19 days after leaving Mattooff
Unquestionably we were badly used no
at 1crryville where we suddenly and fully
realized that war is horrible In the very
beginning of the battle we were furiously
assaulted by Hardees veteran troops and
routed Gens Tcrrill and Jackson be
ing killed Of the combats on other
parts of the field I know very little hav
ing bail enough to engage my attention
in my immediate front tiank anil rear
Of my own company eight were killed and
l wounded my only brother being one of
the killed Before going into the battle
the weather being excessively dry and
warm we divested ourselves of onr blan
kets and blouses The Johnnies got
them I presume as we did not stop to
argue the right of possession
On the 9th we buried our dead and on
the 10th we marched over the battlefield
and on toward Braggs retiring army
That night we slept iu snow three inches
deep having no blankets coats or tents
for protection Geohoe Petky Co G
123d 111 Robinson III
MUSTERED OUT
BEST At Heuvelton X v Ancr7 JcIin II But
Co K 1 lit X V lie leaves a wlJow and three ctill
dren
liOWEHS At Plymouth m An 11 Henry IT
JltmenCo nrtli Wis aged T5 He U survived 17 a
widow and fix children
I5CItN At JlarinettWKAOK 15 Geo rsc Thomas
Burns IJth Wk Comrade Burns was City Treasurer
of Icaiulia Midi
COItnETT At Canlsteo N YCeo n CortwttCo
B icth jr V II A EnUsted Jan 4 lSttl musterwi out
Nov 5 1SG3
DONNKity At Kahofca 31a Anz II WfflUra
Ien is Donnelly CoC 8th IUCavnrert Comrade
Donnelly was Iwrn in Butler County Ohio tint early I
life moved to IIHiiois and after the close cf the war to
3isourl Tliefuueril asunder theaulcesofVm
ilrKcefo t 110
FAIKIiKoriinil At Wvoconda Jto July SI
rlilto airbrother 2d Mo Cav Comrade Iairbrother
was Im In JIatletla Ohio July 31 ISM He had re
sided In Clark County since 1KH He n Vice-President
of the Farmers and Trailers Bank of Wyoconda
He was a member of Staple Post of Wyocnnda
HAItltls At Canhteo N Y June 9 Comrada
Hams Co II Hist N Y Enlisted September 1S53
discharged IsfV
KKAMIINU At Kahofca Mo July 17 John jr
Kramllns Co A 2d Io Cav nsed 73 Comrade
Kramlins enlisted In September 1S6I and served until
February lrtZ He was a member of Wm McKea
Post and one of KahokaN most prominent citizens
LOWltEY At Newbury O Awr 1 Edward B
tonrev Co E 5Ui N Y II A Comrade I owrey was
born at Ilclimoud O A ril 17 18 K enlisted March 21
reenllted in March lKAi ilbhanred at the cloa
of the war He leaves a widow and three children
muRimnnunDof ins jome was m jientor uiuo
where he was buried
McGBAW At CanWeo X Y June 3 Daniel Mc
Oraw Co i Mb N Y Enlisted Oct 15 U61 dis
charged May 20 IKi
OAKLEY At Canlsteo N Y May 1 Henry Oak
ley Co 1 3d jr Y Enlisted Dec 27 lSJI mustered
out July IB
KEGAN At Brunswick Me John Ttesan aged 62
Comrade Bejjan lia 1 lived In Brunswick Me for the
past Uve years anil about a w eek before his death was
taken to the almshouse where he died He- was bom
In England and before coming to America served In
the British army and during the civil war served In a
ltiiode Island regiment The funeral was conducted
by Vincent Munntfort Post
bMITH At Wurtsboro X Y Jan It fieorfe W
Muith Co Kloth NYCavased71 COmradefcmiln
sered two year Hehad been in feeble health fora
number of years caused by exposure incident to army
life He leaves awldow
isOW AUDS At Crown City Ohio Awr 15 Joha
Sowards Co Doth W Va aged 70 Comrade Sowards
enlisted Aug 10 1561 and was in all the hard rlghtlnc
of the Eastern Aimy serving until the close of th
war lie was Past Commander of George Cook Post
He was carried to his last resting place by sis of but
old comrades A widow and two daughters survive
VAN HOUTEN At Canlsteo N Y Aug 2 Ralph
Vanllouten Co II Hist jr Y Enlisted August IMS
discharged December 1S
C P PENXEBtKER JOHS PAUL JONES
PENNEBAKER JONES
Attorneys and Counselors
1331 F STREET WASHINGTON D a
Special attention to adjustment of accounts or civU
war Volunteer Officer
AVe think very iew officers were properly paid
Widows even if remarried or other heirs are enti
tled Write for details
We are especially anxious to communicate with offi
cers or their heirs who 1 were not paid for recmltlnx
services or for services rendered prior to master lnj
Z who nere denied bounty by reason of promotion
3 who were dismissed from the service 4 who were
denied travel pay by reason of resignation for personal
reasons or convenience 5 who were not mustered
and paid because command wa3 below minimum num
ber and 6 who lost U S pay by reason of btate pay
meat
PENSIONS
Mr Hunter is a hustler had 117 cases
allowed in one day He is at the Depart
ment each day looking up neglected and
rejected cases He uses all the testimony
on file and will look up yours Fee dua
when you get your money He also pro
cures patents or no fee Every person
who is interested in patents should read
his book Have You Brains It is sent
free Thousands and thousands of pen
sions can now be increased All letters
cheerfully answered Xow write him
JOSEPH H HUNTER
Pension and Patent Attorney
Washington D C
PROTECT YOUR
IDEAS
Patents procured No allowance no
fee Send rousb sketch and description for
free opinion Communications coniidentiaL
MHO B STEVENS CO Estab 18S4
699 14th St NW WASHINGTON D 0
PENSION
TO EX CONFEDERATES
who enlisted in U S Vols served at least 90
days and were honorably disebnrged All such
or their liclrs should write us for information
relative to no w decisions and rulings upon tho
joint resolution of July 1 1902
Cry Officers Accounts and military and
naval pay claims frciiciall receive careful at
tention We have secured favorable- settlement
of n lilirh as IK of these claims in ono week
tST Consultation free
tiT Fee dependent on success
3IIIO U VTEVEVS Jc CO Attj
899 141il St X IV WnMliustoit U C
Fomuted 1S01 by JIllo IV Stevens nth Ohio Cattery
Itranclir at Chicago Cleveland ami Detroit
The Jf vrioNMi Thihuxe April 1 1S97
Tlie Urm b worthy of couQdence upon the ground
both of competency and honesty
Bounty Land
Warrants purchased for cnsll Dnplicatea
procured for original owners heirs or assigns
Write us Advice free
MILO B STEVENS CO Atiys
899 i4th St Washington D C
WANTED
SOLDIERS
Tho eddrawr of all Fl
cral Soldiers their wlJswl
or heirs who iiltd
llOBitcstciut on less
than luo acrti b
J fora Jane 23d 1871
i lit at Irogt not
rrqulrril Will
MESTiADS riHt
toaurmlc W li 3rosrJi llox 1333 IlauT
4ulu Aleutian XaJoul f ri5 infc -
inireuan
iimi1 ITaru
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