there during their absence with the horses, and had left, going toward the river below town. The officers followed them and overtook them at a point on the river bank known as the Hay Camp, or Half Way Camp. It was a place where the hay haulers-generally Mexicanscamped when they went out west of the Agua Fria to cut galleta hay for use in Phoenix. They would go from this camp and cut a load of hay with hoes, and returning would generally camp at the Hay Camp, go to Phoenix next day, unload, and get back to camp the same night.

"The two Mexicans were sitting on a log beside the road, and Fye told Warden to take care of the nearest one. When opposite them, Fye told them to throw up their hands. Instead, they both reached for their six-shooters. Warden killed his man with a shotgun, but Fye, being an A. No. 1 shot with a rifle, broke his man's arm. His pistol dropped and he picked it up with his left hand. Fye broke his left arm. Then the Mexican broke for the river bank, which was but a few steps away. A shot from Fye's rifle broke a leg. That stopped him! The Mexican's first words were a request for water. Fye asked him where the other two horses were, and he would not tell who had them or anything about it-only begged for water. He never would tell anything, and is begging for water yet, I guess.

"The other two horses were never found, and if the Maricopa Indian had not happened to see the men hide their guns, the blame of that murder would have been laid to the Indians; for when the news got to Date Creek-only nine

miles from the station-a party of soldiers was sent out accompanied by some friendly ApacheMohaves, and they had a brush with some Tonto Apaches between Date Creek and the Cullumber Station, and the friendly Indians captured one of the Tontos alive-got him cornered in some big granite boulders and nailed him.

66

"I have no doubt that there were many murders committed by the Mexicans and blamed on the Indians; the Loring massacre nine mileswest of Wickenburg came near being one of the cases. It was reported by government officers that the Date Creek Indians did the work, but the citizens of Wickenburg and Phoenix knew better."

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY CONDITIONS IN THE TERRITORY (Continued).

CAPTAIN W. H. HARDY-DESCRIPTION OF HIS EARLY EXPERIENCES IN ARIZONA-METHODS OF INDIAN WARFARE-FREIGHTING FOR THE GOVERNMENT-EXPERIENCES WITH INDIANS -WILD GAME IN THE TERRITORY-DRIVEN OUT OR KILLED INDIAN CUNNING THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE TERRITORY. Mention has been made in these pages of W. H. Hardy, who established the town of Hardyville, above Fort Mohave, on the Colorado River. Captain Hardy ran a ferry and a store at that place for a long time, and, as stated in a previous chapter, established a branch store at Prescott, after the location and survey of that town. He was among the first settlers in Mohave County. He was a man highly respected, of great energy and force of character, and did a great deal for the development of his county, which he represented several times in the upper house of the Territorial Legislature. He died June 30, 1909, at Whittier, California."

F. J. Wattron, at one time sheriff of Navajo County, has the following to say about Captain Hardy:

"Captain Hardy was an old settler upon the Colorado above Fort Mohave at Hardyville. He ran a ferry and a store at that place, also a toll road from Hardyville to Prescott. All parties travelling on the road had to pay Hardy in proportion to the size of their outfit. The repairs on the road were kept up by Hardy walk

ing along and leading his horse and kicking out such rocks as he could with a pair of number eleven boots. Hardy's stock consisted of flour, $20 per hundredweight; bacon, 50c per pound; coffee, 50c per pound; sugar, three pounds for a dollar; soldier's boots, $10 per pair; overalls, $3 per pair, cash down, and no kicking. His ferry was also a paying business, but if you had no money, he would give you what you wanted out of the store, and cross you over the river for nothing."

The "Mohave County Miner," of December 8th, 1888, contains the following letter written by Captain Hardy, which is perhaps as good a statement of conditions in Arizona during the period of which we are writing, as could be found:

"Editor 'Mohave County Miner':

"You ask me to write some of my early experiences in Arizona. What I write may not be worth the space it takes in your valuable paper. Again, if printed, it may not be worth reading. However, as I have a little leisure time to-day, I will put in a couple of hours in telling, as I remember, what happened over twenty years since. I distinctly remember, because trials and incidents which happened in those days were frequently stained in blood.

"I crossed the Colorado River near Fort Mohave January 20th, 1864. At that time there was no real settler in Mohave County. A company of California Volunteers under Capt. Charles Atchison was stationed at Fort Mohave, as a road had been partly worked from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, via Fort Mohave, and the Indians were found

to be hostile and required the presence of United States troops to keep them in check, as when permanent settlers began to settle upon land, the Indians soon broke out in general warfare.

"I came to Arizona seeking adventure. I brought with me some money and a stock of merchandise, including mining tools, etc. I will give a short history of what happened in the summer of 1866.

"The Indians of Arizona were different in their warfare from those in many other States and Territories; it was more like bushwhacking. Small bands of Indians would watch the roads and trails, and surprise and attack small parties or individuals, kill them and mutilate their bodies, and hide away in the rocks. They were rarely ever caught or punished by the United States troops, yet after a bloody war of ten years, General Crook managed to enlist Indians (as all Indians were then at war with their neighboring tribes) and succeeded in conquering and making peace, except with a part of the Apaches located at San Carlos. It seems that a line was run around this tribe and established as a reservation. These Indians were not first conquered and put on a reservation as they should have been; hence the consequences that have followed.

"In June, 1866, four men came to my place on the Colorado River. They were mounted on good horses, had three pack animals, and were going east of Prescott to look up some mines they claimed to have heard of through a soldier scout. In talking with them I learned that not one of the party had ever had any experience in an Indian country. They had read of the