JOSIAH BATES

Recorded by Helen M. Smith, Field Reporter

I beat my way through to Arizona from Louisiana with “Cox’s Army” in 1894, at the age of about twenty four years. I had had malaria fever in Louisiana and the doctor told me to hunt a dry climate. I had worked on the railroad in Louisiana, but was broke, due to illness.

However, I beat my way out on a freight, and made it to San Antonio in twenty four hours, in El Paso in another twenty four. Here the gang was discovered and put off the freight, and here I had a spell of chills and fever. My buddy and I went to a restaurant for supper, and we must have been tough looking, for they refused to let us eat at the restaurant until they had “seen the color of our money.” We had a little, but were too proud to show it after that, so we left the restaurant.

My buddy and I and four others hopped a freight that night and started west, but when we got to Stross, New Mexico, we were found and put off. The fireman was taken sick and the train stopped there to send him back to El Paso. The officials wired them to get someone there to fire, and go on with the run. The engineer asked us tramps if anyone in the bunch could fire. My buddy and I both stepped out, and he said he’d take us. We refused to go unless the whole gang could ride, and he finally agreed to this. We spent the night in Holbrook, and the next morning were put on a freight for Tucson. We passed a train loaded with men going east—about six hundred of them and later another train going east with about a thousand men aboard. When we arrived at Tucson we found the town cleaned out as far as food was concerned—the east bound men had eaten everything in town. The engineer took me home with him, and I got two cups of coffee and a few soda crackers for a meal.

From Tucson I finally made my way to Tempe—I had lost my traveling companions by that time. At Tempe the alfalfa was about three feet high. I got work in an alfalfa field for my supper, and after supper walked to Phoenix.

At Phoenix I got work in a livery stable, but I coughed a great deal, and the malaria still bothered me. However, I noticed that the ammonia fumes from the manure made my cough much lighter, so I took to putting my comfort on a manure pile and sleeping there at night. In thirty days my cough and malaria was gone. Soon I began working on ranches and in alfalfa fields. Later I got in with some freighters, and in 1897 had hauled from various places—Phoenix, Prescott, Castle Rock, Bumble Bee Canyon, etc. I saw lots of “bad men” but managed to keep out of trouble. About this time I got acquainted with Mr. Arthur, who was also freighting, and met his daughter, May. We were married in 1898 by the Baptist preacher in his home. We had planned to be married in Mr. Arthur’s home, but he had got a job in Wickenburg and was afraid of losing it if he came home, so we went to the preacher’s home instead.

Not long after we were married, the preacher was killed. He was riding a bicycle from church one night, and was hit on the head and robbed. He died two or three days later.

We lived in Phoenix until 1901, when we went to Cananea for three years. In the meantime Mr. Arthur had set up a blacksmith shop in Douglas. After three years we moved to Douglas, where we have lived ever since. The Copper Queen smelter was finished about the time we arrived.

Copied from microfilm by Wilola Follett, transcribed by Vynette Sage, made available and maintained on the internet via Jean Walker.

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