A Bad Incident At La Paz, Azrizona

When Confederate Arizona was created in 1861, the Union California Column was formed to march across Arizona for an occupation and to reinforce the Union Army engaged in the New Mexico Campaign. In 1862 General James H. Carleton arrested several Arizona citizens and detained them at Fort Yuma as political prisoners; Edwards was one of these detainees. By 1863, La Paz and a handful of other American settlements had been established along the Colorado River, which was an important army route since the Yuma War (See Note*).

 

Discovered by Pauline Weaver, the same man who discovered Weaver and Rich Hill, La Paz quickly grew into a big town of 1500 people. As the Colorado river changed course, the site was isolated as a steamboat stop and could not keep people around. By 1891 La Paz was a ghost town and a flood in 1910 wiped out what was left.

 

At that time, 1862 -1863, the army constantly had a presence in and around La Paz by steaming up and down the waterway on river steamers, generally in pursuit of supplies to maintain their forts. On the night of May 20, 1863, the army steamer named Cocopah arrived at La Paz. A number of steam ships could be found on the Colorado river by this time. A small group of soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant James A. Hale of the 4th Infantry, disembarked the ship to visit Cohn's Store. There they were to purchase some supplies before returning to Fort Mohave.

 

Waiting in the shadows was William Edwards, or the 'Frog", a name the Union troops later called him. As the soldiers were gathering in front of the store, Edwards opened fire with his revolver and shot several rounds off into the crowd. Both Private Ferdinand Behn and Private Thomas Gainor of Company H were hit and killed instantly. One bystander was also struck by a bullet and suffered a serious wound. Lieutenant Hale immediately searched the town with his remaining men but he could not find Edwards, who had already made his escape. The Union troops were forced to return to base where the lieutenant informed his commander what had happened.

 

Photo of the area and terrain around La Paz. It is the same today as it was in the 1800’s.

 

In response a troop of forty men were deployed to hunt the "Frog". The area around where the settlement of La Paz was not very conducive to human habitation in the 1800’s. Water barren stretches of desert start just a few hundred yards from the Colorado River shore line and even today the area is not one to crossing unprepared. In summer particularly, this desert area can and has taken many lives of those ill prepared for what awaits them.

 

It didn’t take the troop long to pick up Edwards trail and followed it for a couple of days. Within a few days, they had found their quarry. Edwards was found lying in the desert quite dead; apparently he had no water and died of thirst. The desert had claimed another victim but under the circumstances it might have been for the best. Had Edwards been taken alive, he would have either been executed by firing squad or hanged anyway.

 

NOTE*  The Yuma War was the name given to a series of United States military operations conducted in southern California and what is today southwestern Arizona from 1850 to 1853. The Yuman's were the primary opponent of the United States Army though during the period, engagements were fought between the Americans and other native groups in the region. Conflict generally took the form of guerilla warfare and over the course of three years, the Americans engaged in pursuing unfriendly natives, protecting American settlers crossing the Colorado River and by preventing conflict between the native tribes. A peace treaty in summer of 1853 was signed, ending hostilities between the Yuma and the United States, but it sparked a short war between the Yuma and the Cocopah. During the conflict, the historic Fort Yuma was constructed and became an important outpost on the frontier.

 

If you liked this story, many more can be read in our book Tales From The Files Of The Arizona Prospector