VIL nov 09 GRID3.indd - Tubac Villager

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continued from October 2009 Tubac Villager Fritz Contzen Part 2 by Mary Bingham STARTING OVER Fritz Contzen was one of the few civilian Anglos to remain in Arizona throughout the Civil War. The 1861 Apache raid on his Rancho Punta de Agua and his subsequent 1862 imprisonment at Yuma resulting from Brevet Brigadier General James Henry Carleton's orders to arrest any civilians remaining in Tucson as Confederate sympathizers placed Fritz in a financial bind. Fritz and his young wife were now living in Tucson. Taking a page from his old Texas Ranger commander William "Bigfoot" Wallace, Fritz proved his honesty and loyalty to the United States, by volunteering for one the most hazardous jobs in the territory - military express messenger. The Arizona Historical Foundation file on Contzen notes: After the Union established a Military Post at Tucson, [Camp Tucson later renamed Camp Lowell] orders and communications were sent by military couriers to a Military detachment at Blue Water on the Gila. This detachment was used principally to escort mail riders carrying mail from Tucson to Prescott. As Military couriers were frequently killed by the Apaches, Fritz Contzen volunteered to carry Military dispatches to Blue Water, which he did successfully for a considerable time. Usually he started out on horseback at four P.M. and rode the 100 miles most of the time on a gallop, reaching his destination early the next morning. Usually upon arrival at Blue Water, he was greatly exhausted and barely able to get off his horse... For this work he received $100 a month. Meanwhile Fritz's new wife, Margarita Ferrer, probably gave birth to their first son, Luis/Louis, sometime during Tucson's period of military occupation. Lockwood records that the son died in infancy, however the 1864 Arizona Territorial census lists a Louis Contzen, age 8, living in the same household with Frederick and Margarita Contzen. If the child really was eight-years-old, then who was the mother Did Fritz have a third wife Did the census taker make an error Perhaps Luis was only eight-months-old, then again, there is always the possibility that Luis was the son of Fritz's brother Julius. However, Fritz testified that Julius died without issue in 1857. S o u t h e r n A Z H i s t o r y The 1864 census also showed that Fritz owned property valued at $450. He was beginning to recover financially from the raid and vowed to stay out of the ranching business. With the move to Tucson he dabbled in real estate purchasing and selling a number of properties around town, making a profit in most cases. By 1867 things were looking up as he signed a contract with Louis Zeckendorf, the principal contractor, to carry mail between Tucson and Prescott at $1,000 per month. The Arizona Miner for December 14th reported that Fritz soon contracted out the route from Maricopa Well to Tucson for $650 a month to another man. Fritz would add mail routes to Tubac, Patagonia, Sasabe and the newly established Fort Crittenden near Sonoita. Danger from Apache attacks and bandits was constant. Several express riders were killed and frequently Fritz would have to carry the mail himself. In 1868, a second son, Philip/Felipe was born to the Contzens. It is not known when Luis died, but there is no mention of Luis after Philip was born. In spite of constant danger, the 1870 federal census shows Fritz was doing very well. His property was now valued at $5,000. Mining was also a part of Fritz's business portfolio. He is recorded as the first to locate the San Xavier and Young American Mines and continued to mine on and off for the rest of his life. Camp Grant Massacre In 1871, Fritz would once again volunteer to fight Indians. A group of Tucson citizens led by William Oury, made up of six Anglo-Americans, forty-eight Mexican-Americans and ninety-four Tohono O'odham (Papago) would attack an Apache camp near Camp Grant, killing 108 Aravaipa and Pinal Apache. Some sources claim the number killed was as high as 141. Upon inspection, the dead were found to be women and children, with only eight men among those counted. Fritz is clearly named in the Carl Hayden "Arizona Biography Files" as being a participant in the Camp Grant Massacre with the following quote from the Frederick Contzen file: "Was one of six Americans in the party which attacked the Arivaipa Apache rancheria near old Fort Grant when 108 Indians were killed, April 30, 1871..." Hayden's father, Charles Trumbull Hayden was the foreman of the Grand Jury that handed down 111 indictments against the participants. Among those named were Sidney R. DeLong, William Sanders Oury, D. A. Bennett, James Lee, Charles T. Etchells, David Foley, Jesus María Elías and Juan Elías. Fritz's name probably appeared in one indictment that included ninety names. There can be no doubt that Carl Hayden knew of Fritz's part in the massacre. Visit our Aveda Salon. Open Mon-Sat from 10a to 5p. Come to our next Spa Open House 12/3 from 3p – 6p! Wellness Wednesdays @ the Spa! Save on 50-minute services and save more on 80-minute services Remember with any treatment, you receive full use of the sauna, steam room, & co-ed Jacuzzi.
S o u t h e r n A Z H i s t o r y 9 As the trail date approached in December 1871, only seven men were arraigned. They included Oury, Lee, Bennett, the Elías brothers, Francisco Ruelas and Rafael Seis. Fritz would testify during the trail, identifying a saddle stolen from one of his mail riders killed by the Indians in the days leading up to the event. Outrage voiced in the Eastern media against Oury and the gang was not shared in Tucson. Testimony centered on the depredations perpetrated by the Apache Indians over the months leading up to the trial. The final act triggering the gang to take revenge was the murder of Leslie B. Wooster and his wife, Trinidad Aguirre, at El Bosque Ranch south of Tubac. The jury, with John B. "Pie" Allen as foreman, returned a verdict in nineteen minutes. All defendants were found not guilty. Return to Germany By 1873, Fritz and Margarita decided that it was time to take little Philip to Germany where he could get the best education. They would remain in Germany until 1880, staying with Fritz's father on the estate of the Prince of Waldeck. Historian Frank Lockwood reports that both Philip and his mother learned to speak several languages and the family attended many royal functions. A few years later, Philip would return to his grandfather's home to complete his education in civil and mechanical engineering at the Royal Polytechnic College in Berlin. Upon his return to Arizona, Philip was employed as a draftsman in the United States Surveyor General's office. He would be given the difficult task of surveying most of the old Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in southern Arizona. Among them was the infamous Baca Float No. 3 that ran from the south border of the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park to Rio Rico. Later, Philip would hold positions as Tucson City Engineer and Pima County Surveyor. Over the years, Fritz was involved in some interesting legal cases. In 1883 Fritz sued Henry Menager for $279 in damages, alleging that his dog bit him while he was in Menager's store. Fritz testified: "In the morning I went into the store, when Menager and his dog was on the counter. He usually keeps his dog in the yard. I says, hello, good morning. Then he have jumped for me. Then I called for to have taken him away from me, and they did not. I went there on business. I only said good morning, then the dog jumped on me, then I commenced fighting, and he bit me in the leg, (indicating the sport on the thigh.) I said, 'Take that damn dog from me.' Mr. Menager did nothing at all. I have been unable to attend to my business for the past month. Of afternoons I have fever. The wound was black. I went to Dr. Handy who dressed it, and he charged me $20. I was troubled about my mouth with a nervous twitching, and have apprehension of hydrophobia." The judge admonished Fritz to stop swearing and to stop talking so much. The verdict resulted in a judgment in favor of Fritz in the amount of $50. A more serious case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1900. Attempting to obtain compensation for his loses caused by the Apache raid at Rancho Punta de Agua, Fritz had to first prove that he was an American citizen at the time of the attack. Since all residents of Texas were declared citizens when Texas was admitted to the union, Fritz never applied for citizenship. However, he was still a minor at the time and had not resided in the Republic of Texas on the day Texas Declared Independence. In addition it was contended that he had not lived in Texas for six months, and had not taken the oath of allegiance to the Republic of Texas. The Supreme Court denied the claim on December 3, 1900 ruling that if Fritz, upon attaining his majority, had elected to become a citizen of the United States he would have been entitled to compensation. Fritz died of Bright's Disease on May 2, 1909 and is buried at Holy Hope Cemetery in Tucson. Special thanks goes to Dr. Christine Marin, archivist with the Archives and Special Collections at the Hayden Library for sending me a copy of the Contzen file allowing this story to be written. SOURCES: - "Contzen, Frederick (Fritz)," Hayden Arizona Pioneer Biographical Essays. http://www. asu.edu/lib/archives/azbio/azbio.htm - Contzen v. United States and the Apache Indians. http://www. precydent.com/citation/179/ U.S./191 - Granger, Byrd H., Will C. Barnes' Arizona Place Names. Tucson: University of Arizona, c. 1960. - Lockwood, Frank C., Life in Old Tucson 1854-1864. Tucson: The Tucson Civil Committee, c. 1943. - Schellie, Don, Vast Domain of Blood: The Story of the Camp Grant Massacre. Tucson: Westernlore Press, c. 1992. For more history and great publications, visit Mary Bingham's Blue Traveler Press online at: www.bluetravelerpress.com
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