RIESBECK, Adam

Weekly Arizona Miner, Prescott, Arizona Territory Wednesday, June 22, 1872, page 2, column 1 Our paper had gone to press, Friday last, with its usual batch of Indian barbarities, when word was brought to town that Adam Riesbeck, an industrious man, who, for several years past had owned and cultivated a farm near Prescott, was just then being conveyed to the Hospital at Fort Whipple, for treatment of wounds inflicted upon his person by savage Indians. We inserted a short item to this effect, the press moved on and so did we, having no time to think of the poor, suffering mortal. Not so, however, dear friends, who, unlike us, were not forced to work, work. They went down to the hospital and returned sadly disapointed, in that the Doctors had assured them there was no hope for poor Adam Riesbeck, nor was there, for despite the efforts of physicians and nurses, Death claimed him and life departed him on Sunday morning, June 16th. On the afternoon of that day, friends and acquaintances followed his body to, and deposited it in, its last resting place in the Citizens' Cemetery. The murdered man was a native of Bavaria, Germany; a citizen of the United States, and aged about 35 years. Previous to his death he informed Louis Wortman and others that, while working in his corn-field, about six o'clock on the afternoon of the 13th inst., his horses, which were grazing near by, acted as if they were frightened; he went towards them, and while leading them across a ravine, towards the house, was fired on by about four Indians, who lay hidden in the willows. Feeling that he was wounded, he hastened to the house, to which the savages did not follow him. The horses were placed in the stable, two buckets of water were procured, and preparations were made by him to repel an attack, should one be made. Night soon came, and a night of suffering was it for the wounded man, who lay there, suffering from fear and pain. Morning dawned and his water was all gone. He gathered his strength and procured another bucketful, but the effort was almost too much, for he grew worse soon after it, and was almost dead from loss of blood, thirst and suffering when, about noon on Friday, the 14th, Dr. Ensign and others came along, from Camp Date Creek, in a Government ambulance, into which poor Riesbeck was lifted and conveyed to Fort Whipple, where, as we have before stated, he died on the following Sunday morning.