Arizona miner., 1866-08-22
TIE HATTIE OF SKULL VALLEY.
LIEUTENANT mrrroS's OFFICIAL REPORT.


 the lth instant during my absence on i'm 1 portant public business, the train belonging to Mr Freeman was stopped by a large band of Indians. some eight miles above my camp.
 He sent to my camp for assistance, which the non-commssioncd officer in charge promptly furnished.
 un'thc arrival of the party, they found Mir. Freeman having talk with five Indians that they had permitted Co approach the train Soon alter, four of these Indians left, after protesting peace The remaining one was taken charge of by my nonlcommissioned ot- Rcer and brought to camp, to ind out il pos sibie from him, what tribe the band belonged to. Alr. Freeman had an Indian who unaer- stood tiuir language From him be learned that the band wanted his mules. and ardently desired Co clean outn the valley-clalmng to own. in addition to the wood, water and gluss, ail the corn planted thore by the citl- Llns.
 On my arrival at P NJ. on the 18th n- stant. found the hills full of Indians, who were talking Co my non-COmmissioued officer, claiming to be friendly, calling themselves Apache Mohayes. [ had talk with one of them. at distance of two hundred yards, as near as could approach him. His conversa-
  between them and Mir Freeman the day be- fore. ln addition, however, hg stated that Mir Lciby, the Indian Agent, wanted fifty bucksk.ns, and had told them they might roam around and get them wherever they chose. Being in a quaniary 1s to how to proceed, despatched a messenger to the commanding officer of Fort Whipple detail ing the above iacts, and asking his advice iu the matter-telling him that they had prom ised c. come in in the morning Co have talk with me. ireceived hi, reply at 3 o'clock in the morning of the 18th, advising me that, as the Indian, appeared Co have hostile intgn- tions, from their stopping the train, and thcr making such curious demands besides the fact that they were over forty miles east of the line of safety laid down by the former district commander, General Mason, that r his opinion, 1T they were friendly Colorado River Indians. they were perfectly well aware of the fact that any one had right to kill ! them if they crossed that line, and advised mo tn nnnish then, but tn nSe diserstion and not force the matter.
 1 On the morning of the 18th Mir Freeman being anxious to reach Prescott with hi train, furnished him with an escort of fou uen, reserving as many 0f my men ss possible to have the talk they had spoken about th night before and 10 find out more of thei 1 intentions, and by what authority they wcr : n Inc valley
 The train left at $ o'clock, \. M. Ate proceeding a mile and q half, the road in iron and the hills to the left of the train. yer filled with Indians, making more hostile den n,tratiufs-appearing very anxious to com down to tie train He despatched messeu ger to my camp ref ortine the fact. ! staItc
 with twelve men, and arrived as the first IT
 dians came to Che train. They presented th
 enclosed papers, marked \ X B. In orde
 not to alarm the Indians. I had directed in
 men to approach the train one at time NJ
 Freeman and myself permitted about eight
 to come to the train, but compelled.them {
 leave their bows and arrows behind.
 In very short time after they arrive,
 each Indian produced a knife from some Dol ton ol AIs person, hourshing them in an e'
 ceedingly hostile manner l had placed
 sentinel on hill near by, to watch the nov,
 mcnts of the rest of the party. In a shor
 while be cried out to me that there were fiy
 Indians with guns in the rocks above, an that the hills were fall of them, and tha ' they were exchanging signals. An old squa' ! in the party cried ont in good Spanish, .' uitc ! into them, you can whip them with you | kniyes, which she repeated with incessan emphasis several times. From their move ments. two or three with kniyes in the
 hands, collecting round one man, the cry the squaw, the signals and the strange moy,
 ments of two who prolessed to be chiefs, judged that some treachery was intended an
 advised my in,a tnd tie men ,yita Jhr tran
 to be on t'.f alert and not allow them C al t | .. E...t. ..f... e.
 chiui. made two thrJists with a large kni
 at Alr Freeman, concealrng his intention vii
 a hu.kskin on his left arm, one of my ID, warjl.d of each thrust, when the Indian ma
 thrust at one of my men, who caught q
 blow in his hand. The man kept hold of q knife, taking it from the Indian by the blad cutting himself severely, when he shot Il Indian and the fight commenced.
 The fight lasted about forty-hYe minut, l We succeeded in killing twenty-three India and wounding perhaps double that numb, :, lost one man, killed, (priyate Pauline Esl noso) and one wounded badly in tine han 5 The number of men engaged were, of my col : mand, sixteen, and one man of company i lst battalion l4th infantry, ten teamsters al
 Mir. Freeman, making twenty nine men in al
 all of whom behaved well and are deseryii pl EiNht H'"t1ts
 A citizen, (Mr, BinkIey) with the trai c recognized ani talked with an indian the ii { previous to the fight, called Ia Paz Charle s This Indian tried 10 conceal his identity , talking through his teeth, but on beii
 pressed with questions, confessed tl.at he W - La Paz Charley. Others in the party, esp E cially friendly Indian with Mr. Freema !, recognized him. The band was made up |. Apache Mohayes, Mohayes, (La Paz), Hual
 pals, (riyer lndans) and Apache Tontos. The captured prisoner, through an into Q preter, says that lrataba, the chief of t - Mohayes, knew of this expedition, and q n yised them not to go ont. Two citizens
 La Paz with the party, recognize bim as brother of Captain Chiquita, of the Apac J Mohaye tribe, who was killed in the fgl The prisoner also says, that the Tontos c . ticcd them to go on the expedition, to captu f the train and clean out the Mexican soldier l also firmly believe that Jitchejitche, chi of band of Hualapais, was killed, iudss from description given me by gentS S