Arizona citizen., 1871-05-06
BLOODY RETALIATION.

fruits. Testimony IS abundant that munitions of war are freely furnished the Indians at Camp Apache, and that those Indians regard themselves at peace with the citizens only who re- side on the White Mountain reserva- tion, and that they have the earliest knowledge of all outrages upon set tiers or mails or freighters. A short time since, It. Royal E. Whitman, then in command at Camp Grant, accepted as sincere the professions of peace of few hundred Apaches, and since then they have been receiv- ing more or less food-if nothing more at that post. They camped nearby, but not On any reservation, military or Indian. A few weeks ago, some stock was stolen near San Xavier. A party of citizens went in pursuit, overlook the thieves on the direct road and al- most to Camp Grant, and since that the trail has been followed in the Ari- vaipa Canyon, the quarters of these military ''friendlies. The murder of four citizens in San Pedro valley, is quite certainly the work of these ''friendlies," and, so abundant had the evidence become that they were guilty of more atrocities under this as- stunned peace arrangement than ever be- fore, the patient endurance of citizens, was exhausted, and they resolved on re- taliation, so with the aid of over hun dred Papagoes, they started on the 18th April, reached Arivaipa last Sunday morning, killed S5, took 2S children prisoners, and seven escaped. A horse, stolen at San Xavier, and on whose back an Indian captain was killed by citizens some weeks ago on the road to this camp, was there captured unbroken packages of center primed rife'cartridges, &c. were found in their wickiups.
 If doubts ever existed that these h. dians were only pretending peace, they do no longer. This slaughter is justified on grounds of self defence. At the rate San Pedro, Sonoita and Santa Cruz valleys were being depop- ulated, 1t was either this course, or death to the remainder of the farmers, teamsters and mail riders. All over the United States, times occur when peaceable citizens are robbed, killed and their houses are burned over their heads, and the legal authorities neither punish the offenders nor pre- vent the repetition of the crimes, and an outraged people do for themselves what those charged with that duty fail to do. Their course is never un- reservedly commended, but is nearly always excused or justified, and their acts never punished by legal prose- cutions, if indeed they are at all. It is the fervent desire of even the partici- pators in these extraordinary cases of self-protection, that the necessity for them may cease at once and never reappear.
 To say this instance shows spirit of barbarism ill our people, would be gross islander, and we trust that the weekly reports of murders for, we may say, years agone in Arizona, and their number increasing, will be enough to convince all beyond our llnes, that the wonder is not so much that this killing occurred now and as it did, as that it was so long delayed. There never was a murder committed in self-defence with stronger provoca- tion or better grounds of legal justii- cation, than in the case under con- sideration. While the killing is a matter for regret, the necessity for 1t is still more to be deplored, and un- doubtedly exists in the minds of most people qualified to express an in telligent opinion in the case. Give