Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-01-22
The Apnches.

From Governor Saford's publ Shed
report upon the resources, etc., ArL
iona Territory, we extract the pillow
ing interesting information about tho
famous Apache Indians:
These Indians are divided into small
bands, and are governed by petty
chiefs or captains. Tho main divisions
of the Apaches are named the Coyote
ros, Plnals, Tontos, Apaches, Mohayes,
and what Is known as Cochise's tribe.
Each OF these tribes or bands has more
or less divisions, and are governed as
said before, by the petty chiefs or cap
tains Of such band. They have no COM
mon head, and when the chief OF one
Of these bands Is not acceptable to his
people he IL removed and another
chosen IN his stead. In this respect
they are republican. They have lived
principally by theft and such supplies
as thew could obtain from tho natural
products of the country, as far back rs
we have any written knowledge OF
them. They have levied their contrl-
buttons for centuries upon Arizona,
New Mexico, Sonora, chihuahua and
Durango. They often travel hundreds
of miles from their mountain homes
and unexpectedly sally forth upon a
settlement to murder, burn and des-
troy aud capture herds, and carry into
captivity women and children. There
are many MeXicans now with them
who were stolen when so young that
they have no recollection Of home or
relations, while many were taken Mt
an age that the memory OF father,
mother, brothers and sisters could
never be efFaced, and such embrace
every opportunity Of escape, ana have
often returned after an absence OF
from 10 to Is years to gladden. the
hearts OF fond relatives who nave
never ceased to mourn their sad fate.
The tales of anguish Us told by these
poor people. Of the long years OF cap.
tiyity, of hardships and hunger, of
fears and hopes for life and liberty,
and of constantly witnessing the MUIR
der and torture Of their own people,
are heartrending in the extreme. The
Apaches are polygamists, and have rs
many wives as fancy dictates, or rs
| they can induce to live with them.
The women do all tho hard labor, and
are often treated with great severity
| by their lords and masters. They have
no matrimonial ceremony to celebrate
the marriage relation, but If the BRIDE
groom Is possessed of any property he
is expected to give something to the
brides father ut the time she Is taken
from tho parental roof. After mar
rage these Indians expect and de-
mand fidelity OIL tho part Of their
wives, be they few or many and any
deviation from the paths of virtue Ia
punished by cutting of the nose. The
| writer has seen q number or their
women after they had been disilgured
in this way.
Repeated attempts have been made
| to place them on reservations, but they
have invariably proved treacherous In
| their pretensions, and while being fed
| at the expense of tho Government have
| often murdered and robbed citizens,
and when their nefarious work was
done, return again to the reservation
for safety and rest. There are UNI
| doubtedly Apache Indians who desire
peace, and policy and humanity dc
| tate that they should DO placed upon a
| reservation and be fed and guarded,
| and not allowed to roam at Will, and
| murder and deyastate as has been the
case in all previou, experiments. Co
| chise Is the most noted OF all the
| Apache chiefs, and while all other
bands arc Independent of him, they all
| give him assistance In men and sup
piles whenever ho makes acquisitions.
The murders committed by this noto-
rious chief, II given in detail, would
| cause the blood to curdle In ones veins
| who has q heart Of sympathy. Tho
| misery and torture he has inflicted, II
portrayed, would cause amazement
that a just God ever created such a
monster. 10 the personal knowledge
| of the writer full one hundred have
fallen beneath his hand during the
| past two years. lie Is invenHvo In his
| means of torture. Women are often
| made captives and subjected to a life
| worse than death. Children are placed
on spears and roasted ver q slow fire,
and writhe In misery until life Is eX-
| tinct. Men arc hanged by the feet and
a slow fire kindled at the head, and
gashed with knives and pierced with
arrows until death gives relief. Reader,
| these are stubbon facts. DO you won
der the people clamor for protection,
and feel deeply wronged whom their
| brethren, far removed from these hor-
| rid scenes, denounce them as barbarous
because they want peace and these III
| dians subdued?