Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-02-03
iA SINGULAR STORY.
"a shp.mThe GoiSen Rgo"raain
and the Sacred Legeud--MusOnry
Among the ApacheB.


Father The Golden Mountain
and the Sacred Legeud--MnsOnry
Among the Apaches.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribune.l
In the fall of 1870, while sitting on the
porch Of the hotel in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, party Of twelve hors<hen ap-
preached. Their horses were jaded and
gaunt as from long and difficult jour
ney. The riders we're dressed in buck
skin overshirts, cavalry pants, heavy
boots and large Mexican spurs. Dis
mounting at the hotel, the horses and
men were cared for. A tall, slim, hick-
ory-iron sort of man, who seemed to
be leader, made arrangements aside with
the landlord After supper, falling into
conversation with the leader of the
party, / learned in the course of the
evening, that they were party of pros
pectors sent out to the mountains in the
northern part of New Mexico and Ari-
zena, in the interest of company Of
st. Louis capitalists. The captain,
as he proved to be, and 50 / shall
hereafter call him, was an edu-
Gated man, and a member Of the
company, and went on this perileus and
toilsome expedition to satisfy rowing
and restless disposition. They had gone
beyond their intended limit at starting,
and had penetrated into the edge of the
Apache country. They had numerous
fights with the Indians, but being all old
Indian fighters, had brought all their
number back, though not without some
ugly scars. At one time their whole
number were taken prisoners by mid
night surprise and double their number
of Apaches. They were held prisoners
two days, and marched toward the
Apache chief town, where they were to
form the subject of a grand roast But,
the secocd night, they escaped by
stratagem, gtaking with thep the leader
OF the Apache band, whom they after
wards released on certain conditions
This leader is the blood-thirsty Apache
Chief, the chief wh0 murders men, wo-
men and children.
The whole party, before their escape,
understanding something of their cap
tors language, unknown to them, learn
ed, from word let fall here and there,
that the Indians had knowledge OF some
very rich mines, which the specimens
they had with them amply showed but
from the desultory character of the re.
marks could not learn the location of
the treasure, and it was to this fact that
the chief owed his life. This chief they
spared when making their escape, at
which time they sent the rest of the
band to their long homes. They prom
ised the, chief his life and liberty if he
would show them the golden noun
tain" and tell them the sacred le-
gend of his fathers" which seemed to
be in some way associated with the gold
en- mountain. To this he finally assent
ed, as the price Of his life and liberty.
The riches Of the golden mountain are
even greater than the extravagant sto-
ries of the savages had led them to be-
lieve; but it is located in the heart of
the Apache country, and utterly inaces-
sible till the Apaches are subdued. The
guarding of this golden mountain, the
keeping Of the whites Tut of gold fields
of absolutely inestmab lie wealth, hoard
ed and piled up in che mountains of
Arazonia, is the first and greatest cause
of the implacable, hostility of the Apa-
ches, even greater thartthe second cause
revenge. This chi eff showed them
this wealth, guarded by the whole Apa-
che nation, of which Captain - is
prepared to take posse ssion with mills
and mining apparatus, as soon as the
Apaches are subdued The chief gave
them HIS legend, and they, as .men OF
honor, even to captivp savage, set him
free. nusNasrs sfag
"And the legend" says the captain,
~ it being late, III give you in the morn
ing" D''' .''
In the morning the captain and 1
walked apart to the outskirts OF the town,
to grassy knoll,s and, sittSng.there, he
related to me the following strange, weird
story:
A party of Apaches, while lying in
ambush one day in the latter part of De-
cember, 1926, in Chihua hua Mexico. on
the Rio Grande, across the river from
what is now the town Of FL Paso, Texas,
watching a travelling cavalcade, as it
passed clump of small trees, saw one
Of the number spring from his horse into
the dense chappsrel and disappear from
the view of the horsemen. The caval-
cade fred a few shots at or toward him,
and half dozen Of them dismounted
and pursued in the direction he took, but
Of no avail. The escaping man ran d.
rectly toward where the Apaches lay in
the bushes, and ran into their midst.
They seized and bound him, mounted
and lashed him to horse, and at once
took fight They travelled toward the
Apache chief town by a circuitous and
concealed route, and reached it after six
days travel.
The prisoner was much alarmed at
first; bat, finding that his death was not
to be immediate, he seemed to put his
mind to studying out some plan OF es-
cape; but they kept him securely bound
till they arrived in. camp. Then they
decided to keep him until grand fete
day, some months ahead, and then put
him through the gauntlet and end his life
in grand carnival. He for some time
was as restless as a captive bear, walked |
up and down his small enclosure, and
talked to himself incessantly. But. be |
fore the day arrived for his taking off, |
this is the captains term, not the Indi |
an's-he had become somewhat resigned |
to his captivity, had learned something |
of the Apache language, and gave them
something of his history. They got in
terested in him, and promised him his
life in return for his solemn promise |
that he would never attempt to escape.
He married the chiefs daughter, and on
the death of the chief became chief him
self He had four sons and a daughter.
The oldest son became chief in lis turn,
and is the chief who is the subject of
eur story.
The white chief taught them, while
among them, the secrets of the Great
Cn;r;t and fbooa eecrata have enahled