The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-18
Winncmuc The Apache.

bow and arrow, and beneath it is placard
announcing that it was trophy taken
from the body of Winnemuc, the Apache
cmef, ny James Morris, in 1878, at Alamoss
canyon, Tor which the said James Morris
received medal and a vote Of thanks from
| congress. Winnemuc was one of the most
desperate of the old time raiders. lie was
war chlet among the Apaches when Vic
| torla was only a sub chief. lie is credited
with having killed thirteen white men with
his own hands, and innumcrable Mexicans,
| ana this, too, at u time when the Apachps
| were more familiar with bowe and arrows
| than with improved Winchesters
Isolated settlements, lonely teamstcrs
and hcrders shuddcred at the mention of
lis name. 1t meant an ever present and
| terrible danger to them. lie had the
Apache habit of slipping Off the rcserva-
ton with fourteen or fifteen braves, max.
ing rapid dash through the country,
burning, stealing and killing and then re-
turning 10 tho protecting care Of benign
government before sufficient preparations
could be made to pursue and punish HIM.
lie was magnificent specimen of Indian
manhood-six feet three in height, and
turning the beam with nearly 250 pounds
OF bone and muscle-and in a hand to
hand encounter was very ugly customer.
lie had all the cutcness and deviltry of the
Apache, and hc used them after the most
approved Apache methods. While he
lived he was the terror of southwestern
New Mexico.
Long jim Norris" the man who killed
him, and whose exploit is immortaliscd on
the walls of the Minnehaha, IS a police
man In Santa Fe now. lie went into the
United States service ut the breaking out
OF the civil war, anu remained in it con-
tlnuously Tor sixteen years. For the larger
portion of this time he has been in the bor-
der service. Morris is a good -natured,
handsome fellow, over six feet in height,
and very powerfully built. In 1878 he
was Sergeant of the Eighth Cavalry, sta
toned in this Territory. One day news
came that Mexican hertler had been kill
ed by Apaches, and Morris and ten men
were detailed TO pursue tho Indians and
punish them if possible. 1t WAS in the
heat of summer when they started out and
they soon got on the trail,
AT first it was comparatively stale, but
by hard riding they hoped to reach the
murdercrs and surprise them before they
suspected that they would be followed.
1t soon became evident, however, that tho
Apaches themselves were travelling with
unusual rapidly, and so decisive and in
tellgcnt were their movements that the
suspicion grew that Winnemuc was ut
their head. The pursuit was hard one,
as indeed all pursuits of the kind are in
this country. The soldiers went mile after
mile over the weary wastes of the slnd-
hills, sometimes travelling for long hours
under the vertical rays Of the SIN without
water, and with no vegetation about but
The monstrOus dreariness Of sage brush and
grcasewOod. At the end of the third day
their rations were almost exhausted. but
the trail was becoming freshcr, and this
encouraged them.
The next day they rode until evening
without water, and when they did come
to little spring, the horses, which we're
suffering more than the men, could not be
held, but rdshcd into the water and drank
1T eagerly muddying it in such o way as to
make 1t dlstastcful to the thirsty soldiers.
On the fifth day the trail became exceed
ingly frcah, in the afternoon they reached
the mouth OF Alanlosa Canyon, 2S5 miles
southwest of Santa Fc. They entered the
canyon cautiously, and could hear the In
dians, who had by this time given up the
idea of pursuit, shouting ahead. Tho can
yon was on the reservation, and the
Apachcs, knowing that there were three
Or four hundred of their tribe but a short
distance away, felt entirely safe.
The soldiers were armed with carbines
OF the old fashion, and with Remington
pistols; which might 60 off once, or six
times at once, or not ut all--.it depended
upon chance. Detailing three of the men
to hold the horses, Morris placed the rest
in Indian file, with himself at the head and
followed nOiselcssly. At turn in the
canyon he came upon Winnemuc and thir-
teen braves, and with yell the soldiers
charged through them, firing right and
left. Surprised at the sudden onslaught,
the Apachcs sprang from their horses and
dashed up the canyon, followed by the
troops, whose balls were doing considera-
BILE execution. Winncmuc had separated
himself somewhat from the rest, and was
running up the mountain in diagonal di-
rcction, turning every now and then to
send an arrow at the soldiers.
His bow and knife were his only wea-
pons. Morris picked him out and started
in pursuit. lie followed the fleeing chief
for about fifty yards, when Winncmuc
wheeled and shot at arrow, which struck
NAolilp III Viz iSChs AAO ulOPpCN AIlbIluL-
ly, and the Indian, believing that his ar
row had done serious damage, drew his
knife from his belt and with a whoop, ran
back to finish his work. II was an unfor-
tunato move. Morris had dropped as q
ruse, and when Winnemuc came within a
few feet Of him he arose on his knees, aim
ed with his Remington pistol-and it
would not 60 off.
The Indian, somewhat startled ut '"r
at.!">'T r.GI0ycry. would ,he-.g Jr-n!tc to p
suuul and enrich the 6loodl aH}d "a 'mmL ho"L
but the momentum Of his run was toe
great, and, before he could do anything,
Morris had dropped his useless pistol, seiz.
ca him by the legs and thrown him for
ward. Mc struck his head with such force
upon one of the rocks that he was stun
ned, and, taking tho revolver, Morris liter
ally beat his brains out. Winnemuc was
hastily scalped, his bow and arrow taken.
what provisions the Indians had seized.
and the heads of the horses turned toward
Fort Craig. Only ono of the soldlers--a
corporal--had been killed and two wound
cd, while none Of the Indians had cs-
capped.