Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-06
THE EVENING STAR.
SEPTEMBER 5. 1851,
THE ARIZONA MASSACRE.
More About the bloody Work OF the Cruel
Apaches.


The press and official dispatches published in
Saturdays STAR of the massacre of Gen. Cars
command Of U. S. troops at Fort Apache caused
great excitement in this city. These dispatches
were supplemented yesterday. 10y a dispatch
from Colonel kelton. at Presidio. giving these
additional particulars: mickey Free. an Indian.
who was at the fight and who came direct to
San Carlos, says that a medicine man was ar
rested by lieutenant, supposed to be Cruz.
The medicine mans brother said: You shall
not arrest my brother. and killed Cruz. The
troops then killed the medicine man. The en-
listed scouts who were close to the troops then
poured their fire into them. killing most Of the
ollcers and great many men, Then the mas
sacre took place. A few of the soldiers got
away, holding together and trying to fight their
way back to Fort Apache but it is supposed
that they all must have been killed from the
number stated by the Indians Three companies
from the first cavalry, Major Sanford command
ing. and six companies of the eighth infantry
Lieut.-COl. Wilkins commanding. leave the de-
partment of California Immediately for the de-
partment of Arizona"
THE OFFICERS WHO WERE KILLED
The press dispatches sent to San Francisco
and other places seem to have been derived from
the same source, and give the same facts all
resting upon the account Of the fight brought To
the Apache sub-agency by Mickey Free" the
Indian scout. Assuming this account Of the
massacre to be true. the officers who are sup
posed to have been killed are: Gen. Eugene A.
Carr, colonel sixth cavalry; Edmund c. Hentig.
captain company ID. sixth cavalry; Charles c.
Gordon, first lieutenant of company d; William
Stanton first lieutenant Of company l.; VIM. Ii.
Carter, hrst lieutenant and regimental quarter
master; Lieut.. Ornes, DR.. Geo. McCreery.
Gen. Carr was born in Erie county, New York.
in 1880. graduated at West Point in 1850. and
was for some time an instructor in cavalry tao
tics at Carlisle barracks. Before the civil war
he served in New Mexico. Texas and California,
and in 1854 was severely wounded in skirmish
with Indians near DiablO mountain, in the
aforementioned state He was I'm the Utah ex-
peditiOn in 1858. When the war broke out he
was put In command of the third Illinois cav
airy and served in the Missouri campaign
In 1862 he was made brigadier-general. He
participated In all the principal campaigns in the
southwest, and in 1864 commanded the left wing
OF the sixteenth army corps. Since 1868 he has
been almost continuously in service on the west
ern border. The other officers reported killed
are young men, all of them having entered the
regular army since the war. Lieut. Gordon was
in the volunteer service, and was appointed
lieutenant in the regular army in 1867. Captain
Hentig is a native of Michigan. He was born in
1S45, and was appointed lieutenant i'm the reg
ular army in 1868 from civil life. Lieut. Stanton
was born in New York in 1874, and served as
private in a New York regiment He was ap-
pointed to the regular army from civil life i'm
1867. Lieut.. Carter is a native of Tennessee
and was born in 1851. He graduated at West
Point in 1873. He was assigned to the eighth
infantry, and i'm 1874 was transferred to the
sixth cavalry. Dr.. McCreery was native of
New York. and was appointed an assistant sur
geOn in 1880.
THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRE.
Fort Apache, near where the Carr massacre
occurred, is 30 miles from Tucson, Arizona
by wagon road By taking the trail from Mac
milan, however, about so miles can be saved
The country is mountainous and full of CANYONS
suitable for ambushipg and surprising an
enemy. The mountains are covered with pine
and other timber. and streams Of running
water abound. In fact it is the best timbered
and watered section of Arizona. The Apache
country is settled almost entirely by Mormons
and it is reported that there is an understand
ing between them and the Indians.
DISPATCH FROM GLOBE CITY. ARIZONA
dated at Camp Thomas, September g says that
Pedra and band is in a canyon leading into the
Apache mountains, and killed every one passing
having been repulsed in an attack on the post
mail. Coroner Alva James and his son. William
Tuttle, and some other persons whose names
are not known, are reported killed Three com
panies Of cavalry and company Of scouts,
Lieut.. Gilbert E. Oyerton, commanding. are en-
route to Fort Apache.
DISPATCH DATED TUCSON, SEPTEMBER 4.
says there are fresh arrivals of Indian runners
but no message from Major Cochrane or the
troops sent to relieve him has been received. In
the attack on the post the Indians were reck-
lessly brave and defiant. one of them riding Gen
CddT HOISe luto Tie parade ground. wheeling
and firing as he passed out. report comes in
that in the attack on the post lieutenant and
seven men were killed. If this is true it was
probably Lieut.. Gordon, of the sixth cavalry
THE APACHES AND THEIR METHODS OF WAR
FARE.
Capt. C. D. Boyer, of the 9th US. cavalry. re-
Gently said to reporter of the New Orleans
Picugne that the Indians of New Mexico are
mostly classed under the generic appellation of
Apaches of whom the principal tribes are the
NavajOs and MescalerOs. Capt. Boyer estimates
the aggregate fighting force of these tribes at
fully {, 900 men, the Nayajos tribe numbering,
counting women and children, upwards of Is, 600
souls. There are also the remnants of the
Warm Spring Indians, who by actual count in
April, 1877, numbered only 467. This was Vic
toriO's band, and Mana is chief in the same
tribe. AS a rule, the Apaches are cunning.
treacherous and cOwardly. The ambuscade is
their most approved method Of fighting, plan
for which the character of the country, with its
mountains, rocks. ravines and canOns, is pecu-
liarly adapted. They will never risk an en-
counter on open ground. They are so adroit at
cOncealment that even when the troops arrive in
close proximity to the band not an Indian is to
be discovered, their presence being made known
by puffs of smoke from their rifles as the marks
men open fire from behind boulders or from
dense thickets The Apaches generally are small
in STATURE and resemble the Digger Indians
The NavajOs, however. are large and well-made
They are more civilized than the other tribes.
till the soil, make their blankets and iron imple-
ments, and own numerous herds.