Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1881-10-25
THE INDIANS or THE SOUTHWEST.
The Forces They Can Muster---Trou.
bles in Store for Projected Rail
roads.


AS the Texas Pacific Railroad COM
pany is reported to be working earnest
ly on the western terminus Of their
line, with the view of connecting New
Orleans as soon as possible with the
Pacific coast, the Indian war on the
southwestern frontier should be car
ried on with more vigor and determi-
nation.
If the work on the railroad is to be
continued, the Indians must be tho
roughly beaten and given such lesson
that they will respect the power of our
government, for they now, unfortu-
nately, hold Il IA utter contempt. The
method of warfare adopted by the war
department against these ruthless saw
ages is in no way suited to the emer-
gency. 1t is no exaggeration to assert
that company of frontier scouts or
rangers are more feared by these Indi-
ans than brigade of regular troops,
commanded by one of our most scen-
tific and experienced officers.
The northwestern portion of the re-
public of Mexico is the vast and, at
present, inaccessible hive from whence
swarm these pests of the plains and
mountains. In the ravines and hidden
valleys of the Sierra Madre, and in the
innumerable caves that honey-comb
the sides of the giant mountains, the
hill Apaches, the most cruel and brutal
of all the American aborigines, make
their homes. In the valleys that lie
among the foothills, which on either
side flank the Sierra Madre range, the
Mescalero Indians, from the Rio
Feurte, on the southern limit, to the
boundary line between Sonora and Ar
izona, range free and unrestrained, the
masters of vast region Of country.
The Comanches, who belong to the
same family as that tribe which was
once so powerful in Texas, have sever
al villages near the northern frontier
Of Sonora, and often join the Mescale-
ros, the hill Apaches and their broth
ers of the plains on their sanguinary
and destructive raids against the vii
lagos and haciendas of northern Mexi-
co. With the exception Of those cities,
towns, and villages sufficiently popu-
lous to keep ordinary bands of savages
at distance. almost the entire states
of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, and
Coahuila are subject to these constant
iy-recurring raids. Until within the
last five years these inculsions were
periodical, and took place annually. In
Sonora the hill Apaches always raided
into the plains when the harvests were
ripe. They forced their unwilling
captives to cut the corn and carry it to
their strongholds in the mountains,
and then butchered them in cold blood,
reserving only the younger women, the
girls and boys under II years of age.
The miserable female prisoners became
drudges of their brutal captors and the
mothers of future Apache warriors /;
while the boys were at once incorpo-
rated among the Indian youth and in
time became the bravest and most fe-
rocious of the tribe.
The Mescaleros, in 1868, could bring
$500 warriors in the field; the Co
manches, when united, could collect
about l,500, while the hill Apaches, of
Chihuahua and Sonora, could gather
together at least 1000 warriors at any
point desired. The plain Apaches,
kindred tribe. when concentrated num-
bered about 600 fighting men.
The Mecaleros and Comanches are
very brave and gallant. They will
fight the Mexicans when the latter out
number them three to one, nor do they
regard the American soldiers as better
than their Mexican comrades.
For many years they have held un-
disputed sway over the region they
claim as their own. nor is there sim