The Tombstone epitaph., 1882-05-01
BIDDLE-WILLCOX.
A Spicy Chapter from the His. tory of the Late Indian
 Campaign.
Riddle Strikes Hard and Wilcox Weal<ens Colonel Kautz Puts In His Oar-Military Mat
 ters at Camp Thomas.
Correspondence of the Citizen.

GRAHAM COUNTY. April 2O.-An.
 other Indian outbreak is upon us
 with all its horrors, and some of our
 best ranchmen and their families arc slaughtered. On receipt of the news
 from San Carlos, Colonel Schofeld,
 the commanding officer at Camp
 Thomas. took the field with his cav.
 airy and pursued the Indians to Ash
 creek, making march of forty miles
 and then went into camp hungry,
 and for lack of rationI was com-
 pelled to return 10 Fort Thomas and
 then make a new beginning. But
 wha: is the use of his handful of men
 attempting to check those blood.
 thirsty scoundrels, who have at least
 l5O warriors? No support whatever
 has been given us from below. Thomas has just been depleted by one cavalry company and Camp Apache by two. These, it is said, are sent down to the border to make a new push for the benefit of the ring. The commander of the troops in the field seems to be permanently located at Wilcox. None of the great commanders ever get past that delightful city. Wonder if the great(?) name it bears attracts them? Why, Tn the name of God, cannot the government send us mah of brains, capability or honesty of pur- pose to command this department?
 The inclosed paper has been circu- lating around here for some weeks, and as it is public document and not having yet seen It in print, l procure copy and send 1t to you. 1t shows up military matters in Ari- zona somewhat. CITIZEN.
 FORT GRANT, A. T., April 6, 1882. To the General of the Army, Wash
 ington, D. O., (Through Head
 quarters Department and Military
 Division of the Pacific). -'' V
 GENERAL: In the Army and Navy Journal of March II, 1882, ap. peared an extract from the report of Brevet Major General O. B. Will cox, commanding the Department of Arizona, and my commanding officer. The article was headed "General Wilcox and General Carr," and it reflects great discredlt upon me, and is, to all intents and purposes, false, in this, that took nineteen squaws from the Coyotera and Chiricahua camps, or that the Indians broke out on account of "Major Biddle's man. ner of proceeding" "Then the un- proceeding of Major Bid ile which resuTtesd- in stampeding the Indian camps," all of which are 1 false, and l can find no evidence in the researches I have made for the commander to base such | g reflection upon, and if he has no other information than I know of, and l haze made every effort to get it, as the inclosed papers will show, he made it knowingly and with fore. thought. In speaking of Major. San ford, the report reads: ~-l BAND TOOK AZ PRISON s&as 1IL MALE : --- wARRIoRs.p & The word @took" as used, IS s;ssoitly put, but it is an artifce to cast a mirage over the report that would mislead the uAnformed reader. Its, l, animus is apparent, l think, and in tended to banter with my character as a soldier, and yet is fact. Major Sanford "took" the prisoners
 FROM THE GUARD AT SAN CARLOS. They had been "captured" and turned over, and even some of them had escaped while under guard (See Col. Tiffany's report marked No. 6), but nothing had been said of the es. cape. It was evident there wasno one to be reflected upon but me, Why assimilate a dissimilarity and couple Major Sanford's and my name as they are in the report? To me there is seeming vindictiveness and animosity that cannot account for. There is not the slightest charge in the department commanders report of disobedience by me, and 1 am as- sured now that if there had been the slightest grounds it would have been se,zed on but too readily, and made the basis of charges, but there is evi. dently an extreme effort to
 LAssO A sCAPEGoAT, that he may be paraded before the public in the journals of the coun- try.
 1 will now give brief history of the whole matter:
 l was ordered to go to the sub agency on Sept. 30th, 1881, where I | would find four companies of cavalry and one company of Indian scouts, to arrest George and Bonita and their bands. Upon arriving at the sub agency l saw it was issue day, whlcl l did not know before. The Indians were mingling to the number of | about one thousand. l saw the diff culty under which l would have to operate. 1 felt l would have to be more than cautious owing to the feel ing that generally existed of want of confidence. Enclosed (No. l) is my personal report to the department commander, dated October list, 1881. | He called upon me for 1t. Tbe lat. |