Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-06-23
INTERVIEWED.
General Crook Answers Various QueS-
 tiOnS
The Indians EIeetually Corralled and Whipped Into >ubmission-General
 Crooks Policy Towards them.

ter's hotel. and on Knocking at the doc
 of room 22, heard the response Tn a ton'
 used to command, "COme inr Enter
 ing the reporter found the General II
 his shirt sleeves sitting on the edge O
 the bed, reading the last issue of the
 CITIZEN, and apparently taking things
 as cool as he possibly could.
 On making known his errand, the
 General replied, ''certainly, anything
 you want 10 know"
 Is there anything of importance about
 the raid that has not been made publici
 I do not know, replied the General.
 The fight took place about 1S0 miles
 from the line, in about as rough cOun-
 try as ever saw. The scouts, in ad-
 vance, under the gudancSof Peaches,
 came upon the hostile camp ou the 18th
 of May. There were nine bodies of the
 hostiles found afterwards, although how
 many more were killed I don't know
 The Iudians and squaws scattered like quail. 4he Indians don't like to talk about the dead. and 1 never knew how many We're slain. had sent the scouts on ahead Nith three days rations. after caching our camp.
 Dld you make any pr mises tO them
 I did not. The next day after the fight they commenced 10 come into camp in small deiachmeIts, and asked to surrender. I told them tO wait several days before l would consent to sheir surrender, as 1 would have fight on my hands with my own people when l got home.
 Did you give them any encourage ment to return to the San Carlos agency?
 NJ, I told them that if they surren- dered they would have to take their chances; that so far as l was individu- ally concerned the past wo1ld all be wiped out, bpt that they had committed SO many outrages upon my people that they would be liable to be shot wherever found.
 Upon what terms, then, did they sur render:
 Well. it was this way They have an abiding faith that l am all-pOwerful, and that l can succeed in whatever | undertake, and that 1t is bad medicine to fight against me. So when they asked Inc to br allowed to return to San Carlos, and l told them l would not be responsible for any harm that befell tLem. They re- fused to believe me. They think if say l cannot do anything it Is because l don't want to. Hence, when would not promise them safety, they refused to believe, and surrendered ou theIr i'm pliclt faith iu my power to shield them from danger should they surrender.
 How many, then, did surrender:
 l don't know of any who did not, ex- cept Jun, and he has been cast out by the Indians. He took his brother and their two sluaws, and has gone into the Naqui country.
 DId you get all the chiefs?
 Everyone. There was Geronimo, Cha to, Matches, Mana and Loco. The two latter came Tn with us, and l sent the others out in the mountains to look up the squaws and children who had seat tered at the fight. There was also a raiding party of some fifty or sixty bucks under the leadership of young | chief whose name I have forgotten. l They will come ID and surrender as We | have their families.
 How mauy Indians are there yet out? |
 Probably about one hundred melud- | ing squaws, and these will be brought in | by Geronimo, Natchez and Chato and | the young chief.
 Do you think there Is any likelihood | of their failing to put in an appearance? |
 None, whatever, as We hold all their | important families, unless their faith | with me Is broken, then 1t wlll be good | bye John to all the Chiricahuas.
 How many Indians did you bring | back?
 There were 2Sj in all, including 4S warriors and large number of young men who can handle the gun, and wh, san be pretty well counted OF in 6 fsht.
 Where are they now;
 They will arrive at the reservation 
 Have you heard from Mr. Lincoln.
 Only what the Secretary of the h. terior has sad, obiecting to their coming back on the reservation. 1T Teller's ad- vice is carried out,I will drive the ChirI- ,arhuas away again into the mountains, and 1t will be utterly useless for me L ittempt rn follow them in any capacity, AS their faith will be gone forever. A t stand, BOW their spirit IS broken, ana .hey are nightly humbled. They feel and have surrendered in good 'aith. Our government has always reated them as a nation, and l think 1t ought to now treat them just the same ls 1t did the South after the rebellion. No one dIshkes to see these red-handed nurderers, as nearly all of them are, go pack onto the reservation more than l To. But what are we going to do? To lill them will not bring back the dead, md to punish them will only result IL heir leaving the reservation, with the ast bit of faith gone, and they will take 10 the mountains 10 be exterminated | ,nly after long period of time, and hen only after they have killed thous- Inds Cf white people. Now they are wiling to go back on the reservation md settle down. They are tired of war md are anxious for peace. These Chiri- ahuas are the only ones l did not get m the reservation in 1872, and I would | nave had them had l been al- ( owed to corral them under Co hise, when I was superseded | y General Howard. None of those 7hom I did put on the reservation at hat time have ever made any trouble ! ince. neither wll these if they be al- owed to 20 on. This IS the only true 1 Iolicy to pursue concerning them, and | am satisfied that any other will work | ( mischief. This raid will result in taking II the Indians out of the Sierra Madres. | That country has been n sort Of breed ( ng place for them, where they have al- rays kept a nest egg, and have gone [ 1hen hard pushed. Do the Indians now at San Carlos op- ose their return No. that is all bosh. The Indians will ot make particle of objections to their eturn. C But suppose they are not allowed by he authorities to go on the reservation? Well, they will remain Tn charge of he military until the matter is disposed [ Where Is ChatO and the other chieiss I think they are on the way back to ! he reservation by way of the mountains. q s they are afraid tO travel on the plains. V What is sour opinion of Juh? He does not amount to much. Ever [ ince his fight with Garcia he has lost { restise and influence with the Indians regard Geronimo as the aDlest chef am the Chiricahuas have. Had you a sufficient force in this raid? I had a minimum force. l had all the ack mules I could manage. Of course { I had had greater force might have | more, but that is doubtful. [ he mountains are very rough there a be Indians are s0 suspicious that they [ ever camp together. but are scattered 1 ' } small villages for several mile round. built upon the mountain sides. | nd where they can always see each l 9 thers signal fires. Ten thousand sol 2 iers could not corral them all in such 1 9 ountry. IL IS simply an impOssibility . , think of such thing. I had all the lrce 1 could handle. IT the Indians c a ,,TI a | q,