The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-26
FIGHTING THE APACHES.
The Surprise of the Casa Grande, and tho
Renown 1t Brought Colonel Garcia.
San Francisco Examiner.

San Francisco Examiner.
To-day the most admired man in Northern
Mexico is Colonel Garcia, and his popularity
rests on a single success, known as the Sur
prise Of the Casa Grande."
To our request Colonel Garcia said that he
had been witness to only part of the engage
meut, But you, Captain" he said turning.
were in the midst of it" The officer spoken
to was a tall, slim young man, with the beau
tiful eyes and delicate, girl-Iike features SO
often seen among our tropical %neighbors.
He, courteously drawing his "serapo" a little
closer and lighting a fresh cigarette, began;
You must know that notlong since we were
scouting with four companies near the dead
line, between Chihuahua and New Mexico.
The heat for days had been excessive, and
our search after the willy Apache f~ruitless.
The men were dispirited, and, their provis-
ions being exhausted, the Colonel demanded
our return to the mountains and the nearest
town. 1t was a typical tropical day, and the
men moved silently under the scorching sun.
We had travelled since daylight, and about
noon reached where the trail began to climb
the mountains through a narrow cannon.
Here one of our Babispe scouts, who had
been riding in the rear of the line, spurred
his Indian pony along the train, and reach
ing the Colonel pointed to n cloud OF red dust
on the horizon, saying: The Apaches' The
column of dust was ten miles off, but our
scout was a faithful one. and we trusted to
his warning. Entering the pass the men
were directed to climb the sides of the can
non and hide themselves. How quietly they
lay, almost cleft to the rocks, fearing almost
to stir in the dread that the cunning Indian
nature would scent the trap and balk the am
bush. Almost every man had some murder
tn qVpnoa Gn1tln p1tqspvA To n1,oX In two
hours the Apaches came hurrying along to
the number OF lGJ warriors. and the squaws
following, driving the stolen stock. To us
the haste of the Indians was a mystery, but
looking again we saw, about two hours be-
hind, the American troops in hot pursuit.
But the pursued imagined themselves safe,
as they had reached the mountains. I'm
suspectingly they crowded through the pass
until our bugle gave the signal for the first
yolley. For one moment the Indians stood
a~stounded, but then their wild nature came
to the rescue. With one accord each man
sprung to the nearest cover, arock or stump.
1t was useless. Our men we're perched above
them, and for four hours every Apache head
that showed itself below was a target for a
dozen rifles. To us it was a day of reckon
ing Tor years OF violence. and each mans aim
became steadier as he thought of some muir
dered brother or friend. Gradually the fire
from the bed of the canon ceased, except from
Onespot, There, sheltered and intlenChed be-
hlhd powders and safe from our rifles, lay
seven OF the Apache chiefs. The bayonet
was our only resource for dislodging them,
Four times the bugle sounded the charge;
three times were our men driven back, and
every time the unerring Indians claimed one
dead soldier each. On the fourth charge our
men swarmed over the rocks from all sides.
and their bayOnets tossed the bodies of the
hated enemies in the air. From the fight
but twelve OF the Indians were supposed to
have made their escape. We killed in all
perhaps no men and women, but no loss in
ticted on them repaid us for the killing OF
our thirty-two brave men. Both the fate of
those victims and the fate OF our country
men who went before them shall be remem-
bered in the Mexican army until not one
living Apache p~ollutes the fair face of our
country" AS the officer stopped he rose and
LETT the fire. For a moment silence hung
over the party, until Colonel Garcia, turn
ing to us with a smile, said; Our young
friend does not look like a person who could
be very bloodthirsty or savage" No we
answered I'VE would, on the contrary, say
that he had a nature that was particularly
gentle and sympathetic.H Yet continued
the Colonel, in that sameslaughter that boy
threw aside his repeating rifle, a out from
behind his ambush, and, climbing to the
edge of the precipice, lifted large rocks and
dashed out the brains OF the squaws and pa
pOOses crOuched in the canon below. He
received two bullet wounds, and | was COM
PEELED to send three OF the men to compel
him to retire to shelter. His two brothers
were killed a year since by the Apaches, and
he has sworn revenge" Who of us can say
that his proyocation was not great, and his
claim of justification wrong?
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