Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-03-18
CROOKS CORRESPONDENCE.
A Strong Endorsement of Agent Wilcox HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTlENT OF
 ARIZONA. WHIPPLE BARRACKS. {

!
 ARIZONA, WHIPPLE BARRACKS.
 PRESCOTT, February 23, 'S3.
 To the Hon. H. M. Teller, Secretary of the Interior, Washington. D. c. DEAR SIR In the newspapers of the territory there have appeared within the past few days statements that charges of a serious nature, rehecting upon the in- tegrity and capacity of Mr. P. P. Wilcox, the agent at Sau Carlos. had been for warded to your department. My first impression was that should take no mo- tice of the matter, winch concerned off, eers of another department of the gov ernment, and especially of one which is peculiarly tenacious of it's own rights and jealous of anything like intermed- ding with outsiders but the more I re- fleet upon the matter the more I am sat istied that It Is my duty to express my self upon this business, and to lay before you opinions which may aid you in sus- tanning Agent Wilcox. In the first place 1t is a matter of vital importance to the military that the agent at the San Carlos reservation should possess the best quail itjcations for the position that he should not only be honest, but have an ! understanding of business and be a man | ! quently aid the military in expressing disorder, ere 1t attain the f.sportiOns of an outbreak aud reciprocally must be aided by them in many of the details of his adminis- tration. The function of the repre- sentaiives of the War and Interior de- psrtments in place like the San Carlos ! agency, touch close at the edges and over l kIxv hot Ina | respective officials be men of peculiar fitness for their duties, constant | wrangling must result with disastrous | consequences to the best interests of the | government. No tribe of anything like the same numbers is to be found In the | country to-day which could intiict so ! much damage upon property and des- | troy SD many lives as could the Apaches, in the event of an outbreak. The l Southern Pacific. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and the Atlantic < Pacific railroads are rapidly building upon the communities which would suffer ter rlbly ln such a contingency. So far as my abilities admit, do not intend that there shall be any outbreak, but m every way possible shall try to les sen day by day the chances of recur-
 
 Of affairs as overwhelmed the settlers and miners in southeast Arizona, less than a year ago. To assure future, there IS no question to be compared to d good agent now. do not wish to ap- pear as the eulOgist of Agent Wilcox. haven't a doubt but that he has hls faults, just as other human beings have, but while going about among the Apaches last fall, 1 learned to know Mr. | Wilcox, and unhesitatingly say, that If you don't support him fully you will | regret ii. Mir. Wilcox has to contend | against a nest of the vilest bummers, | men for whom no words in the diction- | ary are too strong, the remnants of the | old Indian ring of this Territory, who | never made an honest penny ID then | lives, but grew fat on the proceeds of | Indian hostiles. These men are vam- | pires who gorge themselves on the blood | of their fellow creatures. A number | still hang around San Carlos agency. | and, SO long as one IS there to be found, | just so long you are gong to have | trouble to root them out. From them have come all the lying reports of dis content mong the Apaches in the past slX months reports which have been scattered broadcast over the country | and have done much to keep plumbers of our rich mines III Arizona undevelOped IL Is perhaps hardly proper for me to make the assertion but do assert that the Apaches of the San Carlos reserva- tlon since my conference with them ID September, October and November last, have been SO well behaved and as well disposed as any equal number of abO- rIglnles Tn the west. They are now preparing their lands for tillage and re- quire but one boon and that IS the ex- pulsion or destruction Of the nest Of ir- responsible parties hanging about the agency and throwing obstructlOus in Agent Wilcox's path. There is hu- morous phase to this assault, a phase which leads me to believe that the devI 1 Is at last about to turn monk. Agent Wilcox IS accused of immortality, Q charge which, with eastern people will be likely to condemn him without 9 hearing. If you could only know a lit- tla of the mode of life of most, if not all of the men who are antagonizing NIT Wilcox, of their fragrant and absolute contempt of the first principles of de- cency, you would throw that part of the charges into yOur waste paper basket aud give 1t no further concern.
 I must apologize for my long letter, which ! hope you will ascribe to my deep interest in the subject of keeping the Apsches on the path Of peace and progress, and of lending to your de partment the assistance not alone of the military forces Of this department, when called for, but of my experience and ob- servation among these Indians, which you may find of some value. are at least to be dictated by perfectly disinterested motives.
 Very respectfully, your obedlent ser want,
 .tSigned) GEO. c. CROOK,
 Brigadier General Commanding.