The Cecil Whig., 1883-07-21
CROOKS INDIAN STORIES.

dian campaign that the fight took place
about 1S0 miles from our boundary, on
the 18th of May, in the heart of the
Sierra Madre mountains, in a very rough
country. 1t was not just as he expected
and planned, because it was precipitated
by the scouts firing upon two Indians.
The results were all that could be de-
sired. Nine Indians were found dead.
The camps were captured, with every
thing they contained, and five prisoners
were taken The following day Chi
huahua, Chiricahua Indian, came in
and said that he and the other Indians in
| the mountains wished to surrender and
return to San Carlos. Gen. Crook ex-
| planned to them how the Mexicans sur
| rounded the mountains and how it was
impossible for the Indians to escape.
lie (Gen Crook) was told that no white
man had ever been wi ere he was stand
ing, and SO secure did they feel in their
stronghold that Geronimo and most of
the bucks Were at the time absent raid
ing against the Mexican settlements. In
| the meantime, while these conferences
were going On, Geronimo returned from
his raid with IA large amount of plunder
and Il herd OF 800 captured animals; but
discovering the raid made by the scouts,
| his party became panic stricken aban-
doned their captured stock, came into
/ 4
ers. For three days Gen. Crook held
| them i'll suspense; each day they weak
ened more and more, until he found their
spirit was broken, and they fairly begged
| t. be allowed to return to San Carlos re-
| servation.
The Indians believe that Gen. Crook
| that he would not be responsible for any
harm that might beiall them, they would
| not believe him, but surrendered on
| their implicit faith in his powers to
shield them from danger should they sur
| render.
There is great difference between
fighting Indians and lighting white men.
The savages always get in u position
| where they will be shielded and onl,
| tight when they want to, and our So.
| diers are forced to fight whether they
| better how to surprise them than our
| soldiers, for they are intelligent warriors
| and take advantage of every little cit
cumstance. Every Indian is Il general
and knows exactly what to do under any
circumstance. He knows which is the
| best position for him ana how to take
the enemy at II disadvantages IL, is al
ways under all conditions perfectly sell
| possessed. aud there is an iniiv iiuality
about him at all times. The soldier is
mechanical and part OF great ma
Chine and thereby loses his individuality
If there is Il weak SPOT in our line and a
lot of Indian boys are in front of us they
will drop on that point and make as
much out of it as Caesar, Napoleon or
Hannibal could do, for they will do ex
actly right, and that is all the best gen
| eral i'll the world could do.
The \ l,acheS are the Shre widest and best
fighters in the world. They will strip
themselves and ascend Il precipice like a
cat, and they will do all this after
making days march. Dyring this ex-
petition they danced through one night
to the discomfort of the S, ldiers, who
were tryi ing to sleep-marched all next
day and climbed places where COYOTE
would have trouble in getting | have
known them to run suddenly on a quail
and kill it with a stone, and run down a
wounded antelope. They are just as
much smarter than any other Indian as
anybody could be. They have wonder
| full good eyesight, being able to follow Il
trail on starlight night as well as
| could in daylight. Evidence of their
prowess are visible all through that
country and they and the Me1icans have
been fighting for hundreds of years, and
upon every hand are to be seen the re-
mains of Peublo settlements which have
Sfiuoh1iy oecu Nlpeu ouI ny LneSe
Indians, and it is tradition among the
pesple of that section that the Apache is
unconquerable. Yet thGy have wiped
out every band Of Peublo Iedians, ex-
cept the Moquis and Zunis, whom, | am
satisfied, are the same class of people. |
have seen these fellows ambuscade in a
place as level as floor.
There was a wagon train in 1871 going
out of Arizona into California, with an
escort in advance. The Indians saw
them coming and abuscaded in the road,
which was perfectly level, with here and
there clump OF grass. The Apaches
lay upon their stomachs, threw dust over
themselves and tied grass in their hair
and were passed by the escort uunoticed.
After the escort was some distance off
the Indians jumped up and captured the
wagons in the rear and killed the teams
terS. These fellows take all the chances,
whereas other Indians seek place where
they will he sale and shoot the enemy.
reaches, our principal Apache guide,
knows that whole country and we left
everything to him. WAS not afraid to
trust him and believe | am the only
man who has used these Indians against
each other. do not know how To de
scribe the way it is done, but | have
never met a case OF treachery. | have
taken these same Indians in 4 battle who
were III open arms against me and have
had them to turn around imm ediately
against their own people.
never disarm Indians under the pres.
ent circumstances, because it has been
my experience that, in order to govern
the Indians, you must not allow them to
think yon are afraid of them. To take
their guns from them while the whites
above them are allowed to carry arms
would have the effect to impress the In |
dians at once that you We're afraid Of |
him. Another thing is that when these
Indians surrendered they only brought in
lances or Indifferent arms, expecting to
give them up. Where the Indians con- |
template surrender they always take the |
precaution to hide their good weapons.
Now, if had demanded these arms they |
brought with them they would have
credited me with fear, while | would get |