The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-18

CAPTAIN John q. B0URgE RCsHEs TO ThE De
PENCE OF MS CHIEF.


PENCE OF his CHIEF.
philadelphia Prcss.l
The statement OF State Senator Gibbs, oil
Texas. that General George Crook had been
captured by the Apache or Chlricahuas
instead OF capturing the savages In their
mountain fastncss in The Sierra Madres re-
ceiyed yesterday plausible affirmation by
a dispatch from Washington. In II the
statement was made that an officer &C.
onaintcd with every stage OF the confer
cnce between Secretaries Lincoln and
Teller, Commissioner Price and the Gene
raj had disclosed the information that
Crook virtually admitted his defeat by the
Indians during his late campaign against
them In the past winter or spring. Instead
OF corralling the Apaches, the declaration
was made that General Crook had been
gathered in by the Indians, and was only
allowed 10 depart without injury TO himself
or command on condition that TIE Indians
should be put on the San Carlos reservation.
The other side OF the story, however, Is
told by an active participant in all the In
dian hunts made by Brigadier-General
Crook within the last twelve years. Cap
tam John q. Bourke, who was the adiu-
fant-general OF Crooks command In the
evening i'm his mothers residence in this
city. When appraised OF the allegation
that his commanding officer had been
defeated, and OF the authority for the
assertion. the Captain, with much in
dlgnation, replied: ~ do not know who
State-Senator Gibbs l., nor do / know
where he got his information, which
Is without foundation, and. in fact, II is a
10 Nosfhar dn Euau fba officer of tle
Government who makes this cowardly and
mdeserved attack on General Crook, who
Is now in Arizona, and cannot possibly be
warned for weeks yet Of this stab in his
back. II the so-called officer will come
ont over his own signature will give him
some attention"
"But, Captain, why not give your YER
sion OF the story in the Generals absence,
as you were q prominent member OF his
staff and knew OF the factsg" was asked.
II do not know" was the reply, "that
am right in saying ANYTHING without in
structions, but to defend the absent can
only add to what have told you that when
we penetrated the range and captured the
two camps, with the ponies and the Indian
families, everything was done that could
be done. The interior OF the mountains
had been fully penetrated, and two run
neTs came TO us with the information that
all the Indians wanted was TO be moved
back on TO the San Carlos reservation.
They desired peace with the Ameri-
cans, but they showed the utmost con-
tempt for the MeXicans, whom they had
oyerpowered on all previous occasions.
simply by rolling rocks on them from the
thousand and one pinnacles comprising
their rocky fortress. General Crook
achieved the main object of his eXpedi-
ton, and" with an emphatic bang of
his hand on the table, Captain Bourke
added-"the General, | am sure, never
admitted that he was defeated. In the
Sierra Madres is country unknown IN
its resources for defence to you people
who live ia the East, with your
genily-rOlling slopes and mildly
similar series of mountains on the
Allegheny ridge. In the terrible country
into which Crook made his way there
might be hundred Indians, and if you
killed or captured nine-tenths OF them the
other tenth could carry on defensive war
fare for an interminable time, killing of
both troops and animals OF the attacking
force out OF all proportion to the defenders.
Crook only did what was right" concluded
Captain Borlrke, "and he was lot defeated.
| soy this positively. without regard to the
assertions Of so-called State senators or Of
military dudes in Washington city,"