The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-06-28
GEN. CROOKS BRILLIANT SUCCESS

UEN OhUUk y DRlLLlANl NUCL1DO.
General Crook latest victory over
the hostile Apaches is one of the
most complete and brilliant achieve
nents in his remarkable career as an
Indian fighter. When he started On
this expedition there were loud calls
in Arizona for general Indian mas
sacre of the whole Apache tribe, In.
nocent as we'll as guilty. in punish.
ment for recent depredations by a
handful of hostiles. Gen. Crook docs
not fight in this way. He has always
maintained that wholesale slaughter
IS not the best remedy for Indian
troubles; but that the way secure
and maintain peace is to single out
the guilty Indians and settle the &C.
count with them. Instead Of follow
ing the demands of public sentiment
in Tucson and Tombstone, he organ
lied an attacking party of 1913 Apache
scouts and AZ United States cavalry.
men. and set out on May l to hunt
the hostiles in. their own stronghold
IN the heart of the Sierra Madre
Mountains. The band he was IN
search of has long been a terror Oh
the Mexican frontier. They are call
ed Chiricahua Apaches, from the
name of the mountain country in
which they operate. Their total num-
Der has not exceeded 400, yet Gen.
Crook estimates the number OF per-
sons they have killed during the past
ten years at more that 1000. They
lived in what was considered an i'm,
Ipregnable fortress in the mountains.
whence, mounted upon fleet nurses,
they raided the surrounding country
on both sides of the Mexican line.
To attack such band as this in their
own strong hold was no holiday expe-
dition. General Crook had two es-
pecial perils to encounter One was
The treachery of his own Apache
scouts, who comprised more than
tour-fifths Of LIS entire force and the
other was falling into an ambush set
toy the enemy he was seeking. Meth
er one daunted him. He pushed Two
hundred miles into a region which
was so imp assable that eight mules
fell over preclpices and were killed
but lie led his expedition so skilfully
that he completely su: 2rised the hos
tiles in their fortress and captu red
383 of them, which must be nearly
the. whole band. He did this witt
small loss of life to the Indians and
without tho loss of a single man o.
his own force. The chief of the band
Jnh, the worst fiend in the lot, was
unluckily absent on raid at the time
Of the attack, and was not taken. bu,
his principal associate leader, Loco
was captured, together with five Other
chiefs. All the prisoners have beef
brought back over the two hundred
miles of dista ice, and are now il
custody at Silver Creek. within tn,
American borders. Juh is still a
large, but the capture of his ban(
leaves him incapable of future harm
and makes his own capture only {
qnestion Of time. 1t is unnecessary
to waste adjectlves on an achlevmen
SO brilliant as this. The simple mar
rative it sufficient. There has beer
some talk about Gen. Crook violatin!
treaty obligations by pursuing IT,.
enemy SO far into Mexican territory
p but he seems to have kept entirel,
within treaty stipulations by return
, ing Immediately after his encounter
). Even if he had been less careful, W
!, doubt if the Mexican Government
n would complain. He has rid tn
f country of a gang of murderers an
y marauders whom the Mexicans wer
i powerless to suppress, and he has re
stored to their friends, six Mexica
,. captives who we're found in the In
n dian camp. The Generals service
o full As great to Mexico as it is to tn
9 United States.-Iribune.
).