Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-05-19
THE APACHE WAR IS NOT nvrR

Colonel Torres, on his return to Her
 mosillo, gives It as ms opinion, that eth,
 Apache war is now over in Sonora.
 Just what Col. Torres means by that
 statement IS not made clear: but he
 evl iently means that there will be a cessation of hostilities for the time be. : Ing. The battle in Sonora, at which
 Me1lcan forces were victorious has frlly
 established the fact that the number of
 renegade Apaches is more than three
 times as great as heretofore believed.
 Since the "Cibicu fight, the number of
 renegade Apaches from all sources, in
 cluding the remnant of Victorio's band.
 and other stragglers from New Mexico,
 has usually been put down at from Go
 10 75 warrior, but out of that number,
 the Mexican troops have reported the
 killing of from 90 to 70 warriors. 1t will easily be seen then, that our informa-
 tiOn as to the number of renegade Apa-
 ches at large was very imperfect. Gen
 Garcia places tine number of Indians
 encountered on the west side of the
 Sierra Madre mountains at from
 l5O to POO warriors, eleven were
 killed outright, and perhaps i've or
 six more will die from wounds received in battle, leaving still at large on the east side of the Sierra Madre range from l35 to lS5 warriors. From the best information at hand, gathered from Mexicans and Americans, the numbe. Of | hostiles in the mountains, and on the l eastern slope will not fall short of lJO | warriors, or tai of not less tan 300 | varrors, and possibly the total may | reach between 3O0 and 400 warriors. The | present campaign has brought this in- formation, and 1t Is anything but en- couraging to the people of Arizona. The Sierra Msdres are the most abrupt, pre- cipitous, extensive and lofty chain of | mountains ID northern Mexico. It k almost impossible to penetrate this vast mountain region, and when the area, which IS as large as the state of Ohio, Is taken into consideration. every one who has tine least knowledge of such coun- try, and the fighting propeDsities of the Apaches, will readily realize the magni- tude of the undertaking. The history of the Modoc War among the lava beds of Oregon and Calf rnia, was but a small affair in com Parison to what awaits General Crook and the Mexican forces m disloGging and subduing the Apaches in the Sierra Madres. There was but little in the Modoc country to support the say ages in a long and desperate cam paign. But the Sierra Madres afford the very best field for the sup { port of Indian lie. The mountains are full of wild turkey, mountain sheep. bear, wild hogs, wild goats and deer. besides an ineXhaustIole supply of the | neScal plant exists everywhere, so that ] t will be utterly impossible tO starvt he Apaches out. As the Apache ques- lion now presents itself, it will requ re it least a six months campaign with the ( best backing We can give to General { Jr ok, and with the hearty CO operation T ,f t.e Mexican forces to bring the rene ( yades to terms. The task is herculean V without doubt the most difficult hat l General Crook has ever undertaken. c We can ouly hope that the War De a will give General Crook its V ull and hearty support, and trust to d lis superior skill in fighting the Indians a n his own way, and that such arrange e nents will continue with the Mexican 2 as will permit him to pursue c hem to the end. Anything short of this d will result iu au endless savage warfare Il D Southeastern Arizona, Southwestern 0 New Mexico, Chihuahua and Sonora; md If General Crook fails, our Indian rUubles in Arizona will have but just ,Agun