Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-06-15
WITH CROOK IN MEXICO
The Forces that the Gray Eagle
Leads-Apache Traits
Value of his Scouts.
Scenes and Incidents Along the Line
of March and Pointers on the
Result-The Supply Camp.

heSulc-Tne supply camp.
The New York Herald correspondent,
writing from San Bernardino Springs,
gives the following description of Gen.
Crooks command.
APPEARANCE AND ACCoUTREMENTs.
They're fine leaking lot Of fellows,
don't you Think" asked q young lieu
tenant with whom the Herald CORE
spondent was riding.
Truly they were all that he could
claim for them, An artist, no doubt,
would object to macy of them as un-
dersiz ed, but in all other respects they
would satisfy any requirement of ana
tomical criticism. Their chests we're
fectly straight, limbs well proportional,
straight and muscular, without sug-
gestion of undue heaviness. Hands
and feet are small and taper, but wiry.
Their heads are we'll shaped, and their
countenance often lit up with q pleas
ant, good natured expression, which
would be more constant, perhaps, were
it not for the savage, uutamed cast i'm
parted by the loose, disheveled, gypsy
locks of raven black, held away from
the face by broad, fiat band of scarlet
cloth. Their eyes are bright, clear and
bold, and if little experience enables
one to judge accurately, are frequently
expressive of the greatest good humor
and satisfaction. Uniforms are issued
to them, but donned upon ceremonial
occasions only. On the present march
each wore a loosely fitting shirt of red,
white or gray stuff, generally of calico
in some gaudy figure, but not infre-
quently the sombre article of wooden
raiment issued to white soldiers. This
! came down outside pair of loose cot
| ton drawers, reaching to the mecca.
sins. The moccasinS are the most i'm
portant article of apparel. In fight
or on long march it is said they will
discard all else, but under any and
| every circumstance will retain the
moccasins. These were freshly made
before leaving Wilcox.
The indian to be fitted stands erect
upon the .round while companion
traces with sharp knife the outline
of the sole Of his foot upon a piece o
rawhide. The Logging is made of soft
| buckskin, and reaches to mid-.high,
but for convenience in marching is al
lowed to hang in folds below the knee.
Tie rawhide sole is prolonged beyond
the great toe of each foot and turned
upward in shield, which protects
from cactus and sharp stones. A leath-
| er belt encircling the waist holds forty
| rounds of metallic cartridges, and also
keeps in place the regulation blue
| blouse and pantaloons, which are worn
upon the person only when the indian
scouts is anxious to "paralyze" the
frontier towns or military posts by a
display of all his fncry. The other
rappings of these savage auxiliaries
are Springfield breech-loading rifle,
| army pattern; q canteen full of water,
q butcher knife, an awl in leather
case, pair of tweezers and tag. The
awl is used for sewing moccassins or
work OF that kind. With the tweezers
the Apache young man carefully picks
out every hair appearing on his face.
The tag marks his place in the tribe
and is in reality nothing more or less
than a revival of plan adopted during
the war of the rebellion for the identif-
cation of soldiers belonging to the diff
ferent corps and divisions. Each male
Indian at the San Csrlos is tagged and
numbered, and descriptive list cor
responding to the tag kept, with full
recital of all his physical peculiarities.
ON THE MARCH AND IN CAMP.
The rate of speed attained by the
Apaches in marching is about an even
four miles an hour on foot, or not quite
fast enough to make horse trot ..Tney
keep this up for about fifteen miles, at
the end Of which distance, if water be
encountered and no enemy be sighted,
they congregate in bands from ten to
fifteen each, hide in some convenient
ravne, sit down, SIN oke cigarettes, chat
and Joke and stretch out in the sun
light, baskins like the negroes of the
South. If they want to make q little
fire they kindle one with matches, If
they happen to have any with them; if
not, a rapid twirl between the palms of
q hard, round stick, fitting into a circu-
lar hole in another stick of softer fiber,
will bring fire in forty five seconds. The
Herald correspondent tried t. do this
trick, but met with lgnominious failure,
and was greeted with derisive mockery.
This was not the only instance In which
the Herald's representative failed as an
amateur Apache, but be did his best
to initiate all he saw done and to learn
something Of the mode of life of a
most interesting people. He did not
paint his face as the scouts now began
to do, but he wishes he had. The scouts
explained through interpreters that
they paint the face to prevent the hot
winds from blisteriug it; for this pur-
pose they make use Of antelope blood.
or the juice Of the roasted "mescal !"
Century plsnt).
The short morning rest of the
Apaches was broken by the shrill cry of
'Choddee! Choddee!" (Antelopel Ante
lopez and far away on the left the
''slumpl slump!" of the rifles told that
the Apaches on that flank were getting
carcasses showed that they we're not the
worst of shots, and your correspondent
takes pleasure IN asserting that they are
not by any means bad cooks. When the
command reached camp these restless.
iudefatigable nomads built in a trice
all kinds of rude shelters. Those that
had the army "dog-tents," put them up
on frame works of willow or cottonwood
saplings: Others, less fortunate, impro-
vised domiciles of branches, covered
with grass, or of stone and boards and
pieces of gupny sacks. Before these
we're finished smoke curled gracefully
toward the sky from cracking embers,
in front of which, trans6xed on wooden
splints,, were the heads, hearts and iivers
Of the victims of the afternoons chase.
Another addition to the "spolioptima"
was cotton-tailed rabbit, run down by
thess feet footed Bedouins of the South
west. Turkeys and quails, it is asserted
oy those who know, are caught in the
same manner, and your correspondent
hasn't doubt of the accuracy of the
statement; only he didn't see any such
capture on the march herein described.
Meantime q couple of scouts are max
ing bread, the light, thin ''tortillss' of
the Mexicans, baked quickly in pan,
aud net bad eating. Two others are
fraternally occupied in preparing their
bed for the night. Grass is pulled out
by handfuls, laid upon the ground and
covered with one blanket, another serv-
ing as cover. These Indians, with scarce
ly any exception, sleep with their feet
pointed toward little fires, which they
cisin, are warm while the hio ono. huiIt