Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-07-17
THE APACHRs.
Gen. Crook Describes Them a. the Best
Fighters in the World.

FIGHTERS In the World.
fFrorn A New York Herald Interview
There is great difference in fight
inv Indians and fighting white men.
The savages aiways get in a position
where they will be shielded aud only
/ fight when they want to, and our
! soldiers are forced to fight whether
they want 10 or not. and these scouts
knew better how TO surprise them than
our scli:ers. for they are intelligent
warriors aud take advantage Of every
little circumstance. Every Indian Is
general aud knows what TO do under
suy circumstances. He knows which
ia the best position for him and how
TO take the enemy at a disadvantage.
He is always under all conditions per-
fectly self-possessed, and there is an
individuality about him at all times.
The soldier is mechanical and
part Of a great machine and
thereby loses his individuality.
If there is weak point in our lihe
and lot OF Indian boys are in front of
us they will drop on that point aud
make ~ much out OF il ~ a Caesar, Ma
poleon or Hannibal could do, for
they will do exactly right. and that is
all the best generals in the world could
do. The Apaches are the shrewdest and
best fighters in the world. They will
strip themselves and ascend pref
piee like cat, and they will do
all this after making days
march. During this expedition they
danced through one night, to the dis
comfort ofour soldiers, who were try
ing to sleep, marched all day, and
climbed places where a coyote would
not. | have known them to run
suddenly on quail and kill it with u
stone and run down Il wounded ante
lope. They are just as much smarter
than any other Indian us anybody
could be. They have Won
derfully good eyesight, being
able 10 follow trail on starlight
night as well as | could in daylight.
Evidences OF their prowess are visible
all through that country, and they and
the Mexicans have been fighting for
hundreds of years, and upon every
hand are TO be seen the remains OF
Pueblo settlements which have evil
IDENTIFY been wiped out by these
Indians, and it is a tradition among
the people of that section
that the Apache is unconquer-
able. Yet they have wiped out
every band Of Pueblo Indians,
except the Moquis and Zunis, whom |
am satisfied are the same class of peo-
pie. | have seen these fellows ambus-
cade in place as level as floor.
There was a wagon train in ISL go
ing out of Arizona into California,
with an escort in advance The In
dams saw them coming and anlbus-
IN, iaa Ia al, II
level, with here and there clump OF
grass. The Apaches lay upon
their stomaches, threw dust
over themselves and tied
grass in their hair and were passed by
their escort unnoticed. After the es.
eort was some distance off, the Indians
jumped up and captured the wagons
III the rear and killed the Transfers.
These fellows take all the chances,
whereas other Indians seek place
where they will be safe and shoot the
enemy. Peaches, our. principal
Apache guide, knows that whole>
country, and we left everything to
him. was not afraid to trust hiIn, and
believe am the only MN who
has used these Indians against each
other. ! do not know h5w to describe
the way it is done, bat / have never
met case Of treachery. / have taken
these same Indians in battle who
were III open arms against me, and
nave had them TO turn around inme-
diatesy against their own people.
Peaches came in or that raidiug party
that killed McComas and ! is wife and
took their little boy a prisoner. Just
before the expedition started he was
brought 20 me in irons. | took the
irons of and he accompanied Us and did
the most valuable service, for he was
the only man who knew the strong
holds OF the hosties, and he led Us
directly into them. Peaches is a full
blooded Apache Indian. aud member
OF the Chilicahuas band. He had two
wives among the Chiricahuas. Peaches
did not, of course, know the names OF
the mountains, and, like all Indians.
has no idea of distance rs 10 miles. He
computes distance by the days travel.
ana that is very uncertain, so that we
couid not form any idea of how far
down we had to 20 when he put it
upon the basis of number of DAYS,
travel it would Fequire to bring us to
the objective point, as some DAYS we
travelled Farther than on other days.