Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-04-12
4 RETROSPECT.
The Greatness of Geronimo in For
 mer Years.
Matters of History Made Correct by Com potent Authority on Indian
 Affairs in Arizona.
WASHINGTON. D. O., April ?, 1881.

WASHINGTON, D. C., April ?, 1881. EDITOR CITIZEN: In your issue or March 25th you state that Geronimo was once arrested by Sheriff Shiben, and that the Indian escaped from the Sheriff near San Pedro.
 For the sake of keeping the record straight" thought would drop line, with few facts.
 The Indian who escaped from the custody of Sheriff Shibel and his dep uty, Ad. Linn, was the renegads Plonse- nay, and not Geronimo.
 An Indian named Skin-ya (Skin-ya was a brother of Pionsenay) was head war chief under Cochise. When Co- chise died the friends of Skln-ya thought he ought to succeed as chief, but Cochise had desired that his eldest son. Taza, should be his successor. This state of affairs brought about bitter rivalry, which resulted in fight to the death.
 The immediate circumstances which led up to this fight were as follows:
 On April 6. 1876. Pionsenay killed Messrs. Rogers and Spence at Sulphur springs. lie vas pursued by the mlil- tary, but not captured. In May l was | ordered to proceed to Apache pass and | remove those Indians to San Carlos. A | column of troops was sent into the San Simon valley, and another column into l the Sulphur Springs valley, while pro ceeded to the agency at Apache pass | with body guard of San Carlos police | The night before my arrival at the | agency the faction under Skinya and h.s brother, PIOnsenay, insisted that all the | Indians should leave the reserve and gc | into Mexico. The sons of COchlse op- posed this stoutly, and bitter fight en' sued, ill which Skinya was killed and Pionsenay wounded. Skinya was shot l through the head by Natchee, the the younger of the Cocbise boys, and Pionsenay was shot through the right shoulder by Taza, the elder son.
 I arrived at Apache pass on June 4th and on June Sth I arrested PIonssnay about ten miles from the agency. On June 18th left Apache pass for Tucson with the renegade Pionsenay. At Point of Mountain I met Sheriff Shibell and Deputy Ad. Linn. They had a warrant for Pionsenay. 1 turned the prisoner over to them at p. m. June F, 1876 and it was this Indian, and not GerOn- imo, who escaped from the Sheriff neal San Pedro at about p. m. of the date last mentioned.
 Now a few words for Geronimo. This Indian was at Apache pass. III 1876 when l went to take those Indians to San Carlos. I had talk with him ai that time, and he promised then to go with me, but asked for pass to enable him to go to the line to bring in his fam flies. l gave him @ pass for four days, and that same night he killed all his dogs and old horses, threw away all extra camp equipage and struck a bee line for Sonora 1 learned of his move ments. and the next day the column of cavalry in San Simon valley wers on the rene yade's trail, but as usual they did not Overtake him, nor have they ever captured him since.
 The following year, February or March, 1877, Lieutenant Henely (whO, with Lieutenant Rucker, was drowned at Apache pass about a year later) was on the Rio Grande, in New Mexico, and saw Geronimo at Las PRlomas. Liuten- ant Henely at once telegraphed General | kautz that he had seen Geronimo, and that the headquarters of this renegade were, undoubtedly, at the Hot Springs agency, New Mexico. General Kautz sent this information to the War Office at Washington, and those officials at once notified the Indian Office. The re- suit was a telegram to me to take In dian police, proceed to Hot Springs, arrest renegade Indians there and hold them in confinement for murder and robbery"
 took 120 San Carlos police, marched them on foot to Hot Springs, N. M., a distance of about $50 miles, arrested Geronimo and six other renegades and, upon subsequent orders, removed all the Indians from Hot Springs, N M, to San Carlos. These Indians were under the, since, famous Chief VIctorio. | may mention here, briefly, the cir cumstances and only capture of Gero- nimo. Major Wade was in command If the troops in the field in New Mexico When l left Fort Bayard, N. M., Major Wade had arranged to meet me at the Hot Springs agency with three com panies of cavalry on Aprll 10th. On the OA Nudb OdH IOub lult JUG agency with an escort of 9 of my police. Upon my arrival I found telegram from Major Wade stating that Gas usuaD he was delayed and would be at the agency three days later.
 | learned that the renegades I wanted were at the agency. 1 knew they would not remain there three days owing to the presence of my police. hence I con- | pI al tn 1at af na hf4 4lty of my police were back in the hills about 10 miles from the agency. I concluded that the renegsdes would take it for granted that the escort of 25 police, who accompanied me to the agency, was all the force 1 had. was correct in this. Accordingly, as soon as IL was dark, dispatched courier to Captain Beau ford to march the reserve police into the | agency before daylight on the 21st | About f a. m. while the renegades were asleep in their camp three miles distant the balance of my force arrived at the agency and were at once quartered in a large vacant cOmmissary building where they were secure from the gaze of the ! penetrating optic of ye renegade. At daylight l sent for the renegades. They came up smiling about 70 strong, with var-paIDt and feathers, shotguns, rifles, bows and arrows, butcher knives, spears, lances, and few other toys of similar nature.
 But to be brief, l succeeded m sur rounding these Indians with my police, my stratagem was a success. I arrested such Hs the reneGases as I wanted, and the first man taken was this same original, famous Geronimo. He. with SIX others, were heavily ironed and brought in wagons a distance of 45O miles by road under guard of my police to San Carlos, where we arrived May l7, 1877, having been absent about seven | weeks.
 | l desired the civil authorities of Pima county or of the Territory to take 1 charge of this renegade and mnc1erer-