Arizona silver belt., 1885-10-31
CRooK AGAIN INrERYnrwRp

umn and quarter of the Generals talk with representative of tho Al. buQuerqUe Journal, (omitting the slesh) which appearsin that paper of fhe 2Sth, The interviewer asked;
 "Is Geronimo dead, as reported, General?"
 ''No, he is not. ] get my informa- ton from squaws who were acquainted with the facts and had no motive for telling falsehood.'
 "Where are the hostlles nowa"
 "They have all gone down into Mex leo and will not give us much more trouble"
 '1How many of them are thsre2"
 ''There are inst thirty-iive bucks and their squaws,"
 "What do you think they intend to do, General?"
 "Well, they are very anxious to get back to their old reservation, but are afraid to come, knowing that If they do they will be severely but justly dealt with. They will have safe refuge in Old Mexico, where they have friends who will sympathize with and help to protect them, and there they will probably Stay until they are ex- terminated. I feel so sure for the present that I have dismissed all oi my Apache scouts"
 ''Have you made any preparations for winter campaign against the hos, tiles Gsneral2"
 "Well, just between you and me l have allowed it to be understood in the southern part of the territory that l have not, because if the contrary was known the hostlles have friends there who would put them on the qui viye, but as a matter of fact 1 am tax, ing tho proper steps to guard our frontiers and gobble the savages the first moment our troops can reach them,"
 To recapitulate: Crook now admits that Geronimo is not dead, fact known to our citizens for more than a month. They also know that since his reported death he has been at Fort Apache and took away with him tive squaws and a child, whom Crook was holding as prisoners of war. Now mark the number of raiders, thirty, five bucks and their squawS." That i; the number stated by Crook, and talk ing it for granted that his estimate i: true, it is pertinent to enquire, why il is, with upwards of a 1000 men, in eluding Indian scouts, at bis command in five months he has been unable tC kill or cause them to hunt theil holes?" They are as aggressive to day as they were on the the 17th o May, the time of entering upon thu war path. But if the general is to l. believed, they are all in Old Maxict and so sure is he of the fact, he ha. dismissed all of his Apache scouts The general, no doubt, is convinced 0 the truth of the statement, but thr fact of their raiding in southwestern New Mexico puzzles the understand ing, unless it is conceded that tn, raiders skip through space with moru aiacrity than a weayer's shuttle, We however, doubt the generals sincerit, in that respect, for the reason that h. confidently admits to the Albuquer que Journal that he is hoodwinkini citizens of southeastern Arizona an, southwestern New Mexico with tn belief that he is not going to operat against the Chiricahuas thls winter and admits the fact to the reporte that he has already taken the necessa ry steps to that end. He sad to tha quid nunc, confdentially, "betweel you and mo am now taking prope steps to guard the frontier and gobbl the savage" And between you an me, dear reader, the general did no frown upon the Journal for givinI wings to his secret, and therefore " venture the assertion, tbat had it nc appeared in tpye the general woul have been greatly disappointed; whie leads to the belief that like Tom Nod dy}s secret, the general really regard ed the intended winter gobbling cam paign no secret at all---a joke to cur the dumps of those within strikin distance of the foe.