The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-19
THE STORY OF A RENEGADE.
A Chapter of Indian History Concerning
the Apache Chief Geronimo.
He Is Net q Mexican, but a Pure Apache
How He Was Captured and Placed
Under Arrest at 0jO Caliente.
ohm p. Clum, in San Francisco Chronicle.

John p. Clum, in San Francisco Chronicle.
In the Chronicle of June &c you copy an arti
Gle from the Prescott Miner, purporting to give
biographical sketch of the noted Indian rene
gade Geronimo, in which it is claimed that
Geronimo is a Mexican, and not an Indian. The
picture by the editor of the Miner is a romance.
The notorious renegade Geronimo is an Apache
of the purest type. | venture to detail briefly
my acquaintance and experience with this In
dian first met Geronimo in June, 1876, at
Apache pass, in the Chiracahua mountains, on
what was then the Chlracahua reservation, the
same having been set apart by the Howard
treaty for the famous Cochise tribe Of Apaches.
At the time General Howard made the treaty
with Cochise (1872), there were present band of
Apaches who originally belonged in the vicinity
of Jonas. Mexico but who made frequent visits
to American soil, and were very friendly with
the Cochise tribe These5Indians were under
the chiefs Heronimo, Hoo Tor july and Nolgee.
They desired to be included in the treaty with
Cochise, and were permitted to do so. They
were designated the Southern Chiracahua
Apaches."
Cochise died in 1874, and the treaty he made
1876. On April of that year Pionsenay, the
brother of Skinya, who was head chief
under Conchise, with small band attacked the
Sulphur Springs stage station and killed two
men, Rodgers and Spence Then moving west
to the Rio San Pedro, they killed and wounded
several others. At that time was in charge of
the San Carlos reservation. On May 3, 1876, l
was ordered to proceed to Apache pass, assume
control of that agency, and. if possible, remove
the Chiracahua Indians to San Carlos did
not arrive at Apache pass until June 4. On the
night preceding my arrival the faction under
Skinya and Pionsenay insisted on taking the
war path, but the two sons of Cochise stoutly
resisted. The result was fight to the death, in
which Skinya was shot and killed by Natchee,
the younger of the Cochise boys and Pionsenay
was dangerously wounded by Tahzay, the eldest
son of Cochise, and who succeeded his father as
chief of the tribe. Several others were killed
and wounded in this fight, After my arrival the
Cocnise boys readily consented to go to San Car
los. Pionsenay was arrested by my Indian police
and held prisoner. HeronimO Hoo Tor Juh) and
Nolgee, chiefs of the Southern Chiracahuas, had
long talk with me, in which they all consented
to remove to the San Carlos reservation, but
asked for little time to bring in their women
and children. This was granted them.
That very night Geronimo had all the dogs in
camp killed. abandoned his surplus camp equip
age, provisions, etc. and set out for his old
home in Mexico From that date Geronimo
was branded a renegade. General kautZ,
commanding the department OF Arizona was at
Fort Bowie at the time l at once informed him
officially of Geronimos movements and request
ed that the column of cavalry stationed in the
San Simeon valley be ordered to take up the
trail of the fleeing Indians and administer
proper chastsement to them Three companies
trOOnS Indian
under Major Morrow started the next day in
pursuit of Geronimo but they failed to overtake
him. From that time-June l876-until April
1877, this Indian and his followers were con
stantly depredating through southeastern Ari-
IONA, southwestern New Mexico and Sonora.
The troops and scouts failed to check his career.
Stock stolen on these raids were traded off at the
small towns on the Rio Grande, and so the rene
gades were kept wealthy and happy. 1t so hap
pend that as Lieutenant Henely, of Fort Bowie,
A. T., was passing up the Rio Grande in March,
1877, he saw Geronimo at Los Palomas, whittier
he had come on one or his tours. Lieutenant
Henely at once telegraphed to General Kautz
that he had seen Geronimo at Los Palomas, and
that the renegade was undoubtedly making his
headquarters at the Southern Apache Agency,
at Ojo Callente, n. NJ. General Kautz tele-
graphed this information to the War Depart
ment, and that department transmitted the facts
to the Indian Office. The result was the follow
ing telegram to me:
"WAsHINGToN, D. c., March 90 1877.
agent Cum, San Carlos
eff practicable, take Indian police and arrest
renegade Indians at Southern Apache Agency;
seize stolen stock in their possession restore the
property to the rightful owners, remove rene
gades to San Carlos and hold them in confine-
ment for murder and robbery. Call on military
for aid if needed. SMITH, Commissioner"
Here began one of the most exciting and i'm
portant movements / ever undertook. About
March 28th | left San Carlos with 100 Indian
police, armed with the improved needle guns
and a good supply of fixed ammunition. The
distance was about $50 miles, and the round trip
had to be made by my little army on foot. In
New Mexico, General Hatch department com
mander, had ordered eight companies into the
field to cooperate in the protection of settle
ments should serious trouble occur. All along
the route we were informed that the main rene
gades were gathered at Ojo Caliente, that from
250 to 400 well armed, desperate Indians. were in
the mountains in the vicinity of the agency,
waiting to greet us in the most enthusiastic man
ner This kept up the interest of the march
into New Mexico At Fort Bayard n. NJ.
arranged to meet Major Wade commanding the
troops in the field, at Oio Caliente on
April 20. With my police | marched
| cautiously to within ten miles Of the agency.
Then selecting body guard of twenty five,
rode into the agency just before shutdown on the
evening of April 20, 1877, the date agreed upon
with Major Wade. Upon reaching the agency.
l found dispatch from the Major stating that,
as usual, he was delayed and would not be at
the agency until three days later 1t seemed to
me that the object of the military was to defeat
every undertaking by an agent, in order to dem
onstrate the ineffciency of the civil service and
the necessity of pacing the Indians under the
supervision of the military The troops had
been hunting Geronimo since June 1876 They
had utterly failed. Now to have h i'm captured
by an Indian agent would be too much They
knew as well as did that If | remained at the
agency three days with 100 Indian police Geron-
imo would not be within 100 miles of Oio Cal
iente, and thus my expedition would prove a
magnificent failure, and | think such result
would have been far more pleasing to them 1.-THE
military than what actually occurred
Upon reaching the agency learned that Ger
onimo camped about three miles to the
westward, and that his force consisted of about
seventy men, number of boys and lot of old
squaws, who, by the way, are much more liable
to precipitate fight than the men. l soon deter
mined not to await the arrival of the military au