Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-03-27
THE HOSTILES.
The status or Anairs at the Fropt-,,,n. Interesting Facts not Generally known.


 TOMBSTONE, March 22. 1886. ED, CITIzES:-To one who know something of the situation of Ips,a, affairs, the newspaper articles which have been published b. the Tombstone Tucson and other papers, assume uor, the dignity of mirth than truth. In Tombstone you can hear any kind of lndiBn story you want. It Is furp,sbed you with your coffee and eggs end in terest Is added by the great complieity of age between the news and the eggs am very sorry to say, however, that in every case the eggs rank.
 But what l started out to tell vop YVES the present situation O! affairs along the war line" The status Of affairs at present Is this-Rnd this Is reliable Chief Natchez and twenty-three war rlors are ID camp on Elias creek. eirbt miles from the Guadalupe canon camp. They are there for the purpose of tur- rendering to Gen. Crook. Geronimo IS with them but he is not, as Is general, supposed, the managing and firLtlor chief. The band Is headed and com manded by Nstchez. rhe reported fight between the Mexican troops and the Indians Is all hog wash. There are 10 Mexican troops in that part O! tbe country. The most amicable relations exist between the troops and citizens and the band Of 'hosiIles" now eucamped At Ellas creek, aud visits are numerous. 1t was cnly the other day that one of the hostile bucks came up to IrlOolets butcher shop at San Bern8rdino rarch-ITibolet l. the beef contractor and tTader-and after buy lag bottle of whlskey went back to the camp He sad they had plenty to eat but that they dId not want tO fight there were other Indians Tn the noun tains who wanted to fight the Mexicans, but that hls band c6ose to surrender to ;he United S.6tes authorities and take the chances.
 Chief Mana with one buck. surren- dered some time ago, is a little, dried-up old man, as gray as tue sheet this paper Is printed on and so bOw-leSged the sun hardly knows where 1t ought to set. He Is now l believe at Lang's ranch camp, but was for somo time at Guad- alupe canOn. He loafs around like a gen tleman of leisure and escapes the usual restrictions accorded a prisoner. When he so choses he goes out to see the hos tiles on Elias creek and when they chose they pay hIm a friendly visit When Gen. Crook gets down there this thing may stop, but st present every thing is as pleasant as May-apnle blossom and the mythical goddess of peace ls using one wing t0 the best of her ability. The Indian scouts at San BeTuardino and GuGdaiupe canon visit the hOstiies most every Gay md OCcas- IOnaliY a soldIeT while out on a hun; for deer. drops into their camp. All are welcome and are cordially and hosplta- bly received. SEch is Indian yaTitre.
 Now. Gs l said before, there are only twenty: three IT. this party, but there is a contingent. Chiefs AEnEus. and Chico haze lu the mountains two bands mum bering about thIrty-iiye all told, aud they say that when they surrender DO roller skates will be needed in hell. This fellow ManCUs, has bcru ihe prime mon er and director ID this whole thing Gad It will worry the Uaitei States trCo;s and tEe Mexican troops to eUtTGp him. He Is aided by Chico, one Cf the most willy, vicious, and long-heGded men of the tribe. The two have relations with merchants iG email towns in Mexico which enables tEen tO csrry on war fare which. while # may be to some ez- tent blOodless, will nevertheless result in unPlessantnesS on this sIce or tEe iIne.
 The idea taa. the Indian war Is over Is an erroneous cue. The troops will be kept OF the line all summer and pro- visions are now beIng made for that arrangement. The surrender os GerunI- no Will not end tae trouble by a good deal In fact Geronimo has but little to say in the matter. He Is a sort of president in tEe ChIiicahua tribe and the war chiefs compose his cahInet. ID matters polite and domestic, his wo-., Is regarded, but m warfare the ranking war chef holds The TeIIs. Should Ger onimo surrender to the authorities he would not only lose his position, but be relecat SO private lfC-in case this g0ve rnment should fa'l tu lmprI-on or hang him. Chief Nsngus or Chico wonld then become ''pre sident." They do.t't call 1t president, but 1t means the same thing.
 Frra