The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-11
A Military Commission Suggested as Proper
Tribunal Before Which to Arraign GerOn-
imo and His Blood Stained Followers.
The Wheat Yield Greater than That of
Last Yearly Ninety Million Bushels.
All Is Not Serene Among Indiana Democrats,
Notwithstanding Colonel Brights State
ment-0ther Items from the Capital.
THE APACHE MURDERERs.
They hlPrObably Be Tried for Their Crimes
by . Military Commission.

Ihey HlPrObably Be Tried for Their Crimes
by Military Commission.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10.-General Drum, act
ing Secretary of War, has given instructions
that Geronimo, Natchez and the other hostiles
who surrendered with them, be stopped at San
Antonio and kept in prison there until deter
mination is reached to what course of pro-
cedure can be undertaken against them. It is
officially known that the surrender was not
made without conditions, but what the condi-
tions were, beyond the agreement that they
should not be surrendered for trial in Arizona,
has not yet been reported. 1t was in compli-
ance with this condition that General Miles
started with the hosties to Florida The de-
termination Of course Of procedure will proba-
bly, be made by the President, but not until the
terms of the surrender and all the attendant
circumstances shall be officially known. With
the present knowledge, it seem probable that the
offenders neither be tried bya military court
martial nor by the civil authorities. but
that they may be tried as the Modocs were-by
a military commission. This is tribunal for
the institution of which there are many we'll
recognized precedents in our own history, though
it is one which has, as yet recognition in
statutory law The atrocities of these prison
ers: terrible as they were, are not thought to be
such as would bring them within the iurisdic
ton of a court martial, which is very limited,
nor would civil court, in the absence of wit
nesses, meet the requirements of the case, al
though the guilt is notorious. Under the cir
cumstances, military commission, which
seems to be intermediate between a cou rt-mar
tal and the tribunal of Judge Lynch, and
which is recognized By the leading publicists as
necessity under certain circumstances, is,
perhaps the only court by which justice could
be meted out to these murderers. 1t would, Of
course, be composed of military officers, and its
proceedings would be similar in character to
those of court martial Little doubt is enter
tained by those who know the character of the
Apaches that there will be found among them o
number who will readily betray Geronimo and
the other leaders 80 save their own necks.
The Army and Navy Register to o-morrow will
say:
'If public opinion, in and out of the army, has
weight in deciding the fate Of Geronimo and his
murderous band they will be tried by a military
commission, speedily convicted, and executed
without undue delay. There is precedent for
such treatment of them if one is needed, in the
case Of the trial by military commission Of the
Sioux after the Minnesota massacre, in 1862.
Five hundred of the prisoners then put on
trial 300 of whom were found guilty of murder,
and thirty light were hanged. Every one of the
band was prisoner of war at the time of his
escape from the San Carlos reservation. They
had been placed there by General Crook, and
were given the liberty of the reservation on con-
dition of not leaving it, They broke this prom
ise, and used their privileges to escape In order
again to take the warpath. They are sparoled
prisoners, taken red handed in acts of war, and
should suffer the punishment adjudged by the
law Of war to such acts of treachery."