The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-11-11
AMONG THE APACHES.
The Most Pitiless and Most
Cowardly OF All Indians.
Hardy and Swilt.Footed, But Fighting
Only When the Odds Favor Them.

Ouiy W uUu pHo SNuo Lawn Au0AAAs
A regular army officer was asked by
Detroit Free Press representative:
"Why is it,hard to capture an Apache2"
Because" the officer replied, "they
can live on cacti or anything, and they
can get along for days on little or
no food. They arc swift of foot and
have remarkable lung power, eue
time i saw young Apache run
up mountain some 500 feet and back
again just as quickly as he could. The
trip was climb, seemingly quito perpen-
dicular, which you couldn't have accom-
plished at all, and to so up in a zig-zag
course you would require half day.
Before this young Apache started one
regimental ranger noted his pulse and
respiration, and after he had made the
climb and returned he again noted the
pulse without discovering the slightest
change. 1t is simply wonderful the lung
power and physical endurance they have.
They can climb, they can run very
swiftly, they carry heavy loads, they
make enormous jumps, they will cling
to the side of precipice, they will hang
on the under side of a ledge like bat,
they swim like fish and burrow like go
pliers, in short they arc absolute children
OF nature except in one particular"
"What is that2"
"They are towards and won't fight
fairly. They take no chances in fight
They willigct upon high point In the
mountains where they can see over the
plains for twenty-five or thirty miles.
Presently they will see perhaps solitary
mail carrier coming with his buck board.
They know at once the road he must
take. There may be score of Apaches
in the band, enough to cope with five or
six mail carriers, but they take no
chances. They go down to the road the
solitary mail carrier must pass ever and
they not only secrctc themselves, bW
they tram their muskets - fastening
them by means of crossed sticks-all to
certain point which that mail carriers
body must pass. Then they lie silently,
for hours perhaps, until their prey comes
along. The instant the mans body
reaches that point and when he secs,
hears or suspects nothing, they fire to-
gether and he falls dead. riddled with
bullets. They always fight with the
| odds thousand to one in their favor.
Whenever the tide turns in the least
against them, they scatter and run, and
one might as well chase the wind as at
tempt to overtake and capture them"
'Did you ever see any such instance?''
Exactly such case as l have just de-
scribed took place within mile and 6
half of Fort Bowie. While / was
stationed at Fort Bowie the sauaws
began coming into the reservation. That
was conclusive evidence that peace was
| to be observed, and that season was the
first time in years that it had been safe
for white man to 60 out alone. Ont
day Maj. Summer and myself went ou
with squads Of men to get some timbers
and century plant for roofs to our quar-.
ters. There were fifteen men--includ
ing a nephew OF Cochise-in our party
and we went six miles up canyon
After getting what VIC went af
ter we separated in pairs and hunted il
different localities for game. Presently
we noticed on the mountain above ou
heads, here and there, an Indian lodging
along-I just relate this incident to SHOW
how cowardly the Apaches are in thei
methods of fighting. Well, every nov
and then we would see an Indian ant
accordingly we called our party-onl,
fifteen of us, remember-together again
Then Cochisc's nephew said the Indian
belonged to Geronimo's band, and Ii
gave the tribes call which was answered
Finally, after considerable coaxing, we go
three of the Indians to come down t
us. They told us there we're 206 Indian
following us down tho canyon. w
kept together and made our way dow
the canyon until we reached the ope
plain and then VIC felt safe. We kne,
they wouldn't dare attack us there
Then, too, VIC found the report as t
numbers was true, for all over the mout
of the canyon we could sec the sneakin
rascals as they made contemptuous sig
nails to u.s."