Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-10-30
THE CAPTIVE APACHES.
THEIR PUNISHMENT NOT SO LIGHT
AFTER ALL.
CONFINEMENT IN A YELLOW FEVER
COUNTRY AWAY FROM THEIR
WIVES AND ClIIDREN-COMpLl-
CATIONS OF THE CASE.
From the Washington star.

Tie action of the President ir
directing that Geronimo and tiiteer
of his followers be sent 10 Fort
Pickeus, Fla, and the remainder oI
the Apaches who surrendered tc
Gen. Miles to Fort Marion, Fla, Is
the final disposition of the hostile
Apaches. This action bears out the
rereated prediction in The sta
that the fact that Gen. Miles grant
ed terms of some kind to the In
dians precluded their punishment
IN any other way than keeping them
prisoners in military custody.
FORT PICKENS,
where the leaders of the hostile
band are to pass the remainder OF
their days in close confinement, is
situated ON a spit of sand lust at
the entrance of Pensacola harbor.
Two companies OF artillery are
usuallv stationed at the fort, but at
the approach of the yellow fever
season the garrison Is withdrawn
into the interior, and at present is
located at Atlanta. The Indians
will be sent there as soon as prac-
ticable and a permanent guard de-
tailed to hold them aS prisoners. \
question to be hereafter decided is
whether they will be removed when
liable to an attack Of yellow fever,
or whether troops will be kept 70
guard them at Fort PickenS the
year round. 1t is the impression
at the War department that
THEY WILL NEVER BE REMOVED
from the fort. and that soldiers and
Indians alike will have TO take their
chances with yellow fever. Their
close confinement at the isolated
fort, far away from their wives and
children. who are relegated to Fort
Marion, is regarded by military
officials as very severe punishment,
and they think that the bucks will
feel it terribly. Their family aflec-
tions are very strong, and their as
sociations with their wives and
children is the only soflening char
acteristic of their life, winch other
wise is one continuous struggle.
COMPLICATIONS OF THE CASE.
It's learned that the President
received official requests from Gov.
Zulick. of Arizona, for the hoStileS
to he turned over to the civil an,
thorlties of the territory to answer
tor their various crimes, and that
through the district attorney to
Arizona and the Attorney General,
there was abundant information at
hand to convict the hOstilcs OF
numerous murders. I'm view OF
these facts, the President was de
sirous of aScertaining what the
exact terms of surrender were be
fore acting in the matter, and
hence the delay in deciding upon
their final disposition. Genera
Miles acknowledges that lie ac
cepted the surrender Of the hos
tiles as prisoners Of war, which
would preclude their being g'yeI
into the hands of the civil authOrl
ties. As they were considered
merely as marauding outlaws, anC
not public enemies, they could no
be punished by military commits
sion, and the President was com
PEELED to prescribe the only severe
punishment in his power under th'
circumstances, close confinement
under military custody.
In view of the still unsettled
question as to what exact promises
were made by Gen. Miles, it is sng
gested that it might be well to oh
tain the version of the Surrende
from the Indians, with a view o
finally settling the dispute.