Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-07-17
ANARMY OFFICERS OPINION.
What the Brave Captain Hatfield Thinks
 or the Apache Business.

Cavalry, who IS spenulog month leave of absence with bis family in Cali ,ornia, has been interviewed by a re porter of the San Francisco Call and has 90 freely and candidly expressed the facts that portion of the interview will be read with interest by the people of Arizona. Captain Hatfield says;
 General Miles, with headquarters at Wilcox, On the lne of the Southern Pacific, is deyoting his entire tune to the reorganization and redistribution of the forces under his command, with the view of ending tbe Apache troubles with hIs next campaign. The close of tine campaign just finished found the cavalry in a particularly used-up cOndl- ton. Some of the troops that returned from the field had but thirty and thirty five horses out of the full complement of sixty-five. and many of these were unfit for field duty Grd had to be con- demned.
 General Miles operations for the rest of the summer wiil, Captain Hatheld says, be on a much .more extended scale than hIs last, and that officer gives It as ms opinion that there will not be hos tile Apache in the field after the lst of November next. Captain Hatfield thinks that GeroDimO's sole object, since his conference with General Crook at San Bernardino ranch m the spring, has been to compel, Iby n continuance Of hostilities, the authorities to grant him more favorable terms to surrender than were offered by General Crook.
 From various sources of information, the army officers know that the hostiles are just now reduced ito the utmost ex- tremity, and that the great majority of GeIonimo's followers are dIscontented. ard desire to return and surrender, even with the certainty nt being sent to some prison for life. The great influence which the chief exerts over them IS all tha. prevents them from abandoning the warpath at once and coming Tn. TanetR, the hostile who recently sur rendered to the authorities at Fort Apache. and IS now held close prisoner there, says that Geronimo IS wounded in the shoulder, but not badly, and that the number of hostiles with him is twenty-seven men, thirteen women and two children. The squavs are all well armed, and are ,as expert in the use of firearms as the men, and count each for a man.
 Captain Hatfield does.not believe that the Eosiiles have retired into their old sirongholds of the Sierra Madre noun tH;rs ID Sonora, but that 1t IS their In-
 tention to go through the mountains.
 return northward, andsenter New Mex
 leo, where there are not so many troops.
 When he came m from the field the lat
 ter lpsrt of June, be says the regu-
 lar Mexican troops, who did good ser
 vice ID allowing the hOstiles DO chance
 to rest and recruit their stock, on their
 last raid south of Nogsles, had been or dered out of the field. and only small,
 irregular force of Mexican volunteers
 was operating against Geronimo on the
 Mexican side. Captain L8wton, with
 command of fifty Indian scouts, com posed of IOntOs, San Carlos COyOteros, one troop of cavalry and one company of infantry, is the only American officer now following the trail. There are sev- ersl attachments of cavalry guarding
 water-holes and watching passes, but
 none of these are equipped for rough
 mountain work. LawtOn's is the only command supplied with scouts and a pack train. and when the hostIles last retreated ont of Arizona south into SO-
 nora LawIon was the only American
 commander south of Nogales who could
 take the traIl, and the rough work fell to him. While the pursuit was through l the most rugged mountains of the south
 west. and forage for horses and pack
 animals poor and scarce, the men have not suffered for rRJions, Gs has been re- ported by the dispatches sent from Tue son, On June 20lh this command was issued sixty days rRtiOns, aud they are
 abundantly supplied.
 In referring to the old question of the ! treacheiy of the Indian scouts employed [ by the authorities, Captain Hatfield said | that there could be no question but l that there were many of them together, and by their numbers they were enabled | to hide their villainy. They were very ! treacberous. During the fail and winter these scouts were kept m two bands one commanded by the late Captain
 Emmet Crawford and the other by Major | Nirt Davis. Those under the former
 were ChirIcahuas, and were nearly re- | lated to the hostiles, and consequently were more treacherous than those un-
 der Davis. That these scouts furnished
 the hostiles with ammunition was ascer'
 tained by that found ID the abandoned
 camps of Geronimo's followers on sev, | eral occasions. Some of 1t was of pe-
 culiar kind. issued only by the govern ment, and which was not on sale any ! where Tn the United States. This pecu. ! liar kind was issued tO the scouts and N srk hr | belts of the hostIles, e1cep. through the ! hands of the scouts. These ChIricahuas
 were the scouts who always gave warn | iuc in one way or another of the ap' proach of the troops and prevented the | soldiers from efTecting a surprise Twice. when by the aid of other scouts, | Captain Crawford surrounded the camp | of the hostiles at night, these treacher ous fellows, despite the efforts ol | the officers to prevent l', dis | charged their guns before daylight ard ! thus enabled Geronimo and his band tC | escape under cover of darkness. All of | this tribe have been mustered out, and are now back OF the White Mountain | reservation.
 The endurance of these hostiles is ! Captsin Hartfeld said, something mar velOus. Near the full of the moon c
 small band will raid ten successIvt nights over c stretch of country hun
 dred miles wide. and the only rest they
 get was the httle maps caught during | the day, when percbed on the highes | peak of mountain. No advantage il
 gained by capturing their horses, fol
 they seem to get along just as rapidly
 without them, and they are totally in ! different 10 the loss of saddles, blankets
 and provisions. They never camp neal
 water, for the reason that that IS jus
 there a pursuing party would expect tC | ind them. They are extremely bold 1T
 approaching the soldiers camp to sscer | tain their numher, or ID hiding close tS
 trail vbileS the pursuing trooI goes past. They cover themselves witl | dry grass, or conceal themselves il
 a clump of bushes so completely tha ' l. Al. L. k- s.n1 Al