The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-10
A REMARKABLE CAMPAIGN.

While the attention of the country has
| been absorbed by the calamities of Charles
ton, an event has happened in the Southwest
which will be almost as much a blessing to
that region as the earthquake has been
/ curse to South Carolina. 1t is the capture
| of Geronimo, the Apache chief, who surren-
dered to Captain Lawton's command ON the
| 4th instant. The Indian Commissioner says
there has not been warrior like Geronimo
since the days of Rob Roy. While there may
be little ground for such comparison, it is
undoubtedly true that Geronimo must rank
among the greatest of the Indian warriors
who have from time to time contended with
the white race What King Philip was to New
England, Pontiac and Tecumseh to the early
western frontier, Osceola to Florida, Sitting
Bull to the Northwest and Captain Jack to
California, Geronimo has been to Arizona
and New Mexico. Probably very few of
these warriors have been superior or even
peers of Geronimo. 1t was over year ago
that he escaped from Fort Apache reserva-
ton to go on his long raid. 1t is said that he
was urged to take the step by the wife of
Chief Mangus, a woman of great force of
character. She planned the escape and aid
| ed in its execution. With thirty-four war
riors, eight boys and ninety-one women. Ger
| onimo left the fort on the 18th of May, 1885,
| The first day they travelled one hundred and
twenty miles with their pursuers right at
their heels and it was only after they had
been pursued hundreds of miles that they
secured safety in mountain Businesses Gen
eral Crook, after a desperate campaign, sue
ceeded in capturing Geronimo and his wife
But one night the Indian escaped from the
fort where he was confined, and a few nights
later, with four trusty braves, he returned
for the wife. He entered the fort seized a
white woman, and under threats of death,
forced her to point out to him his wife's
tent. The woman did so, Geronimo found
the Apache woman and was away with her
before the soldiers knew it. Since
then his career has been only too
well known. Part of the time he has
been wounded and sick, but he has worn
out an army and kept vast regions of two
nations in state of terror. His supplies
have been such as he could gather from the
deserts and mountains, or in raids upon
American or Mexican ranches. For twenty
one weeks, through two thousand miles of
mountainous wastes the troops have been on
his trail necessarily. If Geronimo and his
band have shown cruelty even beyond ordin-
airy savages, they have also displayed an en-
durance and babaric heroism rarely equalled.
Among the band who surrendered with &C.
ronimo is one infant; the Indians say that
IL was born in the night and the next day its
mother was in the saddle flying before the
American cavalrymen. Before the final sur
render Captain Lawton's command, troop
Of the Fourth cavalry, followed the hostile
trail steadily for more than twelve hundred
miles, keeping so close to the band as to fl
nally wear them out. The capture was made
in Skeleton Canon, fitting ending place for
one of the hardest and most cruel Indian
wars ever waged by our soldiers Geronimo
will probably be removed so far from the
scenes of his career that the region of Ari- |
iona and New Mexico will rest in peace |
henceforth. Few will complain if extreme
punishment is inflicted on the savage.