Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-06-17
A Boy ON the Warnath.


only eleven year-old lad IN America
who has been on scalping tour With
q party of hostile Indians, writes o
Deining, n. NJ, correspondent of the
New York Sun. He has left this town
Tor his home in company with his
father, after a captivity OF seven
months in the Apache camp. When
Geronimo and his band surrendered
recently, the soldiers were surprised
to find white boy with them who
could speak no English, though bear
ing unmistakable traces of Celtic pit
rentage. On securing an interpreter il
was found that the little fellow could
talk Spanish quite fiuently, and by
this means his story was obtained.
Santiago's father is an Irishman,
who owns a ranch on the Mimbres,
three miles from. San Lorenzo, and
his mother is Mexican woman. On
the 18th OF last September he and an
older brother We're some distance from
their home, and in ignorance OF the
presence of Indians, when rifie-shot
alarmed them. Looking up they saw
SIX Indians approaching rapidly. San.
tiago's brother was killed at the next
fire, but the boy escaped unhurt, only
to be taken prisoner. The bucks
threatened to cut him up, but on tia
intercession of one of their number he
was turned over to the care of the
sguaws, who followed in the rear OF
the war party.
From that time on the boy was in
no danger of death, but all winter and
until two weeks ago he was compelled
to keep up with the hostiles in their
rapid movements from place to place,
and was an eyewitness to more than
twenty murders. When the savages
took Santiago in charge they were on
their way north. That evening they
met a Mexican on the highway, whom
they killed, and the next day they
surprised two wood-ehoppers, killing
one. The other escaped, and the In
dians hunted for him fer hours with
out success. As the savages proceed
ed they would fire their rifles into the
honses that they came across, and
frequently would set them on fire, but
in most cases the inhabitants had fled.
When white men were seen and they
were to be killed the squaws would
hide where they could observe what
was going on. Some of the victims
were butchered in the most ccwardlv
manner, after the warriors had made
protestations OF friendship, and in
nearly all cases their bodies were mu.
tilated.
Two days after his capture Santiago
says the Indians went into camp in a
valley few miles north OF Cactus Flat,
about twenty miles from the White
House, in the Mogollons, and there they
remained, except as they went off on
brief maurauding expeditions for
months. Soon after their arrival at
this place they were joined by other
savages, and tine squaws worked indus.
triously to give the camp an air OF
comfort. Some of the bucks would
steal away every day, and on theirre.
turn they would be loaded with the
plumber of ranches, travellers, and pros.
pectors. The boys assertion that
during all this time the hostiles were
not once alarmed by troops, and that
he had not during his tireexperience
with the band seen anything to indi-
cate the presence of the army, caused
much chagrin among soldiers. as they
no savages in the Mogollons. Coming
in with scalps, Ammunition, arms,
blankets, and clothing, and sometimes
with money and liquor, the braves
would pass the evenings in dis
playing their trophies, Boosting of
their achievements, and gambling.
One night war party came in with a
lot OF groceries and candy. The lat
ter was given to the squaws, and they
ate so much of it that they were made
sick 1t was afterwards learned that
this stock belonged to an old French
peddler who had been murdered.
Some time after New Years the
Indians moved south by forced march
es, subsistine on horse meat Wher.
ever they went they burned and kill
ed. So rapid were ter movements,
so many changes OF base We're made
under cover of darkness, that the
boy lost all track of his whereabouts,
and can now give only a vague de.
scription OF his wanderings. His
recollection of the murders that he
had witnessed is so keen, however,
that a pretty clear idea of the raids
of the savages can be had by one who
is familiar withthe depredations COM
mitted. When found the little fellow
was almost exhausted, and it is proba-
BILE that month more on the war
path would have used him up. His
parents had mourned him as dead,
and when they were notified of his
safety his father ordered him to be
sent by rail to this place, where the
two met. The lad has been made
much of by everybody here.