Wichita eagle., 1888-05-20
BILLY, THE SCOUT.

One of the best known characters in south
arn Arizona is Billy Long, one of the pluck
lest little scouts that ever pumped lead'
into band Of blood thirsty, throat cutting
Indians. He was with Capt. Lawton, who
rounded up that willy red skinned diplomat
Geronimo, and did such splendid service dur
ing the almost endless chase after the Apache
chief that he was especially meutioned in sne
official report of the campaign.
The Little Scout" as he is sometimes
called, is Texan by birth, and as far back
as he can remember he has been on the from
tier driving cattle, fighting Indians and play
ing hide and seek with nature in search of
her precious metals He is still young, being
only 25 years old, yet he has the reputation
of being quick on the trigger, and, it is said,
he never misses what he draws on.
Several years ago, when that well known
pioneer, Charlie BenhaIn, was making a
great effort to develop the silver mines Of
northern Mexico, be employed Billy TO drive
stage running between the city of Hermo-
sillo and one Of his mining camps in the
Canonea mountains, and also to act as
wagon master for bullion trains coming in
from the mines. Billy was employed in this
capacity in the spring of 1886, at which time
Geronimo and his band of renegade Apache5
started on their bloody raid through Sonora.
| The news of the fresh Indian outbreak was
telegraphed from Arizona to Charlie Ben
| ham at Hermosillo and he knew at once that
his camp in the Canonea mountains would
be one of the first places raided as it was
situated in tho very heart of an old Apache
stronghold. An Indian outbreak had not
been expected, and the mon at the mines had
only few guns and were in utter ignorance
| Of the impending danger. No time was to
! be lost, as the Indians were known to be
i heading south and travelling day and night
Selecting tyo of the BEST horses in his
corral Behham had one loaded with Win
| chester rifles Colt reEolvers and ammunition,
and begged Billy to make all haste in reach
! ing the unsuspecting miners in the noun
! tains. 1t was long, lonesome ride, through
a rugged country, but Billy was eager to
make the trip. He had passed over the trail
SO often that every landmark was familiar
! to him, and he prided himself that he could
| find his way on the darkest night He set
out from Hernosilio late in the afternoon
All that night he rode and the next day
and the next night, never stopping to sleep
or give his animals a moments rest. On the
morning of the second day he reached the
foothills of the Canonea mountains, twelve
miles from the camp. His horses were badly
jaded and he was beginning to felt the effects
of his long ride himself. A small water
hole was reached, where there was an abund-
ance Of grass and he stopped and let his
horses craze an hour or TWO Leisurely he
saddled up, and was just preparing to mount,
when he noticed his horse watching some
thing in the distance.
Billy turned in the direction his horse was
looking and discovered band of Indians
scarcely half mile away, coming over low
hill which had hitherto shut them out from
view. The Indians We're not long in sighting
him, and began spreading out TO encircle
him Billy OWNED their Intentions and
knowing that an open fight against such
odds would be certain death, mounted his
horse and started on a dead run toward the
mouth Of q big canyon, through which
passed the trail leading up to the mining
camp. For some minutes there was an excit-
ing chase, with Billy in the lead and the
Apaches rapidly gaining. His horses were
too badly tired to hold out long He knew
the animals, il left to themselves, would
make their way to camp, and, dismounting
at the mouth OF the canyon, pulled tho
brides off the horses and giving each one
sharp blow with the relns, headed them for
the camp.
The Indians, who had been watching closely
oil that was taking place, saw Billy was 60
ing to make a fight and dismounted Under
cover OF rocks and bushes they began to close
in on the pile Of rocks where be had taken
refuge This was by no means Billy's first
fight with Apaches, and he knew just what
to expect. He knew they would keep them
j
him OF lis guard, and he determined to fight
them according to their own tactics. He sue
ceeded in making his way unobserved to
high pile of rocks further up the canyon, and
from this point he got better view OF what
was going Oh below. Soon he discovered an
Indian creeping along under cover Of a little
knoll
The chance could not be missed, and with
the sharp crack of the little scouts Winches-
ter a good Apache died. a volley from all
sides answered the shot, but the bullets only
flattened on the rocks close around and, with
out harming him. sung unpleasantly close to
his ears For three hours this trying fight
kept 10, when the chatter of hoofs up the
canyon told that aid was coming, and the In
dians. who were not to be taken by surprise,
hastily made of, carrying number Of dead
bucks with them.
Billys timely arrival saved many miners
who were scattered around through the
mountains from being surprised and muir
dered. The Indians continued to hover around
the place, and it was unsafe for any one to
venture outside OF adobe walls. Soon after
the first Indian raid Benham was murdered
III HermosiIio By one Of his drivers, and this
event, coupled with the uncertainty of life in
the mountains, caused the Canonea mines to
be abandoned Billy being out OF employ
Inent, asked for and received a position as
scout and guide for the forces which had
been sent in pursuit of Gerenimo. While
serving as courier for Lawtcn's famous 3
Troop, Of the Fourth cavalry, he soon at
tractea the attention OF army officers by the
daring rides which he made alone through
mountain ranges which were known to be
full of hostile Indians. He was sent on many
dangerous missions, ana, although be had
some very narrow escapes, he was fortunate
enough - pass through the campaign un-
harmed
On one occasion Billy. with tTo other
scouts and four soldiers was sent from Fort
Huachuca in Pima county, - T, 20 ioin
Lawton's command. which was SUPPOSED 10
be somewhere in the Azul mountains in
Sonora One Of the soldiers was half breed
Sioux, who had Just enlisted in the north
west and been sent down TO join the Fourth
cavalry. Atthe post the fellow was so unrJiy
tha1tv one was glzd 70 get rid Of hirn
and IL was hopeIi that some hard experiences (
IL actual service would quiet him down lie
had hardly 60, cut OF sight Of the fort before 4
he became very boisteros.s, Reused % recox-
ME any ones authority, and made himself Z