Richland beacon., 1888-04-21
IN A PRISON CAGE.
The Appachcs who arc Confined in
the Fort at Pensacola.
Hmm the Chicago TribNne.l

Irrom the Chicago Tribune.f
"1ou ask nbout my past" said Chief
Naichc of the Apaches, confined at Fort
Pickens. ''What about my futures'
Tall, straight, magniticently handsome,
is the great chief, only 30 years old,
chief by descent from ancestry so old
that when he is asked about it he points
TO the rocss and says: ''They are infants
beside nv fathers" Fort Pickens is n
pleasant place in the winter, but during
eight months it is the purgnsory OF the
continent. The sands blaze in fierce
heat. Swrms of poisonous insects en-
velop it. Rattlesnakes lv the thousands
crawl all over it, big, lazy, but venom
Gus. Does yellow fever strike the Gulf
coast? That is its ianling pace. unless
carefully guarded. Tides, in high
weather, reach to its walls.
Sergeant Thomas Henry conducts Wis
itors into the fortress, and presents all
Indians, their wives and pappooses.
You shake hands with the bucks, take
off your hat to the women, and pat the
pappooses. Some of the pappooses are
pretty. The bucks are all dressed III
white canvas, looking picturesque.
| Their suits are cut in the latest style
With sack coats. They wear leather
shoes and mild sombreros. Their hair
is long. The women are exceedingly
sensitive, and the greatest care must be
taken not to offend them by look, act, or
word. The boys are big enough to
wrestle and fight all the while. The
squaws are fond of games and play cards
when not otherwise occupied. The
bucks are true agriculturists, and only
satisfied when busy. They like, also, to
learn, and wish to be taught all species
of manual labor. They watch the car
penter and give him lift when he will
permit it; They =, have given NJ. no
trouble whatever. They are on tile
best of terms with the soldiers
good -naturei lot of fellows. The
bucks are like the Persians in one re-
spect. When n wife dies they take a
Younger successor; the older they get
the Younger the girl. In another re-
spect they are not like the Persians;
they do not annually get divorced.
These Apaches have the soldiers quar-
ters in the fort and live comfortably.
They are served with ratious daily,
including fresh meat three times pei
week. At first .hey would not eat pork,
, hut after seeing the relish with which il
, was eaten by the whites they expert
mented and became converts. Even
now they will not touch the lean, pre-
, ferring the fat. The beef they cut in
strips and hang up in the sun until II
dries and is stiff. The Indians claim
that the jnices are preserved intact by
the sun, and give the flesh fine flavor
They love corn best. Geronimo say
that corn is for men, wheat for squaws
but it is observable that he and all tin
bucks greedily dcyour the bread baket
: at and sent over from Barrancas. Their
!. seems to have been some marriage!
? since the fallen tribe has b. en- confined
. At first there were a few men who wen
!, into tie b,che,Or's quarters, but tn
n number has been reduced to two b.
pairing wi II the sguaws. or these tw
- one is demented old man, and for tn
other theee is no mate. The Indian
q. cannot escape from the island, and ther
y is nothing to he had to cat except at tn
fort, so they are allowed some liberty
A, which they exercise in gathering shell
along the beach. The squaws have
ground outside the fort, where they IL
. their laundry work. Sometimes the,
call on Sergeant Henry's wife at hi
little cottage by the dock, where the
= squat on the floor and converse by signs
= The civilization of the Apaches has bee
marvellously rapid. They closely cop
every move and custom of the whites
even in dress. Although the bucks wi
not yet cut their hair, they clip thei
> boys and declare that they shall b
Americans"