The sun., 1889-04-28
GOOD STORIES or THE PRESENT DAY.
I Fall Into the Hands or tho Apnches. But
Saved by a noY ChieG

| break serious enough to call for the action OF
/ fun regiment OF soldiers IN suppressing It. The
determination OF the buffalo was the doath-
blow to the hostile Indian. Added to that. the
! building OF the railroad lines flooded the West
/ with enigrants, miners. hunters, and tourists,
and tho Indian found himself hedged in
/ by circumstances. The red man is no longer
| warrior. He Is down. and down pretty low,
! and it Is the beginning OF the end. He is DOOM
! ed to follow the buffalo, and his total extinc-
! ton will be regretted only by the few phlan-
! thropists who argued for him as a theory, and
never came In physical contact.
| No human being ever came nearer being q
devil than an Apache Indian. The Pawnees,
! Blackfeet. and Cheyennes were wicked enough,
but the Apache had traits of his own-a devil
ishness which other tribes might initiate but
/ could not equal. He was born crafty and cruel.
He never had the slightest feeling OF mercy or
| pity from the cradle to the grave. He was
| never so much 8mused ms when assisting to
| torture some living thing. He was never 30
satisfied as when planning to take life.
| year previous to the time Gen. Custer was
ordered West TO begin vigorous campaign
against tho Indians the Apaches were in their
| glory. and they boasted that they could defeat
| any force of soldiers sent against them. l was
scouting and mail carrying in Texas for the
Government. and after many close shaves was
incident am going to writo.
A month before my capture l was out on o
scout on the Rio Pecos River. our party num-
bering eighteen mon. We were well mounted
and moving quickly from point to point One
day at noon We went into camp in q grove OF
cotton woods, and before I had unsaddled the
Lieutenant in command informed me that he
had lost his revolver from Its holster during
the last milo OF our ride. and asked me TO ride
I II
on foot. and had tho luck to lind the weapon
only about n quarter of II mile away. l then
cut across m elbow to reach tho grove. and
when within stones throw came suddenly
upon an Indian pony in dry gulch and at the
same instant discovered his owner crouched
behind n boulder with his back to me and his
face to the grove. l had him under my rlno
before he could turn his head. Indeed my
finger was on the trigger when | saw that he
was Il boy. IIo had rifle in his hands. but |
called out to him to lay it down or would fire.
and after moments hesitation he obeyed
Then. as 1 kept him covered at n distance OF
only seven or eight feet called to the mon in
the grove and several Of them camo hurryng
down in response
had captured a son OF Black Cloud, chief Of
one of the Apache bands. and tho boy was
named after his father. He was only fourteen
years old. and his presence there eXenpliled
the ruling traits OF Apache character. Three
hours before he had discovered our party while
out hunting with n party Of his own. They
dared not make an open attack but the young
chief had sent his people away and then cut
across the country to the grove, planning that
we would halt there. SinGle-handed and alone
he was going to pick off the Lieutenant. and
then make his escape to boast OF it. We had
splendid horses aud were all old campaiguers.
and the boy would not have had one chance in
ten TO get away. He must have realized it, and
yet he was willing to run the risks. He was
greatly chaErined and cast down by his cap
tCre. Wo had finished our scout and were on
our way back to Fort Mckavett. and we deter
mined to carry him in prisoner. When he was
informed of this ho earnestly begged mo to
kill him, saying that he could never hold his
head among his people again. Had he been
wounded and rendered helpless it would not
have been SO bad: but TO be taken as he was
would forever disgrace him. We bound him
fast to mi his SsSarsd s the the, animal n as9ns'
Tno boy was sullen and defiant for n time re-
snf to Uhrn Zine hal he Son so S nSt
cumstances rr.dounded to his credit, lie hawed
right, on 2 knoll. and Ns wo halted young Black
were exchanged between tho two. and the
Of the hunting party, and hal been logging sii us
for twenty niles to nd out the boy pad been
The snoble sf tu@on our of sS1 the boy ali Rs 4ss SW
noIsn 1 to s sh S5 HIM called his at
q 18th. d and lien explaiReed how how
Of the tribe, srroad it on very thick. alleging
that it required our whole force to make the
Without hard Aght. CHI This falsehooi i made tf tke
by my friend for life. whilo 1t put the other in
@1hd bg afsd @ o4 s0d Sk eGsa
until exchanged for some white captive. and
gave my word that he would be wcll treated
meanwhile. lie sent message TO his father
10 tho effect that he was not afraid. and hoped
to De at I6Srty & R in ts few days ana two hours
house at tho fort. His capture was looked upon
as a good thing. for wo knew that his tribe
would gladly exchange two or three white
- Two weeks i after the capture Of young Black
evening Wns and asked fo II thought Il 9fS eIe
get through to Fort Concho with dispatches.
ThS county was then IN he Of tho
out Of New Mexico TO make common cause |
against the whites, and the kioways. Cnoyeune+. /
Chickasaws. Seminoles. and Shawnees we're nll
out in the country to tho north and east. The |
Apaches had US almost In state OF siege being |
seen every day within Ave miles Of tho post and |,
the chances OF making sixty lie ride across |
the ,! !ains lying between tho two forts without |
IN @ such nerus ss was Go"ern
ment rider is not commanded 10 20. !
lie Is asked certain questions. however. in /
manner which. decides him to make |
the attempt. | left the post at 8 O'Clock
at night of an August evening perfectly
satisfied that should bo dead or a prisoner
gait. rifle and revolver and | carried only |
live or six pounds extra weight Before setting
out went il 10 500 young Black Cloud and say
Good-by. had spept much OF my time In his
friends. When i told him OF my journey h..
took from his mock buckskin string, to which
was attached the tooth of grizzly bear, and
handedfit to me with the remark
You cannot got through. You will be cap
tured or killed. If not sh0, down, show This 10
my people. They will know WHO il belongs to.
They may trade you for Inc. and ! shall thus
get back to my tribe"
A thunder storm was coming UP ms took my
departure. lns;ead OF holding due north. on
the direct route J rode TO the east for five
The storm now broke. and Tor full hour 1
rode ahead at a steady galop. ono moment In
darkness so black that could not see the ears
Of my horse, and the next in a blaze of light SO
briin that It blinded me. BY the time tho
storm had passed | was good fifteen miles
from the fort,and Us had sccn nothing TO alarm
me / began to hone that would get through