Wichita eagle., 1889-06-18
AMONG THE APACHES.

There win never be another Indian out
break serious enough to call for the action Of
fun regiment of soldiers in suppressing it.
The determination Of the buffalo was the
death blow to the hostile Indian. Added to
that tho building of the railroad lines flooded
the west with eInigrants, miners, hunters
end tourists, and the Indian found himself
hedged in by circumstances. The red man
is no longer q warrior; be Is down and down
pretty low, and 1t Is the beginning of the
end. He is doomed to follow the buffalo,
and his total extinction viii be regretted only
by the few philanthropists who argued for
him as a theory and never came in physical
contact
No human being ever came nearer being
devil than an Apache Indian. The Pawnees,
Blackfeet and Cheyennes were wicked enough,
but the Apache bad 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 10 the grave.
He WIS never SO much amused as when as
sisting TO torture some living thing. He was
never so satisfied as when planning to take
life
A year previous to the time Gen Custer
was ordered west to begin q vigorous cam
paign against the Indians, the Apaches were
In their glory, and they boosted that they
could defeat any force Of soldiers sent against
them. / was scouting and mail carrying in
Texas for the government and after many
close shaves was finally captured by the red
devils 1t is of that incident am going to
write
A month before my capture was out on a
scout on the Rio Pecos river, our party num-
bering eighteen men We were well mount
ed and moving quickly from point to point.
One day at noon we went into camp in a
grove Of cotton woods, and before / had IN
saddled the lieutenant In command in
formed me that he had lost his revolver
from its holster during the last mile
of our ride, and asked me to ride
back in search. Instead of riding l re-
turned on foot, and had the luck to find the
weapon only about quarter of a mile away.
] then cut across an elbow TO reach the grove,
and when within a stones throw came sud-
denly upon an Indian pony IN a dry gulch,
and at the same instant discovered his owner
crouched behind q bowlder with his back to
mo and his face TO the grove. l had him
under my rife before he could turn his head.
Indeed, my finger was on the trigger when
j
his hands, but l called out to him to lay it
down OF / would fire, and after a moments
hesitation he obeyed- Then, as I kept him
covered at a distance of only seven or eight
feet, l called TO the men in the grove, and
several of them came hurrying down in re-
Spouse.
had captured a son of Black Cloud, chief
of one Of the Apache bands, and the boy was
of+, g. u o,,tv A
years old, and his presence there exemplifed
the ruling traits Of Apache character. Three
hours before he had discovered our party
while out hunting with 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 h escape to boast
of il.
We had splendid horses and were all old
campaigners and the boy would not have
had one chance in ten to get away. He must
have realized 1t, and yet he was willing to
run the risks He was greatly chagrined and
cast down by bis capture. We had finished
our scout and were on our way back TO Fort
McKavett, and we determined TO carry him
in prisoner When he was informed Of this
he earnestly begged me to kill him, saying
that he could never hold up his head among
his people again. Had he been wounded and
rendered helpless 1t would not have been so
bad; but to be taken as be was would forever
disgrace him We bound him fast TO his
pony, secured the animal against break for
liberty, and set out for the fort.
The boy was sullen and defiant for a time,
refusing TO answer any questions, but after
a while, when had told him that he would
not be harmed and that his capture under
the circumstances redounded TO his credit, be
thawed out little Three hours after his
capture we got sight of single Indian mile
away TO our right on knoll, and as we
halted Young Black Cloud informed me that
it was one of his tribe, who wanted to have a
talk with us Signals were exchanged be-
tween the two, and the stranger soon came
CaIloping in. He was one Of the hunting
party, and had been DIGGING Us for twenty
miles to find out if the boy had been cap
tured he was fine looking fellow, and as
he halted In our midst, and SOW the ignoble
situation of the boy bis first thought was to
fight for him / called his attention TO the
fact that any move of his would result in the
death Of both, and then explained how the
youth was captured.
Knowing the conceit OF the tribe, spread
it on very thick, alleging that it required our
whole force to make the capture, and it was
not accomplished then without a hard fight.
This falsehood made the boy my friend for
life, while it put the other in better hunlor.
] stated that young Black Cloud would be
taken TO the fort and held prisoner until ex.
changed for some white captive. and gave my
word that he would be well treated mean
while. He sent message to his father 70
the effect that be was not afraid, and hoped
TO be at liberty in 8 few days, and two hours
later we had him safely lodged in the guard
house at the fort. His capture was looked
upon as good thing, for we knew that his
tribe would gladly exchange two or three
white prisoners for him
Two weeks after the capture or young Black
Cloud was called into the colonels Office one
evening and asked If | thought 1t possible 70
get through 70 Fort Concho with dispatches.
The country was then in the possession OF the
hostlleS. The Pecos warriors had come down
out or New Mexico to make common cause
against the whites, and the Kiowas, Chey-
ennes, Chickasaws. Seminoles and Shaw
nees were all out IN the country to the north
and east The Apacbes had Us almost In a
state OF siege, being seen every day within
five miles OF the post, and the chances of max
ing a sixty mile ride acroSs the plains lying