Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-14
THE APACHE OUTBREAKS.
What Former Scout Says About Oh,
Indians and Their Deserts.


To the Editor of TIE EvEsrsa srAR:
Gen. Miles in his argument before the Indian
affairs committee as to what he thinks best for
the welfare Of Apache prisoners now at Mount
Vernon. Ala. made statements in regard to the
habits, peculiarities and ways Of these Indians
with which differ, and think am entitled
to speak on this subject, a. l passed the best
years of my life In service with and against
them. The general said scouts won't hunt
their Indian brethren have known Indians
TO bring in the heads of their own chiefs when
commanded to do 50. have known an Indian
scout to shoot his own brother when he was on
duty. The brother tried to kill the clerk of
the agency. man named Sweeney. Chief of
Scouts Buford ordered the scout to stop him.
He called to hum TO stop, but not being obeyed
he shot HIM dead. In the face of these and
many other similar facts the general said these
scouts can't be trusted. but / sny they can.
They have proved faithful where the men
handling them understood their business and
the people they were dealing with There are
good and bad in all, and say don't condemn a
community for the few rascals that may be in it,
tie said they kill for tho sake OF killing. II
he ever saw Indians on the war path he never
saw one who would not kill any OF the white
race and think himself justified in doing So az
All Indian tribes are alike in that, but the
Chiricahuas do not scalp, or burn at the stake,
or bury people alive in ant hills up to their
necks, as Gen. Miles said they do. As for
morals, they are on an equal footing with the
other tribes Of the west and arc far better
than the Yumas. the Iontos and Mojaves, Who
l think, are the worst OF all the Indians have
ever seen.
THE OUTBREAKS.
The frst general outbreak from the San Car
los agency was in 1874, but the scouts did not
all leave, Gen. Miles said, bnt were the
means OF bringing in those that had loft. The
reason for the outbreak was fear. An Indian
who had u grudge against Lieut. Amy shut him
and left for the mountains. The others be-
came frightened, thinking they w0nd DO pun
ished for the decd. There were no Chiricahuas
in that outbreak, for there were none at the
San Carlos agency. They were at their agency
in the Chiricahua mountains. Chief Hoo left
that place in 1876 for old Mexico. Chatto,
Bonito, Nalizay, Natchez and Geronimo with
Carlos in the spfing OF 1876 and
they remained there steadily until September
1881. Geronimo left San Carlos i'll 1877, but he
went alone, having killed White Mountain
Indian in private difficulty and being afraid
of retaliation. He joined Hoo in Mexico and
came back with him in the fall of 1878. sur
rendering to Capt Haskell Of Gen. Wilcox's
staff
The bands of Hoo, Chatto, Bonito, Nalizay,
Geronimo and NatcheZ, therefore, were not
raiding, as said. from 1876 to September. 1881,
but were at san Carlos and in old Mexico,
where they were not heard Of, as the general
says in his report
He said the next general outbreak was in
1879. when the Chiricahuas that had gone to
Mexico in 1876 joined them. There was no
general outbreak with these Indians in 1879
Only one band left. that being Victoria's. the
only band OF Chiricahuas then in New Mexico.
The Indians he speaks of as joining Victoria
were at San Carlos, having come in in 1878, as
have stated above.
Victoria was not killed in 1881, but in Novem-
Der, 1880. by Gen. Terassas troops in Chi
huahua, old Mexico. Victoria did not raid in
Arizona and only once did know him to 60
into that territory while he was away from the
Oio Caliente reservation. That was III the fall
of 1890 two months before he was killed, with
sixty others--men, women and children.
The White Mountain Apaches we're the cause
OF the Chiricahuas leaving San Carlos in Sep
tember, 1881. They fired on some troops and
fled back to the camp Of the Chiricahnas and
said they had done ii. In alright they all
packed up and started for old Mexico.
Gen. Crook, after getting command. went
400 miles into Id Mexico himself and COM
PEELED the whole body to surrender and re
turn.
aERoNIMo's BAND.
In the spring of 1885 Geronimo, Natchez and
Maugus. with 1874 men, women and children,
fled to Mexico. Between 400 and 500 still re-
manned on the reservation, refusing to go with
them. but they have been made to suffer the
same punishment. hc:ChIricahua scouts did ex-
cellent service hunting the hostiles down in
old Mexico and in making them SURF ender to
Gen. Crook in 1885, just below San Bernardino
The 80 men, women and children who escaped
after this surrender were aii that Gen Miles
had to contend against. He should not forget
the work that was done before he came into
command, but give credit where it is due.
would not hesitate to put those Indians in
any part of the Indian territory with perfect
safety. They could be settled almost any
where without fear Of further trouble. In JUS
tice they ought to be moved and given a
chance to progress. So much, at least, should
be done for those who are guiltless.
FRANK p. BENNETT,
T. - Ca,