Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1890-03-01
CHATTO
The Story of His Numbering the
McComas Family--What Eye Wit
nesses Saw OF His Torture.

Mr.. S. L. Sanders, writing from the
Pioneer mining district to the Florence
Enterprise, under date of February 18th,
says: 81 notice in your last issue the re-
port of a meeting of the Arizona Pho
neers in which they adopted resolutions
strongly protesting against Gen. Crooks
policy in dealing with Apache Indians.
If it be true that Gen. Crook vouches
for their good behavior, 1 say God help
Arizona and New Mexico if the fiendish
Chiricahuas should be removed to a
place near their former hunting grounds
for human beings.
was living in New Mexico at the
time Chatto and Dutchy made their
bloody raid up the ella river by Clifton
and through the Mayflower mining dis
trict. killing seven men near Clifton and
five in the Mayiiower district. This was
on the 26th day of March, 1888, and on
March 9th, about ten o'clock. Judge
McCOmas, his wife and little son, Char
ley, had just passed through ThompsOn's
canyon, out of the Burro mountains, and
when about one mile out onto the open
country on their way to Shakespeare, as
happy as larks-the Judge intending to
leave his family at Shakespeare while he
went to Las Cruces to attend the Z. S.
court, then in session-the Judge and
wife were killed and his son captured by
theSe Indians.
was then a deputy of Marshal 4
L. Morrison, and had the opportunity to
know the facts | herein state. and defy
their impeachment. Two other men and
their wives were witnesses to Chatto's
deeds, no true report of which has ever
appeared in print.
As said, the Judge and his family
had got fairly out of the canyon and up
on the open plan. There were some
walnut trees growing by the roadside.
and blackberry and elder bushes. It was
behind cluster of these walnut trees,
about twenty five feet from the road on
the right hand side as Judge McComas
was travelling, that this sanity Chatto
and his band of % Indians lay in wait.
When the Judge and family were rear
ly opposite them the Indians fired and
shot down the Off-wheeler of the team
and wounded the Judge. He ran about
sixty yards before he fell. The red de-
wills then gave a wild 'whoop and rush.
and Mrs. McComas and her son were
made captives. My blood boils even at
this late day at the horrible scene that
followed, and my pen cannot detail the
vile conduct of these wretches human
only in form. The person of this unfor-
tunate lady was violated in the most
brutal manner; her clothes were torn
from her body which was torn and
scratched most horribly. When her life
was almost tortured out they beat the
back of her head until her brains oozed
out and then to exhibit still further
proof of their inhumanity, they broke off
branches of the elder bushes and thrust
them deep into her body, as many as
| they could.
The Judges body was riddled with
bullets and not stitch of clothing was
LETT upon his body. Little Charley was
never heard Of afterwards.
Has General Crook ever heard of this
| deed Of his brave and dear friend Chat
to? If not let him know the facts and
likewise all those sentimentalists of the
east who love the Indians