Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-01
. THE MURDEROUS APACHEs.

strong Protest Against Restoring
Geronimo TO Ariz0na-A Review
of Crooks Easy Methods-More
Killing of whites If GerOn imO
Returns-A Great Many Things
Told Not Generally Known.
ChatO and HIS Murdereus band.
All a Rad Lot.
EDITORS HERALD-This mornings AS
socia.ed Press dispatches report General
Crook as having asserted that the
Apaches are now broken in spirit; that
Geronimo is teaching Sunday school
class; that the Indians will be glad to
accept removal to Indian Territory as an
opportunity to better their condition and
further their civilization. And also that
the report that Chato was traitor was
false, and that had it not been for Chatc
and other Indian scouts the tribe would
never have been influenced to go tc
Florida that Miles did not accomplish
anything with white scouts; that while
he had them he did not get fair fight
with the hostiles nor kill one.
Now, Mr.. Editor, whatever influence OF
Importance the assertions and opinion oi
General Crook on the Indian question
may have with the American people at
large, it is fact that the press and peo'
pie of Arizona and Southern New Mexico
have asserted that General Crook was an
imbecile the last time he was in COM
mand there that Geronimo was bet
ter general than Crook, and that he
prov ed this by having captured Crook in
the Sierra Madre mountains in Old Mex
leo, and spared him on condition that
he would escort back to the San Carlos
reservation in safety the squaws and
worn-out bucks of Geronimo's hostiles,
and also that Crook afforded no protec-
ton to life or property against the at
tacks of hostile Indians that Geronimo
and his Apaches would only respect
promises, agreements and treaties made
with Crook long enough to rest and re-
cruit their ranks on the San Carlos res
ervation, under the protection which he
afforded them at the expense of the
Government. And the same people also
charged that in consequence of the in
capacity and inability of General Crook
to put stop to Indian raids and depre-
dations the development and progress of
Arizona and Southern New Mexico had
been impeded, and therefore prayed
and petitioned the President of the
United States to remove the said Gen
eral Crook. 1t is also a we'll
known fact that the President of
the United States. who is commander
in chief of the army removed General
Crook from the command of the troops
in Arizona and placed General Miles in
the position for the purpose of securing
the peace of the two Territories. And
that General Miles proved himself an
able officer by subduing the Apaches
and affording relief and protection to the
people in the most practical manner,
which was to remove the source of their
grievances, is gratefully attested by the
citizens of Arizona and New Mexico.
Now, Mr.. Editor, the above statement
of the prevailing sentiments of the peo-
pie of Arizona on the Indian question is
correct, and the writer, who was in the
field, is as..well informed on the character
OF the Apache scouts as General Crook,
and can furnish evidence to prove that
Chato was a spy for Geronimo at the
same time that he was employed as
scout by order of General Crook. But it
is not essential now. The fact is that
Crook had to be removed before the
Apaches could be subdued.
The assertion assigned by yesterdays
dispatches to General Crook confirm the
opinion that he is getting too old,
and is better qualified to teach a Sunday
school class than to command an army.
Whenever any man who has lived in
Arizona as long as General Crook as
sumes that fair fight can be had with
Apaches, it is natural to suppose that
such a man had no experience with
those Indians, and ignored the knowl-
edge of those who had, but General
Crook is getting old and his memory
may be failing him. The Apaches were
never known to engage in fair and
open battle. They always ambush, kill
and run. General Miles beat the Indi-
ans running. He kept his troops in mo-.
ton, and ran the cowardly savages down
and whipped them at their own game.
The Apaches had no choice of mode of
punishment, as stated by General Crook.
They were forced to an unconditional
surrender by General Miles, and bound
by the sentiments of the determined peo-
pie they had outraged to be removed by
''hemp" if not by boxcars. The only
evidence of the Apache's capacity for ad-
vancement in civilization that exists
in his native home is that he has
become an expert in the use of deadly
weapons and that he contracts readily
all the vile habits of the vicious, while
he scorns good example and turns in con.
tempt from every kindness that may be
extended to him. Considering the cause
of humanity from every standpoint
civilization would be farther advanced
! by General Crook had he performed his
duty as an officer in Arizona by punish
ing those criminals and affording protec.
ton to law-abiding citizens than by bis
efforts now to create sympathy for them
by representing them as Sunday-school
teachers. Should General Crook sue.
ceed in turning those Apaches loose in
Indian Territory, two moons would not
pass before the swiftest and most Zero.
cious of them would be scalping the in.
hsbitants along their old trails in Arizona
and New Mexico; and where the popu.
lation is scattered and the mountains are
rough, as in those localities, ten Apache
Indians on the war path are
more dangerous than ten thousend, be-
cause in the one case no one knows
where so small number may sneak to,
and the thought that every bush may
conceal savage with Government gun
in his hands ia more dreadful than when