Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-10

1 down with instructions to find Capt LAWtoa
| and when he got near this camp to let the mel
as much 10 eject that Surrender - did the mar
| Who carried the Gag Of truce at Appemattox
| They simply bore . message from me 70 then
| demanding their surrender. The pretense thai
those Indians placed themselves In our hands
gave up their arms and risked their lives at thu
! Instance or under the influence Of any Indian
| is not in accordance with the facta Capt
Lawton's, Lleuts. Gatewood and Wilder's r.
ports deny 1t; and believe these officers.
THE rxRn or TIE SURRENDER.
They were anxious 10 get the best terms they
could get They said they would 60 back to
the reservation and be good Indians. They
we're told they could do nothing of the kind
and they said, I'VE will surrender to the high
est authority" that they would surrender to
me. deciined to 60 down to meet them.
was not going down there to talk. Geronimo
sent his own brother up TO the fort and offered
his brother as hostage that they would surren-
der. And went down to Capt. Lawton's COM
mand
Then follows long report from Lieut. Gate
wood detailing the incidents Of the surrender
as stated by Gen. Miles.
The statement 10 thus continued by Gen
Miles, who says: ''You will see that il il stated
by Lieut.. Lakewood that took no part in the
discussion. When I met them had as few
words with them as possible. The conversa-
ton was in the presence Of ten or dozen Off.
GERS, and men who can certify TO the exact
words which were used. II is somewhat re-
markable that their testimony has never been
consulted or published when many notices
and statements Of parties who were not there,
as well as the statements aud impressions Of
the savages have been published
WHAT HE TOLD GERONIMO.
told Geronimo that would confirm what
Capt Lawton and Lieut. Gatewood had told
him and that they must surrender and do what
they were told to do. They begged for one
mercy and that was their lives might be spared
said they must trust that to the President of
the United States, who had control of. all the
Indians and that had no authority to prom
Use them pardon, but that we should not kill
them while they were in our hands. Then they
wanted to know what was going to do with
them. said, II am going to move You out Of
that country" and they would never see it
again. They came In and gave themselves up,
and started back to Fort Bowie. took with
me Geronimo, Matches and two or three others.
and after hard ride of IS miles reached
Bowie. Capt Lawton came in with the re-
mainder in the course OF the following two
days.
Then follows dispatch relating the events
OF the surrender, sent by Gen. Miles at that
time.
The general then continued: "After arrived
at Fort Bowie received a communication from
Gen. Sheridan directing me to hold the Indians
IN your hands without terms" His order was
not founded upon any information of mine.
They were In one sense in my hands without
terms, but had told them was going to move
an out OF that country and could not disregard
what had said, and there was no necessity of
doing 80. did not consider the order binding.
There was no place in that country where that
number and kind of Indians could be held with
safety. After they were taken out of that country
the government could do with them what il
nlQaSQd W. ar1ar 49, <~ll
them at Fort Bowie, but, fortunately, did not
receive 1t until they were on their way through
Texas to Fort Marion, Fla.
That, think, in brief gives the history Of
my connection with those Indians. As far as
their confinement in Florida is concerned had
nothing whatever to do with it. have, how
ever. always believed that it was mistake TO
send them there, because they were accustomed
to the high altitude of the mountains.
=, long report from the surgeon general was
then given, showing the health of the Indians
and the healthfulness of their location.
THE INDIANS now
Gen. Miles was asked il he thought these In.
dams had changed any in disposition since they
have been captured and been in confinement.
In reply he stated:
After they surrendered, when they were on
their way to Fort Bowie we were riding along
and Geronimo, looking at the Chirlcahua
mountains, referred to their raids in that coun-
Try. ne salu, Ibis Is the fourth time have
surrendered I said to him, And think it is
the last time you will ever have chance to
surrender have no more confidence in them
than in other Indians that have broken their
promises and been good for little time. They
were only thirteen months on the reservation
when they came in the last time, before they
broke out again. It should be understood that
they were about the same Indians then that
they are now; and il they are self to Fort Sill
there is nothing to prevent them getting into
the mountains Of New Mexico" Al the end OF
the statement Gen. Miles said
II believe that these Indians could be placed
in North Carolina; but not in Arizona, where
they know the country too well, according to the
statement OF one of their own men (Kunay),
confirmed by Tokanay, that the Indians when
they were at Camp Apache were getting
drunk all the time and killing each other" In
North Carolina they would be 2.2O0 feet above
the level Of the sea, free from malaria and have
an opportunity Of seeing how civilized Indians
live; farms could be rented without difficulty
There are some places where they might be
placed where they would be SO far away as to
prevent their getting back. North Carolina
strikes me as the best place. see no difficulty
IN moving them to place where there could
be no possible reason for their complaining
nor danger Of their returning to the war path.
think it would be q threatening element 10
place them in the Indian country"