Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-05-14
DICK HUYL

Inc Wrlter owes 10 DICK duyl q debt
not exactly Of gratitude, as the stor1
win demonstrate, which she, by writinI
his biography, seeks to discharge. Dicl
Huyfs history will never be written b.
me, nor by any one else who knew him
to adorn Sunday school library; b,
was not that kind of boy. Dick wa,
an Apache Indian, with all the character
tstics of total depravity that the word
Apache conveys or suggestA We wers
children together, Dick and L We lived
fought and played together for two year.
In the same army post. On one memor.
able occasion, Dick, instigated by the
devil-for firmly believe In the devil,
II only for Apaches-dropped down the
neck of my frock live toad. It was
the cause Of my first fit of Mysteries, and
I determined, II ever grew old enough,
would tell the whole world how bad Q
young Apache could be-
In 1879, If remember rightly, Gen.
Crook had succeeded, after years Of
bloody war and the loss of hundreds Of
good men, in subduing most Of the bands
composing tho Apache nation of New
Mexico and Arizona. They had dwelt
in the strongholds OF mountain and
desert, from which they frequently
emerged to rob and murder all miners
or emigrants that they could ambush,
leaving nothing for the human mind to
conceive Of in the way of cruelty when
ever white man fell into their power.
At the reservation, although they were
well fed and quite decently treated, it
was necessary to watch them constant.
ly, and large bodies of troops were de-
tailed for that purpose. Nevertheless,
scarcely week passed but a small squad
Of Apaches, usually led by some attract
i've squaw, would slip quietly past the
guards and escape through the darkness
into their beloved cactus plains and
mountain barrens. Roll call nearly every
morning developed these absentees, and
next day would come news of murder,
rapine and horrors generally. A favorite
Apache mode of disposing of the unsus-
pecting freighter, miner or emigrant
whose camp they had succeeded in raid
ing, was to tie the victim by the four
limbs to stakes, and then to build fire
on that portion of his body designated
in the old fashioned almanacs as virgo"
There seemed to be something par
tcularly fascinating to the Apache tenn
permanent in this form of torture. Death
being long in coming, it gave the squaws
and pappooses plenty of chance to invent
small torments, on the side, as it were.
The women and children emigrants-
but enough. Suffice it to say that the
absolute hatred entertained by these In
dians for the whites was fully recipro-
Gated, especially by the soldiers. It was
no easy matter to track and successfully
follow the runaways through the cactus
and mesquit thickets, over the barren
deserts and desolate mountains that
make up the topography of Arizona.
But in that parched country water is
only to be found at certain springs and
"water holes" between which days of
travel often intervene, but which are
equally well known to soldiers and to
Indians.
So when the morning report showed
to Gen. Crook that so many warriors,
gquaws and pappooses were missing, the
grim old warrior would make no sign of
pursuit, but on the night following, or
perhaps the next one, a squadron of
men would file silently out of
the reservation bearing orders to move
rs rapidly as possible to the water hole
Of Palo Pinto, or to Agna Grande
Spring, or to some other place where
the presence Of the precious fluid favored
Q camping place for the renegades. The
troops were always positively instructed
to bring back no prisoners, all matters
Of detail being left to the officers in COM
mand. One June morning there was re-
ported missing eight Indians, eleven
squaws and pappooses, including Wah-
memo, than whom more depraved and
cruel Indian never existed, even in Ari-
IONA.
Two nights afterward squad Of the
Twenty-third infantry, Crooks own reg
lment, under Lieut.. Huyl, splendid
young fellow, who has since left the
service, was sent out on a scout with the
usual orders. No trace of the renegades
was found, butt burned ranch and stage
station and cremated cowboy gave suf.
icient evidence of Indians at large. The
next night, or rather just at dawn, after |
. long and fatiguing march, the scouts |
reached natural rock basin at the foot |
of one of the steepest and most inacces-
ible knobs to be found in desolate Ari-
IONA. This basin had often collected a
supply Of acrid water, which. however,
was drinkable enough in that country.
A thin vapor of smoke from nearly
spent fire convinced the troopers that
heir nights march had not been in vain,
md on creeping up as close as possible
he hostiles were outlined against the
'Ocks, fast asleep.
The little squadron silently deployed
,ut so as to avoid missing single shot,
md at the word of command fred, kill
ng nearly every one Of the Indians.
The others jumped up only to be cut
lown by the reserve fire. The only two
lnhurt were Wahnemo and his 4-year-
Id pappoose. Grasping the child, he
prang for the mountain side, scaling the
ocks like chamois, amid shower Of
'ullets, soon distancing his pursuers and
'etting out of range of their rifles. Halt
ng on a shelf of rock, he set the child
own and proceeded to indulge in every