Smyrna times., 1891-05-27
DICK HUYL.


HuyFs history viii never be written by
me, nor by any one else who knew him.
to adorn Sunday school library; he
was not that kind of boy. Dick was
an Apache Indian, withau the character
istics of total depravity that the word
Apache conveys or suggests. We were
children together, Dick and 1. We lived,
fought and played togetherf for two vears
In the same army post. On one memoir
able occasion, Dick, instgated by the
devil-for firmly believe in the devil.
If only for Apaches- dropped down the
neck of my frock live toad. 1t was
the cause of my first fit of mysteries. and
determined, if ever grew old enough.
l would tell the whole world how bad a
young Apache could be.
In 1872, 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 the 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-
nd hot
scarcely a 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 almanacsas "virgo."
There seemed to be something par
ticularly fascinating to the Apache tenn
perament 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. 1t 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,
squaws and pappooses were missing, the
grim old warrior would make no sign of
pursuit, but on the night following, or
perhaps the next one, q squadron Of
mounted men would file silently out Of
the reservation bearing orders to move
as rapidly as possible to the water hole
of PalO Pinto, OF to Agna Grande
Spring, or to some other place where
the presence of the precious fluid favored
a 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 a more depraved and
cruel Indian never existed, even in Arr
zona.
Two nights afterward squad of the
Twenty-third infantry, Crooks own reg
iment, under Lieut.. Huyl, a 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, buta burned ranch and stage
station and cremated cowboy gave suf-
ficient evidence of Indians at largo. The
next night, or rather just at dawn, after
q long and fatiguing march, the scouts
reached natural rock basin at the foot
Of one of the steepest and most inacces-
Eble knobs to be found in desolate Ari-
zona. This basin had often collected
supply of acrid water, which, however,
was drinkable enough in that country.
A thin vspor Of smoke from nearly
spent fire convinced the troopers that
their nights march had not beenin vain,
and on creeping up as close as possible
the hostiles were outlined against the
rocks, fast asleep.
The little squadron silently deployed
out so as to avoid missing a-single shot,
and at the word Of command fred kill
ing nearly every one Of the Indians.
The others jumped up only to be cut
down by the reserve fire. The only two
unhurt were Wahnemo and his 4-year-
old pappoose. Grasping the child, he
sprang for the mountain side, scaling the
rocks like a chamois, amid q shower of
bullets, soon distancing his pursuers and
getting out of range of their rities. Halt
ing ON a shelf Of rock, he set the child
down and proceeded to indulge in every
exhibition Of contempt and derision that
his imagination could invent to aggra-
vate the discounted troopers, who
CRASHED their several sets of teeth in
rage at the insults Of the old heihhen.
They were relieved at.last by the arrival
Of Lieut.. Huyl, who bare in his hand a
new target rife, received only tho day
before tho scouts started.
This wonderful gun was guaranteed
10 caTry--I forget. 100 yards with ac-
cmacy, and the lieutsnant, who was one !
Of tho best fellows in the world in garri- |
son, but quite cold hearted and blood
thirsty where Apaches were concerned,
announced that while he wis doubtful /
OF his gun carrying near the Indian,
yet he was going to try. Tie Apache,
feeling secure against theii, carbinef,
continued his taunts until Hryl, taking /
deliberate aim, with sights raised for
1 800 yards, fired. His aim WIS true,
and the gun all that It was boasted. |
The old savage plunged face forward |
over the ledge, and crashed down the I
rocky mountain side at thevery feat-of
his slayer.
The attention of the.soldiers was now I
directed to the pappoose- the subjected |
this sketch. That interesting infant |
stfll calmly occupied the ledge andwTas |
evidently turning the situation over in
his mind. The troopers, with Ideut,
Huyl at their head. slowly and painfully
elanaheEaa np the zooAs and fnRllY als- !