Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1893-11-08
WILL HOLD FORT BOWIE.
Interesting Encounter and a Letter
from the Governor.

WILL HULL FORl bOWlE.
Interesting Encounter and a Letter
from the Governor.
The department st Washington has
decided to maintain Fort Bowie until
the Kid is captured, which action seems
to have obtained through the influence
of Gov. Hughes. s
The general government has assign ed
two men from each company stationed
in this department to the difficult tack
of capturing the renegade, and they are
placed under the command of Lieut..
Been. This little troup is now station
ed near the San Bernardino ranch on
the Sonora line waiting for the Kid to
again cross over to Arizona soil.
Some time ago Lieut.. Been with
eight men met the Kid, who had but
seven followers, somewhere in the Chi
ricahua mountains, and conversation
al battle took place at distance too
great for rife shot. The Kid said,
f'Now you have found us after long
tlip," and in the language OF Leonidas'
laconic reply 20 Xerxes when called up
pom to surrender, he said, Come and
take u.s." Lieut.. Been very wisely re-
Trained from making the attempt, but
hastened to Fort Grant and reported
bloody encounter instead of informing
the twenty-five or thirty ranchmen who
lived near and would gladly have assist
ed in exterminating the notorious
band.
The following is copy of the letter
sent by Gov. Hughes to the head of the
department:
WAsHlNGToN, D. c., Sept. %, 1893
Hon. Hoke Smith, Secretary of the
Interior,
Washington. D. G.
SIR Il am informed that the war de-
partment recommended the abandon
ment of Fort Bowie, Arizona, and the
immediate removal of troops therefrom.
There are serious objections to this
contemplated action. Fort Bowie is
located in the immediate vicinity OF the
old stronghold of the Apache Indians,
which is on the direct trail from the
San Carlos reservation to Mexico, and
more Indian depredations have been
committed in the section of country
tributary to this point than In any other
part of the territory.
The Apache Kid and his band, which
has been depredating on our citizens at
intervals since his escape, is gradually
adding to his numb ers by disconnected
Indians from the reservation, and dur
ing the last three months has killed
eight citizens in that section of Arizona,
as we'll as many citizens of Mexico, so
that he is serious menace to the stock
men and miners of Southern Arizona
and Northwestern Sonora, Mexico, and,
ctr nd
frequent raids threaten the repetition
of the past history of our Indian
troubles.
The recent rains after a drouth in
Arizona offers encouragement for dis
contented Indians to leave the reser-
walton and join their fortunes with the
Xix. His present stronghold is in the
Sierra Mandre mountains, of Mexico
The abandonment of Bowie will be a
tender of that stronghold to these In
dams, which will be most hazardous, as
it is located on their trail to the Sierra
Madres, from which point they can
depredate at will land affords additional
opportunity to escape safely to Mexico,
and if driven out of Mexico, it will give
them refuge in Arizona.
The presence of single company of
troops at Bowie would prevent all this,
and until the Kid and his band are
captured or destroyed, its abandon
ment should in the interest Of public
safety, be postponed.
The citizens OF Mexico have made
many grievous complaints on account
of the policy which has been main
tanned, and still continue to maintain
an Indian reservation on our soil SO
near the boundary line, and which Of
fers 80 many temptations for discon-
tented Indians to leave their reservation
and raid into Sonora, and plumber and
murder their citizens, and who in the
past have murdered their people by the
hundreds, and returned with their
spoils to this reservation, and the fact
that more recently the murders and de-
predations of the Kid and his band are
increasing among them and appear to
! threaten, as they claim repetition OF
the Geronimo experience of the past.
The abandonment of Bowie will give
the Indians an open and uninterrupted
trail from their city OF refuge, San
Carlos, to Mexico. thus giving oul
neighbors additional cause for COM
plant.
In view of these facts, and in the in.
terest of the people of southeastern
Arizona and northeastern Sonora,
most earnestly recommend that the
abandonment of Fort Bowie be post
poned until such time at least as the
Kid and his band may be suppressed Of
destroyed. Respectfully Yours,
ta L. G. HUGHES,
Governor of Arizona