Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-14
N 4 WILD COUNTRY.
sroRiEs TOLD az A STAGE DRIVER
ABOUT CRUEL APAcheS


HoW Aex1e3M aeE<s =
Frsaseai.g or whole had By KIN
ing the Chiss-A Hes a,A Cless Rses For
Life-s:ory Of Grave.
There IS something in the nature OF =
shoek to the mind Of an eastern raan when
he hears upon first arriving in this region
the stories told By cowboys and sheep herd
ers aborr, the Apaehes. One reads Indian
stories in the east. bat they are stories afar
of or OF people who lived long ago. Here
the story is told by the side OF \ fresh grave.
50 TO st,eak. and .So-and- 80, who lives right
over there" wss one of the principal char
aeters
While driving down the valley Of the
Talerosa creek the other day. Blunt Arm
strong, the stage driver, said. pointing 10
he steep side CT a flat topped mountain On
he right:
During the last raid Of the Apaches
hand Of them came across the top of that
mountain on their way u destroy the I'M
movements belcz- hers. Is '9ened that
a couple OF Mexicans wer' ie ing a fiocS
of sheep right up ther' saw ,iay, and nei
Their heriers nor In.l';a- AD"w nj the an
preach Of the Other. So. 90 tae Indians
came to the brow ~ 49,. .,,ic pecipice
they saw the iorlcrs IA; "ed over the
nigh one az the ilrst sh55. sue other one
started Is vt.n, .;..d the Indians, a dozen
strong, claall--rc, s.ta- i4.atf and took
after him and r.I .ct.s apsto his two,
As soon as tl.-- lr.- in, say with
in 70 rods o. --- .'ft 81 turned rJ,:lid
and tried "a 80 with an ed
fashioned .s 'tt l~St' ne bad
B ..-.r4fI.Yr. Knit
soiuethias ,-s g' the blamed
thing. aal 81 ". -l.,t ., ~ O..
'-rhs.. i.,s-. !. e. p;.ct laugh, ahl VI ii
much uo.se taey deterl-.Aei to take him
alive and tors urc lin. Sat the Mexican
WIS game an,i kept runnil.; and WORKING
away with his old musket until at last
bang, she went, and over went the war
chief of the band with bullet in his head
As luck woald have it, the chief had
stopped chasing the MeNicau-the capture
Of single fugitive was too small game
for him maybe, and the rest were ahead OF
hini-and So although he was hit by
chance, the Indians concluded that all the
motions and ''.onkeyshines the Mexican
had been mak.Gg with the gun were but
preliminary TO the magical destruction of
their chief With many cries and exclama-
with the body Of their dead chief made
haste to leave the valley.
AS this incident was enlivening the up
per part of the valley another party of Apa-
ches was hurrying down Apache canyon on
their way 10 the Tulerosa- The white peo-
pie had good warning of their coming, and
all escaped, though II Mexicans were caught
In one bunch and shot down. One white
l. - L, a L,.xl ,1lnz
however, owing to her regard for her chick
ems. She had recently come from the east
and WAS so much OF a tenderfoot as not to
understand the real danger The Indians
were reported to be in place that seemed
to her "A long way of. On hearing the re-
port She, with her husband, started for the
rendezvous IA, Pat Higgins ranch, but when
well on the way She thought of her chick
ems that had been left at home Nothing
woud do but to return and get them. The
husband said the danger was rapidly in
creasing, but she was determined the Apa-
chcs should not have the chickens, and back
the couple drove and got them. Then they
drove up the trail again.
They had just passed the mouth Of
Apache canyon when Gerunimo's band
came ont and started in chase. 1t was
about three miles from the canyon to the
Higgins ranch The ranchman heard them
coming, but he had farm wagon and less
than "a milc the start. OF all the scenes in
the Tulerosa valley few were ever more
thrilling than that when a turn in the road
revealed to the people at the Higgins ranch
the ranchman leaning out over the front of
his wagon plying a blacksnake whip to the
,allpping team, while the wagon leaped
and swaycd from side to side, u long cloud
Of dust rolled smoking into the air, and IA
scattered gang OF ill favored savages came
salloping behind, shooting their rifles and
gaining at every jump. ltwas a hard race,
but the ranchman won, his foolish wife ~
ing in "A dead faint on the bottom of the
wagon box beside the coop Of Chickens
Over north of here "A grave is pointed out
as that of an unknown white man. After
the raid was over n skeleton was found
/ across biz red ant hill. \ man had been
captured and Then by means OF stakes and
cords bound alsyc across the home of a col
ony Of red ants. There he lay helpless
while the ants by slow degrees stripped
away his living flesh
A ranch over that way has two iron hooks
on the shady wall of the house. These are
pointed Cut to the stranger. The ranch
man put them there that hc might hang up
"a deer, an elk or the carcass Of Il steer as
fresh meat was needed by the family. The
Apaches came along and surprised the
woman at home alone. Splitting open her
ankles just above her heels, they hung her
up alive with these hooks through the Sits
and left her there. Her husband with
party Of plaiusMen returned in time to save
her life
The Indians are supposed to be at peace
and contente,l, but there are some despe-
ratloes among the Apaehes as among mine
camp whites The Apache Kid, as wild
youth is known, is cited as an example.
lie raided his own people that he might
carry off Il girl with some ponies not long
lgo, and when the girl eventually was re-
turned home she told Il curious story of his
having belt with 81 500 in gold which he
wore constantly. The money was from q
white man he had murdered. He goes to
md fro across the Mexican border accord
ng as within or the proximity of pursuers
sictate He has bad narrow escapes Sew
3ral Of his companions have been killed,
but he is still at large.
Now aud then prospectors go out into the
mountains and fail to return. Cowboys
riding the frontier range fail to report
Skeleton. -,n,r:i.le- siagly and sometimes
TWO or th~u.t. ,,hrr arc found lying be-
side the i .. '-ut u campfire. There is
still ii p lAl Tinted States where
he st.te-' .ei close To the camp
,tri-a tr!t if the venture
at 80 New Mexico Cor
-