Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-01-31
DICK HUYI4

The writer owes to Dick Huyl a debt,
,ot exactly of gratitude. rs the story
=. III, demonstrate. which she. by writing
IL biography, seeks to discharge. Dick
nnrrs history will never be written by
mo nor by any one else who knew him,
- oaorn Sunday school library; he
.rss not that kind of boy. Dick was
snache Indian, with all the character
;st;cs of total depravity that the word
Anacbe conveys or suggests. We were
children together, Dick and /. We lived,
tonight and played together for two years
H. the same army post. On one memoir
a,,,e occasion. Dick, instigated by the
Iavi,-for firmly believe in the devil,
Wonly for Apaches dropped down the
neck Of nv frock live toad. It was
tba cause Of my first fit of Mysteries, and
determined, if ! ever grew old enough.
would tell the whole world how bad q
vonng 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
CONFUSING 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 10 watch them constant
" and large 30 -, uf troops were de-
tailed for that purpose. Nevertheless,
scarcely week passed but 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
ticularly 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
dams 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
equally well known to soldiers and to
Indians
So when the morning report showed
to Gen. Crook that SO many warriors
squaws and pappooses We're missing, the
grim old warrior would make no sign Of
pursuit, but on the night following, OF
perhaps the next one, a squadron OF
mounted men would file silently out Of
the reservation bearing orders to move
as rapidly rs 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
camping place for the renegades. The
troops We're 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, clever
squaws and pappooses, including Wah
memo, than whom a more depraved ant
cruel Indian never existed, even in Ari-
iona.
Two nights afterward squad Of the
Iwenty-third infantry, Crooks own reg
ment, under Lieut.. Huyl, a splendid
young fellow, who has since left tn,
service, was sent out on a scout with the
usual orders. No trace of the renegade
was found, but burned ranch and stagt
station and a cremated cowboy gave suf
Nh0 NlueiCe VI luuldIlS at large IN
next night, or rather just at dawn, afte
along and fatiguing march, the scout
reached natural rock basin at the foo
VI one OF the steepest and most inacces
sible knobs to be found in desolate Arr
IONA. This basin had often collected
supply of acrid water, which, however
was drlnkable enough in that country
thln vapor of smoke from a nearl,
spent lire convinced the troopers tina
'helr nights march had not been in vain
ana on creeping up as close as possible
Inc hostiles were outlined against tn
rocks, fast asleep.
Inc little squadron silently deploye'
out so as to avoid missing a single shot
ana at the word of command fired, kill
ing nearly every one of the Indians
Inc others jumped up only to be Gu
aown by the reserve fire. The only tw
unhurt were Wahnemo and his 4-year
ola pappoose. Grasping the child, h
sprang for the mountain side, scaling tn
,ocks like channels, amid shower o
ouliets, soon distancing his pursuers an
Se'ung out of range of their rifles. Halt
ing on shelf of rock, he set the chill
aoWn and proceeded to indulge in ever
s ~ of contempt and derision tina
us imagination could invent to aggra
a'e the discounted troopers, VIII
enashed their several sets of teeth /,