The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-19
the highest peak In the vicinity, from
which point they can distinguish fire
though it be miles distant.

which point they can distinguish a fire
though it be miles distant.
Those who were In the East, sitting by
their fresides and criticizing the action
of the soldiers in the late Arizona cam
paigns, knew nothing of what they talk.
ed about. The soldiers secured the ser
vices of the Mohaves, branch of the
Apache family and the best trailers in
the world, but Notwithstanding this,
scarcely mile was passed in going
through the Mogollon mountains without
some cavalryman dropping, the victim of
an Indians bullet fired from q cleft In
the rock or behind some stunted fir tree
higher up in the mountain. When such
incidents as this occurred it did no good
to follow the concealed one. Like par.
fridge he would hide away in the noun.
tain or double on his trail, and in half
an hour repeat the deed. The army de-
serves much credit for getting them at
all, for it was like hunting rabbits when
each rabbit was armed with a rife and
knew how to Use t.
The manner in which they musilated
their victims was most horrible. Some
times the pursuers came upon grinning
skeletons from which the flesh had been
stripped off slice by slice after their eyes
had been burned out with hot irons. In
many cases the hearts OF the murdered
persons had been cut out and stuffed in
their mouths. One instance so
horrible that shall never forget
the impression it made upon me, I will
relate:
We were in pursuit of Geronlmo's
band, then raiding in Gill county. The
day before We had overtaken and killed
several of them, but night came on and
We had to stop. Next morning with the
coming Of light, ne took the trail, and
about two hours by sun reached ranch
that had been pillsged. On the ground
in front of the house lay the mother and
two small children, all horribly mangled,
while just outside the gate was the body
of the fsther, literally hacked to pieces
with spears. On going around the house
looking for the point where they left the
premises, we came upon the body of
ycuug girl about 1S or 90 years of age.
The ranchmen had fastened an iron
hook to q cottonwood tree and from it
suspended cattle and sheep when dress.
ing them. 1t was only up about seven
feet from the ground, and the Indians
had thrust it through the back of the
young lady's head, suspending her alive.
They had then burned her eyes out, and
afterward actually disemboweled her.
When We seached the body it was hard
ly cold, and that incident accounted for
the fact that two lieutenants wefe court
martialed for allowing the soldiers to kill
squaws in the fight which occurred later
in the day. Tie squaws, by the way,
are the leaders of the most atrocious tor
lures.
The scouts had much to do with the
almost complete determination of these
people, and it was precious little quarter
they gave. The officers always told them
never to kill an Indian that wanted to
surrender, and 1 do not know that they
did, though they always succeeded
in getting them to fight. Any.
way, they never brought back any pris.
oners.
These scouts, of whom the Indians
were more afraid than they were of the
devil, were nearly all reared in Arizona,
and were good trailers IS we'll as dead
shots. "Arisona Charlie" or Charles
Meadows, the best trailer in the South
west, and who is said to have killed more
than 100 Indians, came with his parents
from California at an early day and set.
tied in Tonto Basin. During the Vic.
toria campaign his family we're all killed
by the Apaches and he only escaped by
not being at home. Though he was only
a boy IA years of age, he then began
fighting Indians, and kept it up until
peace was made and the United States
declared it murder to kill one.