The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-29
In A WILD COUNTRY.
STORIES TOLD BY A STAGE DRIVER
/ ABOUT CRUEL APAcHEs.


ABOUT CRUEL APAcHEs.
-
How q Mexican Herder Succeeded I'm
Frightening on whole hand by Kill
ing the Chief-A Hot and Close Race For
Life-story of n Grave.
There is something in the nature of a
shock to the mind of an eastern man when
he hears upon first arriving in this region
the stories told by cowboys and sheep herd
ers about the Apaches. One reads Indian
stories in the east, but they are stories altar
of or of people who lived long ago. Here
the story is told by the side of a fresh grave,
80 to speak, and "So-and-so, who lives right
over there" was one of the principal char
acters.
While driving down the valley of the
Tulerosa creek the other day, Blunt Arm
strong, the stage driver, said, pointing to
the steep side Of a fiat topped mountain on
the right:
During the last raid Of the Apaches a
band of them came across the top of that
mountain on their way to destroy the i'm
provements below here. It happened that
a couple OF Mexicans were herding n flock
of sheep right up there that day, and nei
ther herders nor Indians knew of the ap-
proach of the other. Well, as the Indians
came to the brow of that little precipice
they saw the herders and popped over the
nigh one at the first shot The other one
started to run, and the Indians, a dozen
strong, clambered down the bluff and took
after him and made three jumps to his two
As soon as they began to close in, say with
in 20 rods or SO, the Mexican turned round
and tried to shoot at them with an old
fashioned muzzle loading musket he had
carried to shoot coyotes and panthers. But
something was wrong with the blamed
thing, and it wouldn't 60 off.
THAT made the Apaches laugh, and with
much noise they determined to take him
alive and torture him. But the Mexican
was game and kept running 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 would have it, the chief had
stopped chasing the Mexican-the capture
of a single fugitive was too small game
for him maybe, and the rest were ahead of
him-and 30, although he was hit by
chance, the lndians concluded that all the
motions and monkeyshines the Mexican
had been making with the gun were but
preliminary to the magical destruction of
their chief With many cries and excama-
tions they at once stopped the chase and
with the body of their dead chief made
haste to leave the valley
"As this incident was enliveuing the up-
per part of the valley another party OF Ana
ches was hurrying down Apache canyon on
their way TO the Tulerosa The white neo.
pie had good warning of their coming, and
all escaped, though Ii MeXicRns were caught
in one bunch and shot down. One white
woman with her husband had close call,
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 long way off. On hearing the re.
port she with her husband, started for the
rendezv GUS atPat Higgins ranch, but when
well on the way she thought of her chick.
ems that had been left at home. Nothing
would do but to return and get them. The
husband said the danger was rapidly in
creasing, but she was determined the Apa,
ches should not have the chickens, and bac K
the couple drove and got them. Then they
drove up the trail again.
They had just passed the mouth oil
Apache canyon when Geronimo's band
came out and started in chase. It was
about three miles from the canyon to che
Higgins ranch. The ranchman heard them
coming, but he had a farm wagon and less
than mile the start. OF all the scenes in
the Tulerosn valley few were ever more
thrilling than that when turn in the road
revealed to the people at the Higgins ranch
the ranchman leaning out over the front OF
his wagon plying blacksnake whip to the
galloping team, while the wagon leaped
and swayed from side to side, n long cloud
of dust rolled smoking into the air, and D
scattered gang OF i'll favored savages came
galloping behind, shooting their rifles and
gaining ut every jump 1t was hard race
but the ranehmun won, his foolish wife ly.
ing in 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. Aftel
tine raid was over II skeleton was fuunt
across IL big red ant hill. A man had beer
captured and then by means of stakes ans
cords bound alive across the home of n col
ony of red ants. There he lay helpless
4, while the ants by slow degrees Stripe,
/ away his living flesh.
= A ranch over that way has two iron hook
/ on the shady wall OF the house. THESE ar
pointed out to the stranger. The ranch
man put them there that he might hang III
deer, an elk or the carcass of steer II
. fresh meat was needed by the fanlily In
/ Apaches came along and surprised til
woman mt home alone. Splitting open he
ankles just above her heels, they hung h.,
up alive with these hooks through the slit
and left her there. Her husband with
party of plainsmGn returned in time to say
. her life.
Tho Indians are supposed to be at peat
and contenteI, but there are some desp,
radoes among the Apachos as among min
camp whites. The Apache Kid, as Il wil
+ youth is known, is cited rs an exampl,
/, He raided his own people that he migl
carry off girl with some ponies not loR
ago, and when the girl eventually was l,
u turned home she told curious story Of Ii
=. having belt with 81 800 in gold, which i
!, wore constantly The money was from
white man he had murdered He goes
r. and fro across the Mexican border accort
4. ing as within or the proximity of pursucl
dictate He has had narrow escapes. Sc
eral of his companions have been kille,
but he is still aS large.
" Now and then prospectors go out into Il
SC mountains and fail TO return. Cowbu,
q riding the frontier range fail to repor
J. Skeletons, sometimes siugly and somctin
n. two or three together, are found living b
q side the remains oil campfire There
=. still region of the United States whe
~ the stock must be staked close to the can
at night and "A watcn kept if the ventul
some party is small.-New Mexico &c
New York sun,
~ Tn. ,,d.mon pv,rf.
a. There probably never was 10y or gi