The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-19
APACHE INDIAN FIENDS.
IshmaelItes of the Great Southwest.


Indian warfare, and not altogether un-
justly so. Some of the most revolving
atrocities of the Apaches-the Arabs of
the American desert-were committed
within its borders, and the tale that has
been told of it since, whether based upon
the deeds of the Navsjoes or the Apaches,
has only served to increase rather than
diminish its reputation as field for In
dian devastation, says the San Francisco
Chronicle
The Navajoes, about 10000 strong, in
habit the northeastern portion, about
the Colorado and Utah line, and as they
have kind of civilization of their own,
they have murdered less for pillage than
for what they esteemed an Infringement
on the rights of territory. Scarcely q
hunter or prospector ever returned from
their domain, and when the white men
learned of this they seldom invaded the
reservation, consequently the killing
ceased, and until within recent years
the Indians have not been the aggress-
ors.
From the beginning the Apaches, the
notnades of the sandy waste west of the
Rio Grande and south of the grand can.
yon of the Colorado, have been the tot.
mentors of the whites. As has been
said of other wild animals Ari-
zona has been their breeding place,
and dearly has she paid for the dissinc-
tion.
Beginning with the destruction of the
Oatman family in 1851 follow the Verde
and Walnut Grove massaeres in the early
'6O's, and from that time on for fully 20
years the pioneers, such as had the good
fortune to escape the general onslaught,
numbered the fatal raids in rapid cue.
cession.
There is nothing else like Apache
warfars. 1t has been said by one who
knew "that the American Indians fight
like no other barbarians on the face of
the earth, and it's true. At the same
time the Apaches fight like no other
American Indians, and as the contest of
$50 years has about closed with the ex
termination of the tribe that has wrought
so much mischief, it is interesting to re-
view their tactics, if such is proper
name for the means by which they
brought about the death of so many, not
only whites, but their own race as well.
Since the mission fathers first came into
this country, and even as far back as the
legends of the surrounding tribes run,
they have been the Ishmaelites of the
world-,heir hads against every man and
every mans hand against them. They
roamed the sandy wastes of the South.
west, became Injured to the hardships and
priyations of the desert, go that they
could make journeys without suffering
the terrible pangs Of thirst to which 9th
or people so often succumbed. They
adopted all the 6endishness that savage
who hated the world could conceive of,
and their victims were horribly mutiated
and their captives put to the most e1cru
ciating torture.
There is but one exception to the as
sertiou that every Western tribe has q
redeeming feature, and that exception is
the Apache. The Sioux is blood thirsty
but will respect friendship, and if he
once accepts you in that spirit he will
protect you. The Commanches, the vii
famous tribe of Texas, that WAS almost
anuihilated by the rangers, were acquain-
ted with many of the arts of desert war.
fare, but they would neither lie in am
bush nor follow their flying foes into
cover. The Apache might always be ex-
pected to pounce upon you from some
hidden canyon or to spring up like q
quail from about some water hole.
Though they fight we'll enough when
hemmed in by superior forces, and die,
neither nor expecting mercy, their favor
ite tactics are those of ambush. It seems
that savages as they are, they have al.
ways recognized the great odds against
them, and have never fought where
they could see the certainty of losing q
man.
While picking his way up some can
yon VII ere no vegetation other than the
cactus ever grew, where water never ran,
and slabs and columns of lava and basalt
reflect the burning rays OF the sun, the
prospector and traveller meets, but does
not see, the Apache. A little puff of
smoke from some crevice in the rock
high up in the mountain side, and he
falls dead. If he has companion all be
can do is to throw himself behind some
protection and remain there while his
water lasts, for thougn there are hun
dred Indians, not one of them will come
in sight until the bowling of coyotes or
the gathering of vultures proclaim the
death of their victim. Then they
stealthily creep down the mountain, take
the scalp, clothing and ammunition of the
dead man and leave it as silently as they
came.
If, instead of awaiting death by thirst
the beleaguered one attempts to escape,
the moment his head is visible from be
hind the rocks he hears the patter of a
score of balls from as many hidden rifles,
and before he can make dozen steps or
discover one of his foes he will be pierced
through and through. When one or
half dozen men are attacked by
Apaches, escape depends upon bold
fight or outside succor. In the
fight the Indians have all the advan.
tage, and it is seldom that anything else
but superior numbers will effect an es.