The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-30
GERoSIaUs BoYHooD.
His Home at the Head of the GiIa-How
a Warrior Becomes a Chief.

Mount Vernon (Ala-) Letter in New York
Sur
Now that the Apache prisoners OF war
are so soon to be moved away from Noun,
Vernon barracks. Alabama, a few facts re-
garding the boyhood OF the great CHIEF
Geronimo-pronounced "Hayronimo"-mav
be of intrest 40 the public A few days
ago the writer invited the old chief 10 nj.
house. with the interpreter. Mr.. wrattan.
who has been with the Apaches ever since
they were removed from Arizona in 1856.
and under the solace OF a good cigar he re-
called, and seemed to take much pleasure
while doing so, many of the incidents o.
his boyhocd days.
81 am about fifty-nine or sixty years
DID," he said. and for an Indian that is
being pretty old. Mana is ninety-four. bur
he is a very old man, much older than
many of the Indians get to be. 1 was born
on my father's ranch. way up on the table
land at the head of the ella river, in Ari-
iona, while 1t was sull a part of Mexico.
All OF our people were an agricultural and
pastoral people, filling the soil to raise our
wheat. and corn and vegetables. and herd
ing our cattle and horses and sheep. We
knew very little of war. Of course we
had fights with other Indians once in a
while when they came to our homes to steal
our stock or our women and when we re-
taliated, going in our turn to the homes
of our enimies for the same purpose. Our
people had lived on these table lands for
many years and many OF our men had
never seen the face of a white man. The
nearest Mexicans lived on the Rio Grande.
many, many miles away. and We lived our
lives, married our wives and raised our
family happily and undisturbed.
"As a boy / worked with the rest plant
ing corn. pulling grass for the cattle and
such things. We had to pull the grass up
by the roots or else twist it of, for we
had no way of cutting 1t. We did not
know what scythes and sickles were and
the big knives cost much money, or. what
was the same as money to us, our corn
and wheat, and stock and skins
LAS far as the traditions go back, our
method of farming originated with our
selves, and we planted our corn by dig
ging little holes in the ground with knives
or sharp sticks and putting into each hole
two or three grains of corn, then covering
them up with our fingers.
MY grandfather was a chief, but my
father was not one. Cur chiefs are not ex-
actly elected, but they are chosen In this
way: A party of young men will go ONT on
a nQnL OF on a Understanding cApeulllOi.
One of the young men will be chosen lead
er. If he is a good man-that is. strong in
his head, of good character among his com,
panions, brave, undaunted and a good
fighter and provider he will become strong
er and stronger and his band Will increase.
If he isn't strong in his head. if he proves
the fox or like the wolf his following will
leave him and join other chiefs and that
one will become great while he will be as
nothing and will become a laughing-stoek
among his c0mnaniOnS. Sometimes such A
chief will leave his own tribe and join ap-
other where he is not well known: but
when he joins the other tribe he joins IL as
a common man, not as a chief. Indians are
like white men-they get what they can
and they keep what they get. unless a
stronger man gets il away.
My father died when | was nine or ten
years old and ] had to take care of myself.
when / was fourteen or fifteen years
old i and three other boys about the same
age went out hunting all by ourselves.
This was the first time / had gone on a
hunt. We had good bows and arrows
that we had made ourselves. We saw three
deer running way over on the other side
of a deep ravine. The deer ran this way
and that way. and they would jump and
broken ground. We We're all excited, but
/ was not as excited as the rest. | got down
on my knees and carefully aimed at one OF
the deer, then let my arrow fly, and it
went all the way through him. part Of the
arrow coming out on the other side. OH
laughed and clapped our hands. We felt
SO good we could not help laughing and
feeling glad
deer up and roasted the pieces in the
ashes and on the Goals, and we ate the
deer up; we ate the whole of IL. My, but
1T was good. / can almost taste IL now.
That was my first deer. OF course. / had
shot gophers and birds with my bow and
arrow coming out on the other side. Oh,
shoot. They begin to use a small bow and
arrows before they can walk almost
supported myself this way; then i got mar
ried and supported my wife and afterward
my family by hunting. I bought horses:
the valleys and tablelands of the ella are
good places for horses. / always used
horses for hunting and was getting rich.
"One day some Mexicans came TO our
During the fight they killed my wife and
my two papooses, about three and five
years old.
heart sorry for myself and hard for the
Mexicans."
leans in retaliation, but he wouldn't talk
about war or lighting He said. II will
not talk about the warpath."
Resuming he said: zone time, about thir-
ty or forty years ago, the Mexicans got a
lot Of us Apaches down to a town in Son
ora to make a treaty. Tie Mexicans
tin cups. and they told US to help ourselves
Most of the ApacheS were fools enough TO
drink, and they got drunk. AMI then the
Mexicans attacked all that were drunk
and killed every one Of them. l ana two
or three others that did not drink got on
our horses and rode away The Mexicans
killed every one Of the others, six women
and thirty-four men. They killed every
one of them. That is the way they want
to make treaty with US. TO kill us all.
Whisky is not good. Whisky is bad. awful
bad; no good, no good at all. / have never
drunk whisky, so 1 never got caught.
Another time the Mexicans killed a
party OF over eighty. We thought we were
strong enough for them this time but they
played the same trick, and the fool Apaches
got drunk and were killed. ! no get drunk.
and / get away every time.
THE Mexicans often played the same
trick on all the Indian tribes.
TIE white people came to our country
after the Mexican war. They liked our
table lands so they run us off. They run
us out in the plains and up in the noun
tains, and they took our beautiful table
land for themselves.
Il guess / have talked enough for one
day. If / talk too much ! may not tell
the truth all the time, and i want 10 speak
the truth always. Goodbye" "a.
John Burroughs and Jay Gould.