The Van Buren press., 1896-01-18
ONE USE FOR APACHEs.
Nature Seems to Have Designed That They
shouId Tacoma Governm ent SCOUTS.

should Become Government Scouts.
The Apache reservation, in the east
ern part of Arizona contains the first
successful showing of disciplined Ip-
dians employed as body Of fighting
men by the United States government,
the White Mountain Apache scouts.
The United States has called into
requisition the services of some BOO
trained Indians, who have within the
| last five years proved invaluable in sub
DUNG uprisings in different Indian res
erVations. At various times the govern.
ment has employed special Indian po-
lice, and individual Indians have served
in the army on important scouting
duty, but the utilization of good part
of whole tribe, trained to modern
arms and tactics, is comparatively
modern departure. Aside from the
Apaches, the only other instance on
record is that of the two companies of
Sioux Indians attached to the United
States army post at Salt Lake City,
Utah GO
The Apaches are one of the most bar
barous and warlike Indian tribes in
North America, and until recently
have not been amenable to the influ-
ence of civilization. They are related
to the great Shoshone, or Pacific coast
Indians, branch whose treachery and
cruelty are additionally famous
among all western Indians. The
Apaches are at present divided into the
White Mountain Apaches and the Mes
caleros. The latter tribe, now headed
by the treacherous old San Juan, was
formerly a band of desperadoes, led by
the well-known Geronimo and the
Apache kid" The Apaches are natur-
oily a vicious people, and, while they
are capable of receiving moderate de-
gree of education, are totally unfit
afterward for any other pursuit than
wandering over the plains in armed
bands. Even under thorough mill
tary education they are unable to fight
other than in their own methods OF
warfare. They learn the manual of
arms and field manoeuvres without any
difficulty, and are drilled to fire by
platoons, but when it comes to actual
fighting they can operate to better ad-
vantage if left to their own devices and
Inherent trickery.
Their usual dress is a native woven
cotton cloth shirt and turban to match
close-fitting pants and buckskin boots.
In fighting trim they discard every
thing but the turban, boots, and a loin
cloth. Thus costumed and equipped,
with repeating rife and a cartridge
belt, they make desperate and a dan
gerous antagonist. The territory of
Arizona contains stretches of the most
unproductive soil in the country, but
| the Apaches, muscular of limb and
hardy by nature, thrive under its semi
tropical sun. An Apache's powers of
endurance are phenomenal. He has
been known to go two whole days,
running, fighting, and retreating, with
| out tasting mouthful of food or
| drop of water. A band of 1000
Apaches could wear the life out of an
ordinary army In a month. They
| fight in squads of 20 or 80, scattered out
over the plains and concealing them
selves behind a small stone or a clump
of sage brush that would scarcely hide
q child. They can shoot right or left
handed, either in crouching attitude,
rolled up into ball, or stretched fiat
in shallow "arroya," ditch washed
out of the soil during the rainy season.
From this ambuscade they make for
the foothills, where they ensconce
themselves in gulches and fire on their
pursuers with deadly effect. They are
as fleet of foot as bronco, being able
to outwind n horse over the parched
| plains. Apache messengers between
government stations frequently cover
a distance of 25 miles in less than three
hours, and know how to elude the ter
rife sand storms that sweep the desert
tracts in the vicinity of the Gila noun
tains. In mountain climbing they are
like chamois, jumping from ledge to
ledge with the greatest ease and agility
and scaling precipitous walls on the
most delicate footing. When riding
horseback they almost become part of
the animal, crawling around its body
and firing while they hang on one side
in true Indian fashion. The Apache
scouts are especially dreaded by the
Navajoes, Yumas, and the Maricopas,
whose outbreaks they are occasionally
called on to subdue, and who know
them of old from the pilfering expedi-
tioSSN for which the Apaches are fa-
nous.
The Apache reservation is about $50
miles from the Mexican boundary line.
AS they are continually at war with
their neighbors or among themselves,
II is difficult to estimate their num-
bers, but it is between 5000 and 1000.
They speak the Spanish language al
most universally, and display all the
undesirable qualities of the North
American Shoshone in close admixture
with the blood of the Mexican Indian.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Women a Spoilers.
Women have the reputation of being
better spoilers than men, though there
have been some notable exceptions.
Mrs. Barbould, for instance, though
she was schoolmarm, once deliberated
as TO the correct way of spelling dom
key, and finally concluded it was
d-o-n-k-y. And the sedate Jane Austen,
the popularity of whose books has so
wonderfully revived within the last