San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-07-15
THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1897.
CIVILIzING APACHES.
Difficult Undertaking Of Govern
ment Agents
Splendid Results of Determined Eff
forts to Make the Indians Self
Supporting and Law
Abiding.


taken place on the Mescalero Apache
Indian reservation in southern New
Mexico within two years, during which
period V. Z. Stottler, first lieutenant
Tenth infantry, United States army, has
served as acting agent. The Indians
number nearly 500, one-ffth being chill
dren of school age. Nurtured in ig-
norance and superstition and reared in
filth and laziness, these Indians have for
40 years stubbornly refused to respond
to the governments efforts to civilize
them, For generation they have re-
ceiyed rations' of beef, coffee, -four,
sugar, clothing, farm implements, etc.
Good schools were established for them
and dwellings built at government ex-
pense, still they stuck to their rawhide
tepees and persistently refused to
school their children or to adopt civilian
dress, adhering to their breechclouts
and blankets and long hair. With the
millions expended annually in Indian
education, next to nothing was being
accomplished. There were about 500
acres of irrigable and good land on the
reservation, but the Indians were too
lazy to plant crops that would have
furnished them with the food necessary
for their support. 1t was much more
pleasant to draw rations from an in
dulgent and paternal government, and
reserve their energy for war dances and !
brawls. There were 25 strong, broad |
shouldered bucks, educated at the ex-
pense of the government, running
around the reservation in paint and |
blanket. They were too lazy for manual
labor. Several educated squav were
married and living in filthy tepees,
while girls were usually taken out of !
school at ten and twelve years of age |
and sold for ponies into a bondage |
worse than death.
Lieut.. Stottler's predecessor had or
dered the bucks to cut their hair, and
revolution resulted. They refused
pointblank, and that settled it. SLOT |
tiers first move was to increase the ra-
tons of the police. he then informed
them that they must all put on uniforms
under pain of duress. They reluctantly
obeyed. Then he ordered them to cut
their hair. This caused a storm, and
the matter was allowed to rest for a
time. His next command was to aban-
don the tepees and move into the dwell
ings. All children over five years old
were ordered to attend school. This
was too much, and, by the advice of
some of the whites, petition was for
warded to Washington asking for Stot-
tiers relief.as agent. No attention was
paid to the request, and the ringleaders
were spotted and severely punished. |
The chief of police, an Indian, had been |
one of the instigators in this move, and |
he was discharged as such and put on |
reduced rations.
Several of the head men of the tribe |
were ordered to work and deprived of |
the Office of spokesman, under which |
system the other members made their |
wants known through the agent. In
this capacity the head men had been al |
lowed extra rations and small salary, |
and their reduction to the ranks made |
it possible for any member of the tribe |
to apply personally for what he needed |
In the way of land, implements, etc.
This was an important point-to
break the power of the chiefs and de- |
stroy tribal relations. 1t was constant |
ly impressed upon the Indians that in
few years rations would be cut off en-
tirely, and those who had not taken
land for cultivation would go hungry.
At first they laughed at this, but the
officer, by way of example, cut off the
food occasionally, and they at last came
to realize that it would be a very easy
matter to stop all rations. This had a
salutary effect, and induced many OF
them to go to work. Every man and
woman caught manufacturing "tiswin"
was made to understand that it means
q lonG season in the guardhouse on