Graham guardian., 1897-06-04
WITH RAIDING APAcAEs.
An Irish Lnds captivity with Geronlno,s
Band.

W. = ''N oViiNHuSTEu 10 L
United States troops in the Sierra
Madrc. The Indians, disarmed, |
were held under guard, and the
acting adjntant, note book in hand
stood making list Of the prison.
ers. One by one each Indian bisl
or her name and description hay.
ing been duly noted, stepped to
the other side ola rope stretched
between two stakes, until the en-
tire band had been enumerated.
"Twenty-nine bucks, forty-six
squaws and childaen, two half
grown boys" the officer said after
casting up bis figures. "These arc
all the Indians we have to account
for, are they not sergeant?'
"Beg pardon, sir" said the SER
geant. "But | believe one of the
two boys isn't an Indian"
"Isn't an Indianl What is he
then?"
"He's an Indian in his dress fast
enough, but he's on freshman by
his mug and complexion. He
doesn't sabe Americana bit, but
talks a promiscuous lingo that |
can't make out.
"Bring him to me and call the
interpreter" commanded the ad-
jutant.
The boy, a brighteyed little fell
low with fair skin deeply tanned
by sun and wind, was brought be-
fore the officer, and the Interpreter
found no difficulty in talking with
him. He reported that the Young
ster, who spoke both Spanish and
the Chiricahua tongue, had stated
that he was Santiago McKin, Ii
years OF age, of San Lorenzo, and
that he had been held captive for
the past seven months by Geroni,
mos Apaches. The boy was al
once separated from the Indians
and well cared for. Later the full
story Of his captivity was obtain.
cd from him.
| His father, an Irishman, married
to Mexican woman, lived on his
ranch on the Mimbres river in
southern New Mexico three miles
from San Lorenzo. On the morn
ing of September II of the preyi
Gus year Santiago with his elder
brother left the mouse and went up
1 the valley in search of q bnrro that
had strayed. Although it wa,
known that Geronimo with hi,
band was on the war path at thu
! time, and that massacres had re
Gently occurred in various parts o
| New Mexico, j! was believed By
the settlers along the Numbers tina
| no Indians We're in their nelghbor
!, hood. Their quest took the two
boys considerable distance from
home and away FROM the vicinity
of any white settlement. They
had stopped at last and were dis
cussing the question of returning
| without further search for the bur
| 70 when the sound of a rifle shot
came to their ears and bullet
Iwhistled near them. Turning quick
/ y in the direction of the sound
they saw six Apaches running to
ward them, close at hand. AS the
boys turned to run the Indians
| fred on them. Saniiago's brother
tell dead, but Santiago himself was
unhurt. He stopped and the In
dians came up. They turned the
brothers dead body over, searched
| the clothes, then kicked it aud
slashed it with knives. One Of the
Indians seized Santiago by the
hair and raised his knife, while
Others gathered around him with
knives in readiness to take part in
the pastime of cutting him to piec.
es. He had given himself up for
lost, when one of the Apaches 10.
terposed for.his life, and, after some
argument, the worriors sheathed
their knives and turned Santiago
over to the charge of the squaws, a
half dozen Of whom had come up
meantime.
Then the whole party started of
to the northward, the squaws with
their prisoners keeping in the rear
of the bucks. They travelled on
foot at a swift half-trot, which San.
tiago, with his short legs, found
very difficult to keep up with, and
be had to run most of the time.
When he Jagged the squaws cuffed
him and threatened him with
knives and clubs, so that before
they came to stopping place he
often was ready to drop in hts
tracks from fear and exhaustion.
Toward the middle of the after
noon as they decended a valley;
along the bottom of which Wound
mountain trail, the bucks ahead
slgnalied for the squaws to stop
where they were, in conccalment.
The worriors throwing themselves
fiat on the ground, and, keeping in
cover Of rocks and bushes, stole
around toward the trail. Skulking
under cover, in the same manner
as the bucks, the squaws, with Gag.
err interest, crept to where they
could get view of the bottom of
the valley. There coming up the
So "a "a, ,,,e of Janrar ,y,s 4,