The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-28
HAD A BEAD ON GERONIMO.
A Piainsman's Two Meetings with the
Apache Chief.

Apache Chief.
A sane man and a Christian was
pointing out the objects of interest to
hiswife at the Omaha exposition. Sud
denly the smile on his face seemed to
change to a diabolical grin: his blu
eyes flashed fire, and he was almost
overcome with a desire to shed the
blood of a fellow creature. This homi-
cidal desire was not the result of tenn
porary alteration. but Of undying ha-
tired. born i'm moments of peril and des-
pair. to last as long as life itself. The
grim. wrinkled visage of Geronimo. ex-
chief of renegade Apaches. was the
cause which rough the sudden change
In the plainsman.
THAT ugly face was visible across the
sights Of my rifle barrel a good many
times one night said the white man.
and then turning TO the Indian, he add
ed: You and 1 came pretty near dying
I'm the same place and at the same time,
although you didn't know IT,"
The remark was translated. Geroni-
mo merely shrugged his shoulders and
grunted as II to indicate that IL did not
signify. To stand face To face with a
man who has had a mortgage ON ones
scalp is apt to refresh the most recreant
memory. During the summer of 1878
Lester L.. Moffett. now a Montana
stockman, was running a ~freighting
outfit from Albuquerque to a construc-
llOn camp AT WHIT was lutn lnt Gnu tl
the grading on the Atlantic a Pacific
railroad. The camp was about $50 miles
from Albuquerque n something nk
20 miles from Fort Wrangle, the nearest
military station. The rails had not been
laid and the freighting business fur
nished employment for a number OF
men and teams. Passengers We're some
times carried as well as freight, for
most Of the people hen travelling on
that part OF the frontier preferred to
have company. m OF the depre-
dations of a band of renegade Apaches
reached Albuquerque from time to time
and such complaints were made almost
every day at Fort Wingate. At this
period IL was a tame frontier that did
not have It's periodical Indian scare, and
the freighters belonged to that class OF
westernCrs who never borrow trouble.
The day before the four eight-hoTse
teams were to start from Albuquerque
a young man, accompanied by a girl
about Is years Of age. applied for pas
sage to the railroad camp. ON the
whole, his story was not 80 convincing
as II should nave been. and his equest
would have been refused peremptorily
had IL not been for the girl. To his
earnest pleading she added beseeching
looks. After the danger of being kill
ed by the Indians had been put before
them in b~lood-curdling narratives. they
still adhered to their desire TO go. and
so they were told they were welcome to
passage II they thought they could
stand the h%ardships of a %freighter's
life.
Danger in the abstract was prefera-
bic TO a precarious existence In Albu-
querque. and they were told to out
their belongings into one OF the covered
wagons. Many of the ~wiseacres. who
always gather about the camp fire of an
outfit the night before its start. said IL
was a sin that a woman and a young
and pretty one at that. should be led
into such a death trap: but the young
couple disregarded all these dismal
crokers. They were happy as larks.
and the girl was the life Of the outfit
as they watched the town slowly fade
from view. Before night every one was
calling her Nellie"
Forty miles from Albuquerque the
first night camp was made. The young
couple sat aroun the camp fire listen
ing to the stories. but with a tact which
did the narrators credit all tales Of m
dams and tarantulas were avoided. The
night wrangler who watched the horses
slept at his post just as II there were
no rumors OF Indians on the warpath,
n at breakfast denied ne had closed
his eyes. All the day the prairie dogs
barked merrily. the sun shone hercely
and all nature seemed to be at peace.
I JuFA az ~ Edh Nar 6OlAh 'o"h NA'
caravan came in sight OF a green val
ley. Cottonwood trees could actually
be seen. and as they got nearer the
bunch grass lost it's yellow hue and
merged into a green sward. Down the
valley two miles was a cluster OF cab
ms belonging to a rancher Engages in
the business OF raising horses. A little
way from the corral a bunch OF gentle
ponies lifted their heads in wonder as
the strangers came in sight. Near A
spring OF mountain water tho freighters
made their amp. and supper was
scarcely over when Nellie's songs at
tracted the owner OF the ranch 20 the
spot Yarns were swapped and after
the young couple had zone TO bed the
India scare was discussed.
II was growing late when n OF
them. about to replenish the fire. no.
ticed a red glare against the sky. He
dropped the wood and threw two buck
cts OF water on the flames. All tbs
sanguine assurances of safety disap-
peared before the unrnistakable sign OF
danger. Tales OF cruelty that had seem
ed romances a moment before were ae-
cepted as gospel facts nov. a messen-
ger was sent To tell the night herder e
get the horses as far away from tbs
camp as possible. lest by their whinny-