Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-21
lad A BEAD ON GERONIMO
A Plainsman's Two Meetings with the
Famous Apache Chief.
AN INCIDENT OF THE EXPOSITION
Recollections Of an Indian Raid Re.
called by = Meeting which
Aroused Desire for
Apache Blood.


sane man and a Christian was pointing
out the objects Of interest to his wife at
the Omaha exposition. Suddenly the smile
on his face seemed to change to a diabol-
ical grin; his blue eyes flashed fire and he
was almost overcome with a desire to shed
the blood OF q fellow creature. This hom-
icidal desire was not the result of tenn
porary alteration, but OF undying hatred.
born in moments Of peril and despair. to
last as long as life itself. The GRIM wrin-
kled visage OF Geronimo. ex-chief OF rene
gade Apaches, was the cause which wrought
the sudden change In the plainsman.
That ugly face was visible across the
sights OF my rife barrel good many times
one night" said the white man, and then
turning to the Indian, he added: "You and
I came pretty near dying In the same place
and at the same time, although you didn't
know It."
The remark was translated. Geronimo
merely shrugged his shoulders and grunted
as II to indicate that 1t did not signify. To
stand face to face with man who has had
a mortgage on ones scalp is apt to re-
fresh the most recreant memory. writes a
correspondent of the New York Sun. Dur
ing the summer OF 1873 Lester l.. Moffett,
now q Montana stockman, was runAing a
freighting outfit from Albuquerque to a con-
struction camp at what was then the end
Of the grading on the Atlantic and Pacific
railroad. The camp was about $50 miles
from Albuquerque and something like seven
ty-five miles from Fort Wingate. the near
est military station. The rails had not been
laid and the freighting business furnished
employment for number Of men and teams.
Passengers were sometimes carried as we'll
as freight, for most Of the people then tray
cling on that part OF the frontier preferred
to have company. Rumors Of the depreda-
tions of band Of renegade Apaches reached
Albuquerque from time to time and such
complaints were made almost every day at
Fort Wingate. At this period 1t was tame
frontier that did not have Its periodical In
dian scare and the freighters belonged to
that class Of westerners who never borrow
trouble.
Tenderfoot Couple.
The day before the eight+horse teams were
to start from Albuquerque a young man
accompanied by girl about 16 years Of age
applied for passage to the railroad camp In
those days It was necessary for a stranger to
furnish a plausible autobiography before he
was admitted to the fraternal relations made
necessary by trip across the desert. The
young man explained that he and the girl
had eloped from Ohio and that he had a rel
ative running a graders outfit at the camp
who had promised him employment He
admitted that he had no money to pay for
his passage and the name Of his relative
was not one known to the freighters. On
the whole his story was not so convincing
as 1t should have been, and his request
would have been refused peremptorily had
1t not been for the girl. To his earnest
pleading she added beseeching looks. After
the danger Of being killed by the Indians
had been put before them in bloodcurdling
narratives they still adhered to their desire
to go. and 80 they were told they were well
come to passage II they thought they could
stand the hardships Of ireighter's life.
Danger in the abstract was preferable to
a precarious existence in Albuquerque and
they were told to put their belongings into
one Of the covered wagons. Many Of the
wiseacres who always gather about the
campfire Of an outfit the night before It's
start said 1t was sin that a woman, and
a young and pretty one at that, should be
led into such q deathtrap, but the young
couple disregarded all these dismal croak-
ers. They were happy as larks. and the
girl was the life of the outfit as they watched
the town slowly fade from view
The days were very hot, although the
nights were COOL The frst camp was made
early in the forenoon. The girl did her best
to prove that she was grateful, and the way
she helped the old camp cook improved the
flavor Of the plain but substantial food. In
certain environments 1t does not take peo-
pie long to get acquainted, and by the time
the camp was made for the night every
body was calling the girl "Nellie," her first
name. She enjoyed the novelty Of the thing
and seemed as much at home as though
she were feeding the pigs and chickens on
her fathers farm in the Buckeye state. Fit
ting here and there, she made the kind OF
picture that Is always appreciated by from
tiersmen, and after the first twenty four
hours there was not man in the camp who
had not caught himself marveling that an
ordinary looking chap like her husband could
catch such a prize. One by one the boys,
as they urged their teams along, dreamed
again the familiar old day dream Of the
time when they would go back east for a
wife, and each one decided he would get
one Just like Nellie. Plainsmen are loyal
to the west. They declare that the rest
Of the country is not At to live in, but they
always think Of the east as the place where
the pretty girls come FROM "Going back
east to get married. is as much Of q stock
phrase as "Going west to grow up with
the country" used to be in the east.
First Night Out.
Meanwhile the caravan moved slowly
across the parched plains. and II there were
any thoughts Of hostile Indians they wer,
in connection with dream Of some dare.
devil deed that would make the doer here
In Nellie's eyes, The name itself and hel
blond winsomeness reminded them Of home
Nellie was essentially a cognomen acquired
In the states. They were used to Dolores
and sloe- black eyes, to senoritas who wore
mantillas and smoked cigarettes. Such girli
belonged to the place as much as the prairie
dogs and the coyotes. Spanish girls never
made them think of sweethearts or sister,
ss this youthful bride did. The Yankee girl
they thought had but one fault, and tina
was her husband; still in New Mexico a
this time there was always a chance Of he
becoming a widow, especially II they shoult
happen to meet Geronimo on the trail.
Forty miles from Albuquerque the hrs
night camp was made. The young couple
sat around the campfire listening to th'
| stories, but with a tact which did the mar
| rators credit all tales Of Indians and taran
| tulas were avoided. The night wrangler VIII