The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-20
HAD A BEAD ON GERONIMO.
4 PLAINSMAN,s TWo MEETINGS WITH
THE APACHE CHIEF.
One was Mt the Omaha Exposition Recently
Tho Other Was Many Years Before.
During nm Indian Rnld-A Moment and
1. sI.l.a rrI.nl a.nu.ah Al.o nn.Ir.. i. I'm. |

wv NV 49, NA'As
During nm indian Raid-A Moment and
n sight That Aroused the Desire to XIII.
BILLINGS. Mon, Nov. ia sane man and
n Christian was pointing out the objects OF in
forest to his wife at the Omaha Exposition.
Suddenly the smile ON his face seemed to
change to n dlabollcal grin his blue Dyes
flashed fire and he was almost Overcome with n
desire to shed the blood Of a fellow creature.
This homlcidal desire was not the result OF
temporary alteration. but Of undyinG hatred.
born in moments OF peril and despair, TO last
ns long as life itself. The grim. wrinkled Wis
age or Geronimo. ex-chief OF renegade
Apaches. was the cause which wrought the
sudden change in the plainsman.
That ugly face was visible across the sights
OF my rifle barrel a good many times ono
night" said the white man. and then turning
to the Indian, he added: You and l 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 mis- shoulders and grunted rs
IL to indicate that II did not signify. To stand
face to face with a man who has had a mort
gage on ones scalp is apt to refresh the most
recreant memory. During the summer of
1873 Lester L. Moffett. now a Montana stock
man. was rui ming n frelghting outfit from Al
buquerque TO a construction camp at what
was then the end OF the. grading on the At
lantic and Pacific Railroad. The camp was
about $50 miles from albuquerque and some
thing like seventy-fve miles from Fort Win
gate, the nearest military station. The rails
had not been laid and the freiEhting business
furnished employment for n number OF men
and teams. Passengers were sometimes car
ried as well as freight, for most of the people
then travelling on that part Of the frontier
preferred to have company. Rumors OF the
Jon.,latfNra ~ "a lanJ If rapannHa Anophno
reached Albuquerque from time to time and
such complaints were made almost every day
at Fort Wingate. At this period 1t was a tame
frontier that did not have its periodical Indian
scare, and the freighters belonged to that class
Of Westerners who never borrow trouble.
The day before the four eight-horse teams
were to start from Albuquerque a young maj
accompanied by a girl about 10 years OF age
applied for passage TO the railroad camp. In
those days 1t was necessary for n stranger to
furnish a plausible autobiography before he
was admitted to the f~raternal relations made
necessary by a trip across the desert. The
young man explained that he and the girl had
eloped from Ohio and that he had q relative
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 80 convincing as it should have been, and
| his request would have been refused peremp-
torily had it not been for the girl. To his
earnest pleading she added beseechinG looks.
After the danger OF being killed by the In
dams had been put before them in blood
curdling narratives they still adhered to their
desire to 20. and so they were told they were
welcome to passage il they thought they could
stand the hardships of a freighter's life.
DaDppr in the abstract was prp fern HE RI
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
sin that a woman. and q young ana pretty one
at that. should be led into such a deathtrap.
dismal c~roakers. They were happy as larks.
and the girl was the life of the outfit Is they
watched the town SLOWLY fade from view,
The days We're very hot. although the nights
The forenoon. The ri RI" did IsS BEST best to oa PROVE We
the old camp cook improved the flavor OF the
plain but substantial food. In certain envi-
acquainted. and by the time the camp was
made for the night everybody was calling the
girl Nellie her first name; She enjoyed he
homo, as though she were feeding the pigs
and chickens on her fathers farm in the Buck
the kind of picture that is always appreciated
by trontierslnen and after the. first twenty -four
had no: caught himself maryelling that au or:
dinary-looking chap like her husband could
tSeg" urged ssed their r' teams sal along ny DIR re s a Dag sea in
they would, go back East for a wife, and each
one decided he would get one lust like Nellie.
Plainsmen are loyal 70 the West. They de-
clare that the rest of the. country is, not ct TO
live in, but they always think Of the East as the
place where the pretty girls, come from. Go
ing back East to get married is as much Of =
/ the country" used to be in the EnSt.
Meanwhile the caravan moved SLOWLY acr:ss
th9ue ?Srs6 oi ho elflsf i,n 9fa II tb eser Ser we're r. c any
n~ection with a dream of some daredevil deed
that would would make the doer Z hero IN Nellie's
someness reminded them OF home. Nellie
vas essennttially a cogn9men acquired in the
black eyes, to. sehoritas who wore mantillas
and smoked cigarettes. such girls belonged
the coyotes. Spanish girls never made them
think OF sweethearTs or sisters, as, this youth
full bride did. The Yankee girl. they thought.
still in New Mexico at this time there was al
ways n chance OF her becoming a widow. espe-
cially II they should happen to meet Geron-
Forty miles from Albuquerque the first night
around the campnre listening TO the stories,
but. with q tact which did the narrators credit
all tales OF Indians and tarantulas were avoid
cd. The night wrangler who watched tho
horses slept AT his post lust as II there were
10 rpmors Of Indian; on the warpath, and a.
- q hHt ~ 'N. u cN iitH NNC'. ~
the day the prairie dogs barked merrily. the
sun shone Gercely and all nature seemed to be
at peace. just As the sun was going down the
caravan came in sight of a green valley. Cot
tonwood trees could actually be seen. and MS
they. got nearer the bunch grass lost its vel
low hue, and merged into II green sward.
Down the valley MOI miles was II cluster of
cabins belonging to a rancher engaged liz the
business OF raising horses: A little way from
the corral n bunch OF gentle ponies lifted their
heads in wonder as the strangers came in
sight, Near a spring OF mountain water the
tleighters made their camp, and supper WIS
the owner Of the ranch to the spot. Yarns
were snapped and alter the young couple hau
gone To bed the Indian scare was discussed.
Pronounced as the belief Of n ~fatalist Is the
singular Inability to recognize the presence OF
lauGer that has f.lled SO many Western graves.
The bronzed. plainsmen sitting around the fire
putting at. their pines were prone. TO doubt
Many of them privately thought that the al
legged distance around the earth was somewhat
exaggerated, and AS for the report that Ger
onimo's band was on the warpati It was one
they had heard SO many times that II had
grown Inonotonous, The s%tockman went
back TO his cabins. where a plumber OF men.
supposed 10 be about ten, and q wife and two
babies were waiting for his return.
IL $50 l-I I.-A "a. .A .-t