Arizona republican., 1899-06-04
INDIANS CAPTURE A SAFE.
Disgust of Scime Apaches With $7.J00
 in Their Possession.

Disgust of Some Apaches With $7,000
 in Their Possession.
 "The Apache Indians had hard nut
 to crack when they got hold of our
 paymaster's safe," said the ex-ser-
 geant of cavalry who was asked about
 his experiences in Arizona. "On this particular trip I was detailed with six
 men to escort him. He and his clerk rode in an ambulance drawn by mules, and of course the escort were mount ed. We were in camp one night be- tween two forts when we were jumped
 by at least 100 Indians. They killed two men before we got out, and of course the ambulance was left in their hands.
 The paymaster's safe contained about S7O0O in greenbacks. It weighed something like 400 pounds and worked with combination. None of the redskins had ever examined one at close quarters before, but they all knew what it was hauled about from post to post for, and of course they were anxious to get hold of the money. They first pounded off the knob with stones, thinking the door could then be pried open. It was failure, of course. and then they tried their tomahawks on the chilled steel, hoping to cut a hole in it. They had seen iron softened by fire, and the third move was to give that safe a three hours roasting. Luckily fer Uncle Sam it was fre-proCf. They threw big rocks upon it while it w3s still hot and it was dented here and there, but they were as far from the money as ever. After working away for a night and a day the safe was dragged up the side of a mountain and tumbled over 9 precipice 200 feet high. They expected to see it burst open, but the only damage done was to break one of the wheels eff. It was left lying where it fell for three or four days and the gang then returned and carried it to the river and let 1t soak fer a whole week. It was thought that this would soften it up, and great was their chagrin when baffied again Then they tried gun powder; but knowing nothing Of blasting they brought about an explosion which burned half a dozen warriors and left the safe as good as ever.
 '@The Indians were fooling with that strong box for a month or more They roasted it again and they gave it an- ether fall, and no burglars ever " WCIheU HdIuSI lO get at IH0f IDuS green. They failed to get at the :n- side however, and in disgust they tumbled it into a deep ravine and left it. It was fourteen months later that peace came and we accidentally got l track of the safe, An ambulance and a guard were sent for it and we found it lying in the bed of creek with q great pile of driftWCOd piled around it. | It was a lonesome looking old safe, 1 as you may suppose, and nobody had | the slightest hope that the money had | a-caped fire and water. When we got | it to the fCrt and blew eff the door we | found the S7,000 as snug as you please. 1 Some of the bills were a little tender | from the heat and some had. grown l mOldy from the water, but Uncle Sam redeemed every dollar and the pay ! master was made happy again. When the Apaches heard of our getting tpe | money enc of them, who had worked hardest on the safe, growled at me:
 White man some fool Indian more fool. and iron box great big lamn fOolt' New York Sun