El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-04
THANKSGIVING WITH APACHES,


District Attorney Thomas E. Flanni
gan said last night that every Thanks
giving day reminded him of one he
spent on a cattle range in the White
mountain Indian reservation about
twenty years ago. AS matter of fact
the range was not officially on the res
ervation, for it had no right to be there
but the cowboys were camped there
and most of the cattle were there.
Several Apaches living in that part
of the reservation visited the camp
daily. partly out of curiosity and partly
to steal. One of the mhad been watched
by the cowboys for a long time. One
uay he came into camp with gee
string and a criminal purpose to in
crease his wardrobe. for Thanksgiving
day even in that wild region brings
with it more or less of a chill. He
loafed about the camp until late in the
afternoon as as he was leaving
swiped a shirt which a cowboy had
washed and hung on a bush to dry.
The thief caught in the act. was
captured, tied to q tree and told that
he was to be shot. Four men were sta
toned in front of him with Winches-
tiers pointed at his breast. He was then
blindfolded. Another cowboy stood
by with a cup of cold water. During
all the preparation for the execution
the Apache otered no manifestation OF
fear. At a word the rifles We're dis
charged into the air and at the same
instant the man with the cup of water
dashed it against the Indians breast
The victim shrieked once and col
lapsed. When he was united he sank
down and the scared cowboys believed
that he was dead. He was finally re-
stored and was allowed to keep the
shirt. All this had happened in the
course of justice. so that no bad con-
sequence was feared beside. the In
dams had been fully placated. He said
he was so glad to wake up and find
that he had not been shot that he loved
his white neighbors more than ever.
The next day, though the cowboys
played a joke on an Indian without
prOvocation. The victim was an old
man who had visited camp every day
for week. He was as methodical as
clOck-work in his movements Every
day at a certain hour he was seen at
long distance riding down the valley
toward the camp. Arriving near the
camp and dismounting he always tied
his cayuSe to the same scrub oak tree.
Then he sat down on a certain boulder
and resting his elbows on his knees.
contemplated the cowboys hour after
hour. He was never seen to wink o.
move MS eyes. in the course OF all his
visits he had never uttered word in
reply to the raillery of the cowboys.
At certain hour he always rose from
his seat, united his cayuse and rode
away.
One day = cowboys decided to vary
the form OF reception. They bull =
great fire. early in the morning. rolled
the boulder into it and piled on wood
until afternoon. A man on watch at
length reported the approach of their
visitor mile away. The boulder was
pushed out of the fire and rolled back
into its original resting place.
The Indian arrived ten minutes later
tied his pony to the scrub oak and sat
down on the boulder. but not for long.
Like Fritz Emmett's cuckoo, he flew
so high he almost touched the sky"
He came down bowling and running.
The ice of Apache stoiciSm had not
only been broken through. but had
been wholly melted The next instant
he was on his cayuse flying up the val
ley. still yelling. The COW camp was
moved off the reservation the next
day.-PhoeniX Republican.