The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-08

Despite the press despatch from Vinita,
Indian Territory, announcing that the
Apache chief, Geronimo. has gone insane
through long confinement, there is a grow
ing suspicion that the old warriors insan-
ity is no more serious than can be pro-
duced any day by bad whisky. 1t is only
by the use OF some such fiery stuff that
any Indian can be rendered crazy. The
stolid mind of the Siwash is not suscepi-
BILE to mental Affections. Insane Indians
are decidedly scarce. They were never
discovered in droves save by Senator Pet
tigrew, who had a plan for establishing
lunatic asylum in his own State for the
noble red men who had wrought themselves
into melancholia by thinking of their
wrongs.
According to the vinita despatch Geron-
inc, after suffering from fourteen years
captivity. had broken down in mind His
lofty intellect was crushed by the iron heel
of the oppressive white man, who doomed
him to horrors worse than ever Siberia
produced.
Before a tender-hearted public allows IT
self to be wrought up by a mental picture
Of this long and painful confinement, and
begins to berate the Government, ii might
be well TO say that Geronimo is a prisoner
only in name. He and his band of Apaches
at Fort Sill are vastly freer than thous-
ands OF American citizens who would not
know that they were in confinement I'M
less told of the fact. He has an area of
country several miles in size TO roam over
the Fort Sill reservation, with the ad-
ditional tract donated by the Kiowas and
Comanches. comprising some $4,000 acres
Nominally, the Indians are supposed to
remain within these bounds.
Actually. they have been allowed the Ut
most latitude in moving about, their GUS
toGians depending largely upon the ability
of the troops to catch them and bring
them back before they got too far away,
even IL they tried to escape. The Indians
know that the commandant at Fort Sill
has in his safe a complete map OF the tran
they would have to follow in order to fe-
turn to their old hunting grounds, and that
the talking wire" or telegraph Families
all over that country. Moreover, under the
care Of Capt. Hugh Scott, of the Seventh
Cavalry. they have learned to till the
ground. to raise vegetables and fruit, TO
make hay, TO care for cattle and hogs, and,
what is quite as important, to estimate the
values of these and sell them to the white
people for hard dollars.
Most of the band are more contented and
happy today under this regimen than they
ever we're in their free but profitless life
among the mountains. Geronimo was per-
haps little too old to take kindly TO the
art OF agriculture, but even he soon dis
covered that he got along better by ae-
cepting what came and putting as cheer
full face on it as possible.
Captain Scott found him at the outset
very vainglorious and self-infiated. The
captain did not make the mistake of humil-
iating him needlessly and thereby stirring
the sympathy of the other Indians. but
set him down squarely where he belonged
He was not chief, as so many persons
supposed. but merely a willy specimen OF
the medicine man with enough of the gift
of leadership to put him well in advance
of the band whenever any real deviltry was
afoot For his inordinate vanity. the white
people who visited him after his capture
are chiefly to blame. Silly and sentimental
women brought him flowers and-candy and
other gifts. Equally silly, though perhaps
less sentimental, men acted as il it were
an honor to shake his hand, stained with
the blood of SO many helpless victims.
Captain Scott stopr.d all this, and set
the old ruffian at work. When enough of
his vanity had ooZed out OF him with the
sweat of honest labor. and he did not show
any more Of his ugly spirit, the captain al
lowed him to enlist in company Of Apache
scouts organized at the Tort Geronimo
manifested almost childish delight at being
permitted to put on Uncle Sans uniform;
he also promptly found his level in this
association, for. whereas Indians of much
less note came ere long 20 wear chevrons
on their sleeves for clever or meritoTious
service, the old medicine man had not yet
been able to earn one when the present
writer last saw him.
Vinita, the town from which the despatC
about Geronimo's insanity purports TO
come. is in the northeastern panhandle of
Indian Territory. in the Cherokee Nation.
Fort Sill, where Geronimo and the other
Apaches live. is In the southwestern corner
of Oklahoma Territory, in the country of
the Kiowas and Comanches. The distance
between the two places is about 230 miles
by bee line, and by the nearest railroad
routes probably five or six hundred. There
are dozen places within thirty-five, fifty,
or sixty miles from which the news could
have been sent out. and would have been
under ordinary conditions. The whole story
looks very much like the periodical tales OF
Indian uprisings In various parts of the
West, where news is scarce, or like the an
nual version OF the story OF the Indian
baseball player who is taking his last sea-
son at the bat before going back to his Ter
. L.