The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-04-03
DICK HUYL
The Story of an Apache
Boy.
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The writer owes to Dick Huyl a debt
not exactly of gratitude, as the story
will demonstrate. which she, by writ
ing his biography, seeks to discharge,
Dick Huyl's history will never be writ
ten by me nor by any one else who
knew him to adorn a Sunday school H.
brary. He was not that kind of boy
Dick was an Apache Indian, with all
the characteristics of total depravity
that the word Apache conveys or sug
costs, We We're children together,
Dick and |. We lived. fought and play
ed together for two years In the same
army post On one memorable occa-
sion Dick. instigated by the devll-for
| firmly believe in the devll, If only for
Apaches dropped down the neck of
my froCk coat Il live toad. Ii was the
cause of my first tit of Mysteries, and
determined If | ever grew old enough
would tell the whole world how bad
young Apache could be
In 1872. II remember rightly, Gen
cral Crook had succeeded, after years
of bloody war and the loss Of hundreds
OF good men, in subdulng most of the
bands composing the Apache nation Of
New Mexico and Arizona. They had
dwelt in the strongholds of mountain
and desert, from which they frequent
~ emerged 10 rob and murder all min
crs or emigrants that they could am.
bush, leaving nothing for the human
mind To conceive of In the way of cru
city whenever white man fell into
their power.
AT the reservation, although they
were well fed and quite decently treat
ed, it WIS necessary to watch them
constantly, and large bodies Of troops
We're detailed for that purpose Never
theless, scarcely week passed but
small squad Of Apaches, usually led
by some attractive squaw, would slip
quietly past the guards and escape
through the darkness Into their beloved
cactus plains aud mountain barrens
Roll call nearly every morning devel
oped these absentees. and next day
would come news OF murder, raplne
and horrors generally. A favorite
Apache mode of disposing of the I'M
suspecting freighter, miner or emil
grant whose camp they had succeeded
In ralduS WIS to tie the victim by the
four limbs TO stakes and then to build
a fire on that portion OF his body desIg
mated IN the old fashioned almanaes
as Virgo"
There seemed to he something par.
ticularly fascinating 10 the Apache
temperament In this form Of torture.
Death being long In coming. It gave
the squaWs and proposes plenty Of
chance TO invent small t0Fmrnts on
the side, as IL were The women and
children emigrants- Hut enough. Suf
flee II TO say that the absolute hatred
entertained by these Indians for the
whites was fully rcclprocated. especial.
ly by the soldiers II was no cnsy
matter 10 track and successfully fol
low the ruUawnys through the cactus
aud mesquite thickets, over the barren
deserts and dcsolatc mountains that
make up the topography Of Arizona.
But In that parchcd country water Is
water holes. between which days of
travel often intervene, but which are
equally well known to soldiers aud to
Indians.
So when the morning report showed
TO General Crook that so many war.
rlors. squaws and proposes were
missing the grim old warrior would
make no sign of pursuit, but on the
night following or perhaps the next
one a squadron OF mounted men would
file silently out OF the reservation bear.
ing orders TO move rs rapidly MS pos
sible To the water hole Of Palo Pinto
or TO Agna Grandc spring or TO some
other place where the presence of the
precious fluid favored camping place
for the rencgades. The troops were
always positively instructed to bring
back no prisoners, all matters OF de-
tail being left to the officers In com
mand. one June morning there were
reported missing 3 Indians and II
squaws and papooSes, Including WGh-
memo, than whom more depravcd and
cruel Indian never existed, even IN All.
IONA.
Two nights afterwnrd SOUND OF the
Twenty third infantry, Crooks own
regiment, under Lieutenant IIuyl,
splendid young fellow. who has since
left the service, was sent ont on
scout with the usual orders No trace
Of the renegades was found but
burned ranch and stage station ana n
cremated cowboy gave sufficient evi-
dence Of Indians at large The next
night, or rather just at dawn after
long and fatlguIng march, the scouts
reached natural rock basin at the
foot Of one Of the steepest and most
inaccessible knobs to be found In des-
olaic Arizona This basin had often
collected n supply Of acrld water,
which, however, was drinkable enough
IN that country. A thin yapor Of smoke
from II nearly spent fire convinced the
troopers that their nights march had
not been in vain. and on creeping up
as close US possible tire hostilrs were
outlined AGAINST the rocks fast nslccp
The ittie SQUADRON silently deployed
and \