The National tribune., 1903-06-25

backlog in luxuriously furnished room,
the news brought from day to day of the
numerous reverses of the English army IN
the Transvaal were matters of great as
tonishment and called forth his or her Sc
we're criticism of English strategy.
How many of these critics have looked
back to the months of June to August
1885, during which period we had III
corner of our vast dominion about 5.Oo0
Regulars in the field undtr Gen. Miles for
the purpose of capturing the willy Apache
Chief, Geronimo, and his band, who had
for many years rendered life and property
insecure in Southern Arizona? With these
troops there was an efficient Signal Corps
manipulating the hcliograph, which in the
thin. pure air of the Arizona highlands
was necessarily of great service. liz addi-
tion to these Regular troops Gen. Miles
had employed goodly number of the best
Apache scouts from San Carlos, While
about 1000 Mexican soldiers, under Gen.
Carlo, were strung along from east to
west, south of the frontier, in order to IN
tercept the warriors of Geronimo, should
they attempt to enter the mountain fast
nesses of the Sierra Madre, where ten:
Crook a few years previously had met
with untold fatigue, difficulties, etc, and
well. let US call it very Indifferent sue
cess"
After Lieut. Gatewood had persuaded
Geronimo. who saw himself surrounded
ON all sides. to surrender, the fighting
force of his band consisted of less than ~
able-bodied men or warriors!
For the better understanding of my read
ers, how it was possible that few bands
of Apaches were able to keep territory
equal in area to one-half of France as the
latter was before the cession of Alsace and
Lorraine, in almost constant fear and
trembling by countless murders, robber-
les and destruction of property for pc
riod exceeding so years, i shall begin this
serial with a description of these Indians
not taken from books, but gwen as re-
suit of my own observations during the
many years | have had more or less IN
innate" relations with them. suffering per-
sonally from their depredations in various
ways.
THE APACHE INDIAN IN WAR AND PEACE.
Mr. Bancroft, in his work treating of
''The Wild Indian Tribes of America" in
cludes the Navajoes, Comanches and al
most all the other tribes that have been
conquered and more or less civilized dur
ing the last 40 years in Arizona, Texas
and New Mexico, in the nation OF the
.Apaches. l would therefore remark be-
forehand, that my sketches refer only to
the tribe of the real Apaches, in whose
immediate surroundings l lived almost
continuously from 1866 to 1888.
This tribe consists Of several sub-tribes,
called respectively Chiricahaus, CoyOteros,
Mescaleros. Tentos and Molaves. lnsig-
nificant differences in dialect excepted, all
these subdivisions speak nearly the same
language and have ceased years ago to
<l,tn of Ey-nn
when they roamed at large and committed
their sanguinary depredatiOns, they would
elect from their midst for war chief
a man who was known to the tribe Tor his
bravery and sagacity to lead them for the
time being, him they would implicitly obey
while he was in power. but as soon as he
was outdone in warlike actions by an
other, he would have to cede his author
ity to fhe more worthy rival.
1t is thus seen that the political con-
dition of the Apache tribes was entirely
of a democratic nature, condition OF
things which undoubtedly impeded fire.
Quently possible peace negotiations on ac-
count of the frequent changes in leader
ship and incident dissensiOns in the tribes.
Wien, however, a chieftain exc .lled in
warlike qualifications and led his warriors
again and again in their bloody work OF
murder and robbery with successful re-
suits he would remain for years the ack-
tribe. This was the case with Cocheese.
who remained undisturbed in dictatorship of
the Chiricahua tribe, the widest and most
bloodthirsty of them all. from 1856 until
1874. in which latter year al the con-
quered Indians of Southern Arizona were
gathered upon the Indian reservation of
San Carlos, the tribe of Cocheese alone
excepted.
During the negotiations which had this
result, his crafty diplomacy came into play
for he knew how to concoct and advance
so many plausible reasons to demonstrate
why his tribe should have reservation
apart and why this reservation should be
situated in or near the rocky Businesses of
the Chiricahua range of mountains, and
made so many promises of future good be,
havior, that he was accorded the privilege
he sought.
= These mountains are of such a nature as
to afford almost everywhere a natural and
in some places impregnable fortifcation
in such places Cocheese would establish
MS rancherias Temporary camps or dwell
ing places where the SquawS, children and
old men find safe retreat when he de
sired to rest a while from his nomadic life
and depredatory excursions. From these
mountain Businesses he undertook his in
Vulnerable death-dealng and punderine
expeditions till death overcame him, il
1878. His son Natchez, and later on Ge
ronmo and other chiefs, followed in tho
dead mans footsteps and led the tribe
with equal daring in all atrocious dcviltries
until. in 1888. the Government lost its i'll
applied patience and forbearance and sent
Gen. Crook TO either subjusate or annihi
late the Chiricahua tribe.
In view of the fact that the Mexican
States of chihuahua and Sonora, which ad
join the territory of the United States OF
its southern frontier. had suffered at leas
equally as much from the frequent deprc
dations of these Indians 4 treaty was en-
tered into between the two Republics
granting each the right to cross the boun
dairy line with armed forces in pursuit OF
hostile Indians. BY virtue of this treaty
Gen. Crook crossed the Mexican frontier
with his troops, and penetrated under fear
flu! hardships and difficulties into the very
heart of the Sierra Madre range in til,
Mexican State of Sonora. where he cam,
up with the Indians, took some prisoner
told men called 'hust lges"(, and receive,
from the chiefs their solemn promise tina
they would surrender themselves within
given time at the reservation of Sal
Carlos. After a considerable lapse o
overtime they did so. marking. however
their route hither with numerous blood,
deeds and acts of robbery.
But let us return TO the time when tn
Vanz.l