The Arizona sentinel., 1904-05-25


 | to human fends. This crime was
 not only left unpunished, but
 when Crooks Indians were in
 camp near Wilcox they were
 visited by two of McComas' sons,
 who found a buck wearing their
 fathers watch. They appealed
 to Crook for it. The Indian de-
 manded $50 for the watch and Crook said it must be paid. The fate of the McComas child was never definitely known, though
 reward of $l, GOO was offered 1 for it. One of the captive Mexi
 can women said that so far as
 she could learn the child was
 killed by being thrown into a canyon and left to die. The In
 dians were moving during a cold, drizzly rain. The child was in front of an Indian on horseback. When passing along the edge of
 a deep precipice the suffering boy persisted in crying. This so an
 gered the brute before whom he
 was riding that he picked the
 boy up and threw him into the
 canyon below. Later, when
 Geronimo again escaped to Mex
 leo, and Crook endeavored to
 coax him into submission, they
 met in Skeleton Canyon, and
 after palavering for number of
 days Geronimo agreed to sur
 render, but instead of doing so
 he skipped Tn the night. This
 broke Crooks heart. He said to the writer at Camp Bowie, when referring to the escaped Indians,
 "They can't be brought in in twenty years" He asked to be relieved; the citizens said amen, and Miles came and took his place. Such, in brief, is Crooks wretched campaign in Arizona. Between his first and second campaigns he had fallen under the influence of the Indian Friends Society, and it is proba- ble that Herbert Welch, in Phil adelphia, had more to do with shaping Crook ssecond campaign than the general himself had; but the principal cause of Crooks undoing was the employment of Chiricahua Indians as scouts. He was repeatedly warned against them, still he stubbornly refused to believe in their treachery, even after they had led him into that fatal canyon in the Sierra Madres. Geronimo was a Chiricahua, and his reser- vation. friends absolutely refused to contribute to his undoing.
 When Miles came to Arizona he stopped off at Tucson, and while there said that he would like to consult with a few of the Among those who called on him were the Hon. Sam c. T. Etchells, Ben Parker, the writer and a number of others. The wisdom of send ing home the Chiricahua scouts was urged on him. He needed | the advice and did so. These Indians, some eighty in number, were disarmed at Fort Bowie and | to return to San Carlos. En route they passed through | Camp Grant. Shafter was in command at that post, and act ing under telegraphic instruc- tions he had them searched and 5000 rounds of government am munition were found on them. This had been cached in the hills for future use; or for the use of their renegade relatives under Geronimo.
 Let it be understood that the writer is no great admirer of General Miles, but he must say for him that he brought perma- lent peace to Arizona and made Indian raids thing of the for ever past. Crook stated to the writer that the Indians had lee way of 700 miles in Mexico. The ask of subduing them was a lerculean affair and could never nave been accomplished but for 5he elimination of the Chirica- luas from the command. Wher- ever a maraudnlg Indian showed