The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-27

Chief Geronimo, the famous Apache
Tighter, who is now at the Worlds Fair
will soon receive call from one of his
old antagonists, retired soldier, who
fought the renowned Indian warrior in
Arizona and New Mexico So years ago.
This soldier is Henry George Nabers,
OF No 1918 North Fifteenth street, who
was a sergeant in Troop C, Eighth
United States Cavalry, about 1870. Mr..
Nabers was not known in army circles
! by his real names, however, for he ran
away from home when he was Is years
where he was he enlisted under the
name of John Tracy.
This was in 1868, and soon after join
| ing the army his regiment was ordered
| to the Southwest, where a constant
warfare was being waged between the
Apaches under Geronimo and the
United States soldiers.
Many were the thrilling experiences
which Sergeant Tracy had in the
mountains of Arizona and New Mexico
from 1868 until April. 1873, when he was
honorably discharged.
The hardest battle in which he took
part was that which was fought on the
summit of the mountains on the line
between New Mexico and Arizona in
| the fall of 1871.
Troops G, 1, K and L, of the Eighth
United States Cavalry, had been en-
gagged with about 1000 Apaches,' said
the retired veteran to a reporter for
the Republic, land after a hard days
g
| the field. The mountain ridge then
| interposed between US and the Indians,
and the officers decided to take the In
dians by surprise in the night and COM
| pletely rout them.
Captain E. j. Fishit. who was in
command of Troop G., was instructed
to select sergeant, who in turn was to
select ten trustworthy men to accom-
pany Manwella, a half-breed scout, on
the reconnoiter. The Captain selected
me, and with ten soldiers whom knew
would not run, I went with Manwella
On the scouting expedition.
I'VE were instructed slowly to climb
the mountain, and when we found the
Indians, to signal to the rest of the
army at the foot of the hills which
| would then follow us and give battle to
the Apaches.
Cutting branches and sagebrush,
each man slowly advanced up the hill,
waving the branches in front of his
face, thus making the Indians think
that what they saw was nothing but
grass.
LAS We neared the top of the hill a
company tailor who had joined the re-
connoitering party foolishly raised his
head and received a bullet in the fore
head. The report of the gun was mis-
taken by the soldiers at the base of the
mountains as the signal to advance.
They swept up the hill, drove the In
dams from camp, and followed them
for So hours.
I'm this battle a lieutenant was shot
through both jaws. We placed him in
an improvised stretcher, which was
swung between two horses, and car
ried him for 90 miles to Apache Pass.
For my conduct in this battle I re-
ceived medal from the government,
but that medal has since been lost.
! Though Sergeant Tracy, or Henry G.
Nabers, was not with the party that
captured Geronimo, yet for awhile, he
says, he was in command of the guard
that had charge of Geronimo at Camp
Bowie, Ariz. He is confident that Gero-
nimo will remember him.
| The most thrilling experience of Ser
geant Tracy's life took place about 1873,
after he left the army and when he was
selling cattle to the government With
a party of nine men he had gone to FIT
| Cummins. Ariz., to get so cattle, which
| he intended to drive to the camp at
| Bowie. After rounding up the cattle,
Nabers and his nine assistants started
| on the fffty-mile journey. After riding
about ten miles the little band of ten
men was attacked by a band of so In
dams, who desired to drive off the cat
| tie.
"A battle resulted said Mr. Nabers
| in telling of the incident. and for three
| hours, using our horses as breastworks,
we fought Seven of my men fell. I
was shot in the arm with a bullet. and
| just as I was getting in my saddle I
felt a singing sensation in my foot
Looking down l saw that my foot
| had been pierced by an arrow. I pulled
/ the arrow out and then began the long
| ride to Camp Bowie. AS I rode the
blood oozed from my boots. 1 was in
the hospital for long time as result
| of the wounds received in this battle.
| but I was the only one of the three
| survivors who did not lose an arm or a
| leg"
| Another experience of which the old
Indian fighter tells is one of riding with
| the army for SO hours without water.
| After We had been without water for
| SO hours he said, "a soldier told me
that two miles hack E1a had caa,, 1rbo+