Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-29
RECORD BAD INDIANS.
The Apaches So Famous in Western
Stories Of Adventure
From scribner's Magazine.

l
Scarcely a tribe OF our American Indians
but what have engraved their record OF
crime and infamy high up on history's wall.
yet above them all is the Apaehes
From 1910 to 1853 New Spain and Mexico
carried on so-called warfare with these
people. The Apaches were vastly outnum-
bered by the Mexican soldiery. but what
tney lacked In numbers was more than
haoe up IN courage and craftiness The
apache ever had thorough contempt for
the Mexican soldier. and In later years
When they were lighting with firearms as
Weii as with arrows. they would not waste
cartridges on the Mexicans. but would kin
them with arrows. spears and stones. saw
ing their cartridges for other and moro
worthy foes.
OF the United States the Apaches were a
serious problem with which we had to con-
tend. Our government vacillated between
a simpering peace policy and the other ex-
trerae-thefr determination.
Their zone OF wandering being intersected
by the international boundary line further
complicated matters: They would raid
down into Mexico and then rush back with
the plumber to cur side of the line, out OF
reach of the pursuing soldiers. Next IL
would be a raid on the Arizona side and a
hight into the wild mountains of Sonora
The Mexican government attempted to as
sist their miserable army by giving scalp
bounty. and for years they paid out their
gold coin for Apache scalps. Scalp hunting
became a recognized industry. The horror
of this was that, to the Mexican official all
scaips looked alike, whether from the head
of a hostile or a friendly Indian. The price
was 500 for a man. $50 for a woman and
So for child 1t is small wonder that
the tribe sank deeper into savagery than
ever when we stop to think that the men
knew there was a price set on-the -scalps
OF their wives and children; and there was
a horde of human fiends. white In color. but
more savage than the savage himself, who
were hunting them as they would a cougar
of the mountains
The Apaches. like many other North
American tribes. sun worshpers. Their
myths tell them that the sun is the all
powerful deity and to it all applications
are addressed. On going into battle. plant
ing corn or on starting on cattle-stealfng
expedition the sun Is asked TO look with
favor. That they believe in future world
is proved by their custom OF killing horses
and burying them. as well as their clothing
ami implements of the chase. for life In the
future world. Not only the medicine men
but the people claim TO hold communion
with the Chindi or spirits of their ances-
tors. They are also great believers In
omens. talismans and amulets, but are very
conservative, and 1t Is with difficulty that
one gets them to discuss things super
natural They will not talk about God
among their own people with familiarity,
and scarcely at all with the white man.
The taking of the scalps has been spoken
of so commonly in the press OF the United
States that 1t has become a general prac-
tice. when speaking of man having lost
his life among the Indians. to say, He
lost his scalp" Novelsts, even OF today.
when locating their stories in Apacheiand.
almost invariably scalp the victims OF
Apache vengeance. As a matter of fact.
one can say that the Apache never took
scalps Men who have lived in the Apache
country and have been closely associated
with them for thirty years or more, claim
that no full-blooded Apache ever scalped
a man he killed. On the contrary. he would
not touch a body after death. and would
throw away his weapons il stained with
human blood Their own dead the men
never help to bury. This task is left to
the women.