Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-02-26
HE HELPED TO GARRY
CIVILIZATION
TO ARIZONA
Interesting Life Story of the
Noted Indian Fighter, Al Sci
bef Who Was Killed Last
Week at Globe, Arizona,
CPhoenix Republican,

CPhoeniN republican,
The news Of the accidental death
Of Al Seiber last week near Globe,
by being crushed by a boulder rolling
/ from a hillside. will bring to mind
many of the incidents connected with
the work of subduing the Apache In
dians in Arizona by military and civil
authorities. No man was more promi-
nent in the work of planting ciViliZa.
ton. peace and prosperity in this ter
Titory than was Al Seiber. He was
connected with the military operas
tiOns directed against the old chiefs
Cochise, Geronimo and others. who
led the savage and merciless Apaches
on their blood covered, murderOus
trails from one end of Arizona to the
other. He was the trusted chief Of
scouts under General Crook and later
under General Miles From the noun
tains of northern Arizona to the Chiri-
cahuas and the Sierra Madres. Seiber
knew every trail and watering hole;
no man in Arizona every knew the
Indian character better and none were
ever more energetic and brave in
meeting and subduing the Arizona alb
origines than this man, who. daring
the long years of his faithful service
to his country and its advancing civ
iliZation, had so manE narrow escapes
from death to meet accidental death
in the hills where he was searching for
mineral deposits, made available by
whipping the Indian into submission.
After Geronimo had been captured
and shipped out of the territory. ac-
cOmpancd By his murderous band
Seiber was sent to San Carlos. then a
military post i'm the center of the res
erVatiOn on which the various Apache
tribes had been gathered from all sec
tons of the TERRITORY Here he was
in charge of the indian scouts and his
duty was to direct the operation Of
police service on the reservation Be
fore that Sciber had severa; times
been wounded in fights with Indians.
but 1t was at San Carlos that he re-
ICciVed his most dangerous wound
Belonging to the scouts. and under
Seiber, was Young Indian known az
the Apache Kid" He was rolick-
ing sort of a boy, but was regarded as
a good scout In the year 1889 Seiber
had caused several Of his scouts to
be placed i'm the guard house for some
violations of the rules of the service.
The apache Kid" became much in
terested in trying to secure the re-
lease of the scouts from the guard
house. After falling to accomplish his
purpose by one or two interviews with
Chief of Scouts Seiber the Young In
dian visited the commanding officer of
the post TO whom he displayed much
determination in urging that the inn
prisoned scouts be liberated and also
displayed a feeling against Seibcr
whom he charged with being proiud-
iced against his friends
Late in the afternoon when Seiber
and one of the captains of the post
were standing in front of the traders
IA, l., / ,t..-
| by four other scouts suddenly opened
! fire on Seiber and his companion
Seiber fel! with his leg broken above
the knee The cantain was also
wounded Before the post could be
aroused the "Kid' had esCaJed to The
hills, accompanied ny those who had
joined HIM in the mutinY. The his
tory Of the Apache Kid" and his
renegade band, which lasted for five
or six years, is wen known to al who
, lived in Arizona at that time.
| Sciber, after recovering from the
serious wound. was a cripple for the
= remainder of his life.
lie remained with the army after
, his recovery for two or three years
when he resigned his position to jOir
: some of his Old friends in Globe in
+ the development of some copper prop
critics on Pinto crook Not long age
l he sold some of his property for a
, good sum of money. but he had be-
: come so welded to the hills that h
: continued his search for other and
p richer mines until the final summons
/ came calling him to the other shore
! from Arizona, where he had lived fol
over forty years and connected his
name prominently with its early his.
tory.
Asked once why It was that he had
such power over the Indians. who
called him "IrOn Man" Seiber replied;
Because | do not deceive them but
! always tell them the truth When
tell them | am going to kin them,
: do 1t. and when | tel them I an
their friend, they know it,"
, As for his reputation Throughout
? the country, II was gained by his ac-
qualntance with so many eastern pcO
pie who in the last Quarter of a cen
tury have tarried briefly in the Arl-
' Zona mountains. by the notable In
= dian u9rislngs In which he figured
5 and by the fact that at one time ol
} another nearly all the old Officers OF
r the regular army some Of them ther
/ only In positions of humble rank
, served with him in Arizona. Among
= those he served with who were thci
. or have since become wen known t.
q Crook, Wilcox, Miles. Grierson, Nc
: Cook Crawford and Chaffee. the pres
: ent head of the army. llo was {
: particular friend of Genera! Crook
and among his most priced possessions
y was a picture of the general presented
: with an autograph inscription.
Albert Sciber was born February 90
1874 in the grand duchv of Baden
? at Minge' shelm, half way between
I Munhem and Carlsrhue. Germany
4 His father was named John Seiber anC
died the next year. His mother
whose maiden name was Margare
Fischer. died In Minneapolis, Mimi, IL
1888. Besides Albert there were three
= boys and four girls in the family. o
whom John and Rudolph and one sis
T. ted. Theresa who married Henry Os
: wald, are now supposed 10 he Twins
= in Barneysvillc, Mimi, and one othe
= sister lives IN Minneapolis. So far a
known here A! Scibcr was never mar
i ried
o In the later for'ies John Seiber. on,
Of the elder children became nike,
up In q revolutionary affair in Ger
q many and became a refugee. He fle'
ia Havre from whence he wrote I,
: his mother to loin him with her othe
. children and they would all come
y TO this country. She did so and the!
arrived in New York while Al was ye
a small boy They were met there b,
brother In law who took them to hi
6 home in Lancaster Pa, where the.
: remained until 1856. In that year tn
= mother and mt least some of the chill
!" dren, including Al. went to Mime
anols. A worked there on the farm
aud IN the saw mills untll March \