Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-02-12

ment, and it has called forth new eX-
preston of the unbroken spirit and
undiminshed hatred of the old
Apache chief, who for so many years
has been a close prisoner of the
United States at Fort Sill, in the
Apache reservation. He declares with
vehemence that he never did like the
white man and that he never will.
The intense spirit of the great, swar-
thy Indian chief was manifest in the
Tightening of the cords of his thick
neck and the backward twitch of his
head as he spoke.
mo true Apache" he went on to
say, likes the white man. Why
should he? You have taken from us
everything You have made us pris-
oners of war for more than 20 years.
You have taken us from the only cOun-
try we can live in and increase. You
have made our newborn babies and
our little children suffer too, though
there is nothing you can blame them
with The government has made
them no allotment of land, though to
all other Indians land has been given.
1t makes me feel bad in the heart"
Geronimo's tribe has dwindled to
about 100 Where they formerly row
ed, marauding and pillaging, thous-
ands of white settlers have taken up
land in the last five years.
A correspondent Of the New York
World tells of a visit paid to Geroni-
mos home" 1t was a rude brush
tent on Cache creek While the cor
respondent sat on soap box, Geroni-
mo reclined on the other side of the
fire and talked through an interpreter
of the white man and the taking of
the Indian lands.
Yes. have seen the white man in
crease he said. Il have seen him
come out of the East into my country
where there were no men except In
dams When ! was boy we went far
to the south into Mexico (he called
it Ma-he-ko like a Spaniard) when we
went to kill white men and take their
cattle They have bothered us much
the white man. He calls us bad, the
Apache, but we have done only what
was right, what our fathers, and our
and our medicine men
1.-THE little girl translated it doctors,
which shows the reservation school
taught us We fought like
Indians; we were not afraid. When
many were killed we were sad in the
heart, but we did not talk much-we
were Indians Sometimes we got
much in Mexico, sometimes we lost
all Sometimes we were hungry in
the winter and sometimes we had
much TO eat and made many dances.
The white man fought with us
more often than we fought with him.
He followed us, never stopping,
always killing. He came more and
more. White men always hunting
rs. When we could fight no
more, the white man always following
rs, we made a treaty with him. He
said he would take us with our women
and children to a new country to live
We went because we could fight no
more. They did not keep the promise |
They kept me many years alone
mo, | do not care how many white !
men come now. You say look young |
That is nice talk, but am an old man
rs years old Oklahoma is not my |
Oklahoma is not the home of
he Apache We cannot live in this
We will get smaller and
smaller, and then no more Apache
eft No, l do not care how many
White men come here. do not see
hem. l do not think. l think Of my
,wn country, where the mountains are
md the air is dry and the sky is fine
I is there the Apache wants to 20:
Is there Geronimo wants 70 Ks."
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