Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-10-03
TRUE STORY OF APACHE GIRL
CAPTURED FROM INDIANS WINS
FIRST PRIZE In ESSAY CONTEST

A true story of the capture of a
little Apache girl from the Indians
by John H. Slaughter, for many years
a resident of Douglas, and Jess
Fisher, his ranch foreman, has been
awarded first prize in a history essay
contest conducted by the Bisbee
Woman's clubs. The essay was writ
ten by Mrs. w. f. Hankin, wife of
a Bishee dentist, whose remarkable
poem on the Aimee Semple Mcpherson
case recently was printed in the Doug
las Dispatch. The essay follows:
The early history of Arizona is the
chronicle of long series of Indian
raids, ambushes and massacres. The
courageous white settlers who first
forced their way into the territory
lived in constant danger, and only by
eternal vigilance did they survive.
Many a lonely rancher peaceful pros
pector or unprotected traveller fell
victim to the lurking savages, perhaps
enduring hideous tortures before
death mercifully released him.
OF all the Indian tribes, the Apaches
were the most cruel and hloodthirsty.
Led by that crafty old villain, /Geron-
imo, they terrorized the wl1te settlers
for many years. Finally, in 1886,
Geronimo and his murderous band
were compelled to surrender to United
States troops and were deported to
Florida With the removal of these,
the worst offenders, it was officially
considered that the Indian troubles
were at an end in Arizona
The remaining Apaches were round
ed up and confined to the San Carlos
reservation, with the understanding
that they were now to become peace
full citizens. The transformation was
not made in a day. Often they
wearied Of monotony of this flat
existence, where food and blankets
were a matter of course, ana raidins
and scalping were prohibited pleasures.
Life lacked thrills, and the Apaches
secretly yearned for the great open
places, where an Indian was an IN
dian, Sometimes, thinking of those
good old days, the call of the wild
would prove frresistable. and few
brave souls would start out to live
their own lives in their own way.
And so it happened that there We're
occasional Indian outbreaks, even
after Geronimo's pernicious Influence
had been removed.
In the spring of 1895, 10 years
after the surrender of Geronimo, a
small band of Apaches left the reser-
yation, and went on the warpath m
southeastern Arizona, robbsng anc
numbering in approved Indian fashion.
OF the various crimes that they COM
,nitted before retribution overlook
them two only will be mentioned
here, as bearing directly on this story.
over on the Gila river was the
ranch OF Mormon family named
Merrill. Early in the year Indians
raided this ranch, killing the Mer-
rills, and carrying away such of their
belongings as appealed to Apacne
taste. One of the victims was
young girl, just budding into woman
hood. Amongst her girlish possessions
was white dress waist, or BASQUE,
OF the style of that periodicals
waisted, shaped by darts and but
toned down the front with many but
tons set close together The Indians
took this basque, and also brown
wooden shawl, edged with fringe
ON a little ranch in the San Simon
valley, remote from neighbors, was
the home of man named Hand. He
lived there alone, although somewhere
he had a brother, John Hand, WAC
is at present Gin 1926) living In the
Chirfcahua mountains. The Apaches
raided Hands lonely ranch, killed him
and looted the place.
Years before, Hand had tackled or
4lfe ca(yin wall a Cochise county cleo
ton poster, made of white muslin
and bearing the names of the repubil'
ran candidates in the campaign Of
1898. This poster had always re-
mained as the chief decoration Ir
the cabin, but friends who visited
Hands ranch after the raid notec
that the poster was gone from it:
accustomed place.
Presently detachment of the 7ti
Cavalry, u. S. troops, accompanies
by some Indian scouts, set oul to ent
the depredations of this outlaw band
The renegade Apaches promptly ffe'
south, past the great San Bernardin'
cattle ranch, which lies partly II
Cochise county, Arizona, and partl!
in Sonora, Mexico; then on into th'
Businesses of the Sierra Madre noun
tains-ancient refuge of Cochise ant
Geronimo. John H. Slaughter, owne
of the San Bernardino ranch, ant
Jess Fisher, his ranch foreman, boil
familiar with the twisting canyons
and sheer granite peaks of the Sierr;
Madres, were persuaded to act a.
guides on the expedition into th1
rocky wilderness.