The Coconino sun., 1927-11-25

Early explorers and settlers in Ari-
zona experienced little CT no difficulty
with any Of the Indian tribes except
the Apache and Yuma. Nor was there
q great deal of trouble with the lat
ter.
But the Apaches stand out as the
most cruel murderers of all time.
Treacherous, deceitful, bloodthirsty-
their appearance always meant trou-
Bile. Not that all Apache Indians were
bad Indians; but there were so many
bad Apaches that they greatly pre-
dominated and it was a safe bet that
when any number of them was en-
countered it meant grief for the
whites unless they were amply able to
take care of themselves.
Charles T. Connell, later chief of the
southwestern division of the immigra
ton service, who for many years
lived among the Apaches in govern
mental employ, at one time cnIef OF
scouts at San Carlos, said: ITO be
prominent Apache is to be a promi-
nent scoundrel. They are far from
cowardly, but they are exceedingly
prudent. In no case will they incur
the risk of losing life, unless the plum
der be most enticing and their num-
bers overpowering, and even then they
will track a small party for days,
waiting opportunity to establish Sc
cure ambush or effect surprise
Not hundreds, but thousands of
white people were murdered for the
Apache's sheer love of. murder and his
greed. Before the Civil war these
massacres were more numerous; but
they continued down to comparatively
recent times, when with the capture
of Geronimo, the last of the Apache
brigand chiefs, they came to an end.
There were no Apaches, except
hunting or marauding parties, IN the
extreme north part of the state.
Their homes were in the central part
of the state and western New Mexico.
With the Civil war and after about
5000 California volunteers came into
the Indian country, conditions were
bettered. Despite that, from 1868 to
1873 more than 600 identified whites
were murdered by Apaches in the
country north of the Gila river.
One list of 400 victims of the
Apaches was forwarded to Washing
ton with a petition for protection and
vengeance.
'sThere was q sickening uniformity
the deeds done in manly fashion.
Nearly every shot was from ambush.
Almost uniformly there was torture
of unspeakable sort and # women
captured were not killed with indig-
nifty, they were carried away as
slaves. Through it all there was re-
sentiment on the frontier over the at
titude of the government. Only on
two occasions were enough troops
sent to Arizona, and generally IN
structions to the soldiers were strong
that battle and bloodshed must be
avoided and that gentle means must
be used to bring back the poor Indian
into the fold where Christianity might
have a chance to work for his better
ment as he filled his belly with gov
ernment rations."
The most powerful Apache chieftaln
giving trouble from the time OF the
first visits of American whites up to
the time of his death in 1863 was
Mangas Coloradas. For nearly so
wears he was the undisputed leader
throughout eastern Apacheria. His
daughters by his Mexican wife had
married Navajo, Mescallero and Coy
otero chiefs, thus giving him great
influence among surrounding tribes.
Usually the Apaches acknowledge
70 chief and obey no orders, but:
"Mangas Coloradas inflicted the
most atrocious cruelties, the most vim
dictive vengeance and widespread IN
iuries ever perpetrated by an Amerl--
can Indian. The northern portions OF
Chihuahua and Sonora and large
tracts of Durango in Old Mexico and
the whole of Arizona and a very con-
siderable part Of New Mexico were
laid waste, ravaged and destroyed by
this man and his followers. He made
the Apache nation the most powerful
in the southwest. A strip Of country
almost twice as large as all California
was rendered almost houseless, unpro-
ductive, uninhabitable by his active
and uncompromising hostility. Large
and f1ourishing towns were depopu-
lated. Vast ranches teeming with
cattle and horses were turned into
waste places. The names of his
human victims by actual slaughter or
captivity would amount to thousands" "
Communication between any two
places UlOIG tIlct1i q ilAAC SAPN~A 49, NAN~A-
gerous. Horses and cattle could not
be trusted to Craze more than 300
yards from the walls of Tucson.
The Mexican government offered
$50 to 500 for every Apache scalp
brought in. This appealed to one
white desperate, who, however, didn't
care to risk his own scalp hunting
Apaches. So he slaughtered Indians
of other tribes and for a long time
sold the scalps. But finally he was
caught killing and scalping lot of
Mexicans and he had hard time es-
Gaping.
Coloradas in 1863 was captured and
killed while attempting escape near
Fort Mclean by Captain Walker
An ally of Coloradas was Chief Co
chise, who for II years terrorized
Arizona. One of his white victims
was 1t. Howard b. Cushing of the Bird
cavalry, brother of the naval lieu
tenant who blew up the Confederate
ironclad Albermarle. Cochise sur
rendered in 1872 and died of malaria
in 1874.
The next and last great war chief
tain was Geronimo.
In and around Prescott and in the
l. L. hat