Year: 1872

leo, party of twelve horsemen approach
ed. Their horses were jadcd and gaunt
as from long and difficult journey. The
riders were dressed in buckskin over
shirts, cavalry pants, heavy boots, and
largo Mexican spurs. Dimounting at
the hotel, the horses and men were cared
for. A tall, slim, hickory-iron sort Of a
man, who seemed to be leader, made ar
rangements aside with the landlord. After
supper, falling in conversation with the
leader of the party, ! learned in the course
Of the evening, that they were a party Of
prospectors sent out to the mountains in
in tho northern part of New Mexico and
Arizona, in the interest Of company of
st Louis capitalists. The captain, as he
proved to be, and so | shall hereafter call
him, was an educated man and n mem
Der of the company, and went out on this
perilOus and toilsome expedition to satisfy
a rowing and restless disposition. They
had gone beyond their intended limits at
starting, and had penetrated into the
edge Of the Apache country. They had
numerous fights with the Indians but
being all old Indian fighters, had brought
all their number back, though not with
out some ugly scars. At one time their
whole number were taken prisoners by n
midnight surprise and double their num-
Der Of Apaches. They were held prison
ers two days, and marched toward the
Apache chief town, where they were to be
the subject of grand roast. But, the sec
Ond night, they escaped by a stratagem,
taking with them the leader of the Apa-
che band, whom they afterwards released
on certain conditions. This chief is the
bloodthirsty Apache chief, the chief who
murders men, women and children.


The white party, before their escape,
understanding something Of their captor's
language, unknown to them, learned
from word let fall here and there, that
the Indians had knowledge of some very
rich mines, which the specimens they had
with them amply showed but, from the
desutory character of their remarks,
could not learn the location of the treas
ure and it was to this fact the chief owed
his life. This chief they spared when
making their escape, at which time they
sent the rest of the band to thor long
homes. They promised the chief his life
and liberty if he would show them the
"Golden Mountain" and tell them the
"Sacrcd legend Of his fathers" which
seemed TO be in some way associated
with the Golden Mountain. To this he
finally assented, as the price of his lite
and liberty. The riches of the Golden
Mountain are even greater than the ex-
travagant stories of the savages had led
them to believe ; but it is located in the
heart Of the Apache country, and utterly
inaccessible till the Apaches are subdued.
The guarding Of the Golden Mountain,
the keeping of the whites out Of the gold
fields Of absolutely inestimable wealth
boarded and piled up in the mountains of
Arizona, is the first and greatest cause of
the implacable hostility Of the Apaehes,
even greater than the second cause: re-
venge. The chief showed them this
wealth. guarded by the whole Apache ma
ton, of which Captain - is prepared to
take possession, with mills and mining
apparatus, as soon as the Apaches are
subdued. The chief gave him his legend
and they, as men of honor even to a cap
tive savage, set him free.


"And the legend" says the captain,
:" it being late, III give you in the morn
ing"


$50, here's to bed. Good night"


In the morning the captain and | walk
ed apart to the outskirts of the town. to
grassy knoll, and sitting there he related
to me the following strange, weird story


A party of Apaches, while lying in an
ambush in the latter part of December,
1926, in Chihauhau, Mexico, on the Rio
Grande, across the river from what is
now the town of El Paso, Texas, watch
ing a travelling cavalcade as it passed
clump o. small trees, saw one of the num-
Der spring from his horse into the chap
paral and disappear from the view of the
horsemen. The cavalcade fred a few
shots at or toward him, and half dozen
of them dismounted and pursued in the
direction he took, but of no avail. The
escaping man ran directly toward where
the Apaehes lay in the bushes, and ran
into their midst. They seized and bound
him, mounted and lashed him to a horse.
and at once took flight. They Travelled
toward the Apache chief town by a cir
cuitous and concealed route, and reached
ii after six days travel.


The prisoner was much alarmed at
FIRST but finding that his death was not
to be immediate, he seemed to put his
mind to studying out some plan of escape;
but they kept him securely bound till
they arrived in camp. They decided to
keep him till grand Jete day, some
months ahead, and then put him through
the gauntlet and end his life in grand
carnival. lie for some time was as rest
less as captive bear walked up and
down his small enclosure, and talked to
himself incessantly. But before the day
arrived for his taking of-this is the cap
tain's term, not the Indian's-he had be-
come somewhat resigned to his captivity,
and the Apaches had learned something
OF his history. They got interested in
him, and promised his life in return for
his solemn promise that he would never
attempt to escape. lie married the chiefs
daughter, and on the death oe the chief
became chief himself. He had four sons
and daughter. The oldest SON Lenn,.,0