USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. II > Part 10
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down dale' went the skirmishers, plunging into dark and forbidding defiles, and climbing steep, rocky, and difficult acclivities, while the cavalry made frequent sorties from the main body to the distance of several hundred yards. Being with- out a subaltern, Gen. Carleton had assigned Lieut. Muller, of the First Cavalry California Volunteers, to service with my command. This officer soon after gave sufficient proof of his gallantry and zeal, for which I now gratefully return thanks.
"In this manner we progressed through that great stronghold of the Apaches and dangerous defile, until we joined the detachment under Lieut. Thompson, at the stone station-house, where we quartered for the remainder of that day. Let it be borne in mind that Capt. Rob- erts' company of California Infantry had marched forty miles without food or water, had fought for six hours with desperation against six times their numbers of splendidly armed Apaches, ensconced behind their own natural ramparts, and with every possible advantage in their favor; had driven that force before them; occupied their defiles; taken their strongholds, and after only one draught of water, and a hasty meal, had made another march of thirty miles, almost absolutely without rest. I doubt much if any record exists to show where infantry had made a march of seventy miles, fought one ter- rible battle of six hours' duration, and achieved a decided victory under such circumstances.
"The shrill fife, the rattling drum and the mellow bugles sounded the reveille before dawn, of the next day. The campfires were soon
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throwing up their lively jets of flame and smoke, while the grateful odors of frying bacon and browning flapjacks saluted the appreciative nostrils of the hungry troops. But we had no water, and without water we could have no coffee, that most coveted of all rations. There was reason to believe that the Apaches intended to put our metal to another trial. They had again occupied the heights above the springs, and also the water courses, which were thickly sheltered by trees and willow underbrush. Roberts again made preparations to dislodge the savages, and ordered his howitzers into the most favorable positions. Just then I saluted him, and said, 'Captain, you have done your share of this fight; I now respectfully ask for my chance. If you will throw your shells on the heights above the springs, I will charge the latter with my men, and clean out the Apaches in a very few moments. I certainly think this concession due me.'
"Roberts reflected for a few moments, and replied-'I am truly sorry that your wish can- not be granted. Yours is the only cavalry I have, and their safety is indispensable to ours. We are going to the San Simon river, where I am ordered to establish a depot and await the arrival of other troops with supplies, and you will have enough to do in your proper turn. I cannot, under the circumstances, grant your request.'
"To this I replied: 'Your objections appear cogent ; but I cannot perceive why all these things cannot be accomplished and still permit my men, who are burning with anxiety, to charge those
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springs and disperse that wretched horde of sav- ages. They are already cowed, and will imme- diately flee before a vigorous assault.'
"Capt. Roberts replied: 'You have had my answer, Captain, and it should be enough. I do not intend to jeopardize my own men, but will shell the heights and springs, and effect a blood- less victory, in so far as we are concerned.'
"After this rebuff, I could make no further personal appeal, but instructed Lieut. Muller to beseech Capt. Roberts, and, if possible, induce him to change his mind. Muller argued for half an hour, until Roberts told him either to obey or be placed under arrest. This ended the colloquy. The howitzers then opened fire-the shells burst splendidly, large numbers of Apaches were observed to decamp from the heights in the most hurried manner; the springs also underwent a similar cleaning, and in less than twenty minutes the troops were permitted to advance and fill their canteens, while my cavalry, without waiting out waiting further orders, made a rush after the retreating savages until the rapid rise and terribly broken nature of the ground checked their career. The hillsides were cov- ered with fleeing Apaches, who seemed imbued with supernatural powers of locomotion. Up- wards they sped with the celerity of Alpine goats, until they disappeared behind the crests of tall mountains and rugged hills. In peace and quiet, we partook of the precious fountain. Our horses and mules, which had not tasted water for forty-eight hours, and were nearly famished from so dusty a road and so long a journey under the hottest of suns, drank as if
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they never would be satisfied. An hour later we moved through the pass, entered upon the wide plain which separates it from the San Simon river, and reached our camp on that creek. with- out further trouble, about four o'clock P. M."
The use of artillery in this battle was a sur- prise to the Indians. Their position was well chosen and impregnable as against small arms, and they certainly would have annihilated the Americans had it not been for the howitzers. After this fight Mangus Colorado returned with the remnants of his force to the Pino Alto coun- try, carrying with him the bullet in his body which had been fired by Sergeant Teal. This chance shot caused the Apaches to abandon their pursuit, diverting their attention from Teal to the succor of Mangus. He was conveyed to Janos, in Chihuahua, where he received the care and attention of a Mexican physician who hap- pened to be at that place at the time. It was a case of surgery under difficult conditions for the doctor was told that if the patient survived, he would be safe, but if the patient died, the doctor and all the inhabitants of the village would be sent to join Mangus in the spirit land. The ball was extracted, Mangus recovered, and the doctor and the village saved.
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CHAPTER VII. INDIAN HOSTILITIES.
FEELING TOWARDS INDIANS-KILLING OF MANGUS COLORADO - PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MANGUS COLORADO-KILLING OF MR. WHITE AND OTHERS - OUTRAGES ON THE INDIANS- ELECTION OF COCHISE AS CHIEF-HIS VOW- RAIDS BY COCHISE - MAJOR MCCLEVE'S EX- PEDITION-TREATY WITH INDIANS BY COM- MISSIONER JOHN T. USHER - ATTACK ON CHARLES T. HAYDEN'S TRAIN-CAPTAIN T. T. TIDBALL'S CAMPAIGN-SAMUEL BUTTER- WORTH'S EXPERIENCE WITH INDIANS.
The feeling prevailed at this time among the people of Arizona that the only way to effect a permanent peace, was by the slaughter of every Indian capable of bearing arms. Lieutenant Mowry declared that they were as venomous as rattlesnakes and should be treated accordingly. General Carleton issued orders that no buck should be taken prisoner but that the women and children should be spared.
On the 14th of January, 1863, according to the Fish manuscript, Captain Shirland was de- tached, with twenty men of his company, with orders to proceed at once in advance of the main body, and find Mangus Colorado, known to be in the neighborhood of Pinos Altos. Captain Shirland was given discretionary orders, either to capture the chief in fair fight, or to get pos- session of his body by strategy. Mangus Colo- rado was invited to visit Fort McLane for the
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purpose of making a treaty and receiving pres- ents. Captain Shirland returned to the fort on the 17th, accompanied by Mangus Colorado and four of his chiefs. The statement which follows is condensed from the Fish manuscript, the facts of which Mr. Fish states he received from C. A. Cooley, an old scout, and Captain Henry War- ren, who was a member of the California Volun- teers, both of whom were present at Fort Mc- Lane at the time the following circumstances occurred.
Mangus came in all the pomp of a victorious chief, gaudily painted in vermilion and ochre, and decorated with feathers and brass orna- ments. After a long talk with Mangus by the officers assembled, he was told that the remain- der of his days would be spent as a prisoner in the hands of the Government authorities; that his family would be permitted to join him and they would be well treated. He was also told that upon making any attempt to escape, his life would be immediately forfeited. During the night the sentry purposely unfastened the prison door, and about one o'clock in the morning of the 18th, placed his bayonet in the fire, got it red hot, and then stuck it up against the bare backs of the prisoners, (Mangus Colo- rado and the chiefs with him). At this, the victims jumped, and availed themselves of the means of escape offered by the door being open, and they were deliberately shot down by the sol- diers, who had been stationed outside for that purpose. The officers reported that the In- dians, after making several atttemps to escape, were shot down. Mangus Colorado's head was
D. E. CONNER.
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severed from his body by a surgeon, the brain was taken out and weighed, and it was found that the head measured larger than that of Daniel Webster, and the brain was of corres- ponding weight. The skull was sent to Wash- ington and is now on exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum. This was the story of Captain War- ren, who also stated that the killing of Mangus Colorado was regarded as absolutely necessary in order to suppress the savages.
Mr. D. E. Conner, the last surviving member of the Walker Party, to which reference will be made as this history progresses, gives the fol- lowing account of the capture of Mangus. Mr. Conner was the historian of the Walker Party, and wrote at the time a full account of their ad- ventures, which he has preserved to the present day. According to Mr. Conner, the Walker Party was encamped on a grassy plain at old Fort McLane, where they were herding and rest- ing their stock. About fifteen miles from their camp in a dividing mountain range was located the temporary headquarters of some Mexican renegades, supposed to be allies of the Apaches. A Mexican came to their camp, professing to be an escaped prisoner of the savages and informed them that Mangus Colorado was north of these headquarters, which these Mexicans called "Pinos Altos," with several hundred warriors. He disappeared in the night as mysteriously as he came. Upon this information the Walker Party decided to remain at Fort McLane, op- posite to Pinos Altos, until the whereabouts of Mangus Colorado could be ascertained. His
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warriors had followed the party, laying ambus- cades and making attacks upon them at water holes all the winter down to their arrival at Fort McLane in February, 1863. From this camp Captain Walker decided to send nearly half of his command to the Pinos Altos under the lead of John W. Swilling, to capture Mangus if pos- sible. Mangus used signal smokes to telegraph the movements of the party, to defeat which Swilling and his command decided to start be- fore daylight. The day before they started the advance guard of General West of the California Column, about thirty soldiers under command of Captain Shirland, arrived in the Walker camp. Captain Walker invited them to join in the search for Mangus. The invitation was ac- cepted, and the next morning saw a company of citizens and soldiers hurrying up the mountain to Pinos Altos. When they arrived the soldiers concealed themselves in an old hackel and be- hind the rocks and chaparral. A few moments later the Walker Party marched boldly across the open ground to the summit, where John W. Swilling, who was in command "uttered a war- whoop loud enough to make an Apache ashamed of himself," hearing which, Mangus, who was a short distance away, slowly advanced in the direction of Swilling's command, followed by about a dozen of his bodyguard. Swilling went out alone and met them about a hundred and fifty paces from the rest of his command where they all halted for a moment until the citizen party levelled their rifles upon them. Jack Swilling laid his hand upon Mangus' shoulder, and in broken Spanish, which both could understand,
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convinced him that resistance was in vain. Un- der the menace of levelled guns they slowly ad- vanced to the Walker party. Swilling told Mangus that his bodyguard was not wanted, and Mangus halted them and in Spanish told them : "Tell my people to look for me when they see me." Knowing that Mangus had a large force of warriors in this vicinity, they hurried away with the prisoner. Passing back over the sum- mit of the ridge, the soldiers came out of their concealment to the evident disgust of Mangus, who began to see into the trick to capture him. There was not a shot fired. The party arrived with their prisoner in safety at Fort McLane about three o'clock P. M., to find that General West had arrived with two companies of Cali- fornia Volunteers en route for the war in the States. He ordered that Mangus be brought be- fore him, and what transpired there was not made known to Mr. Conner, but Mangus, in charge of two soldiers, stood about the camp the rest of the day, a head and shoulders above all the palefaces present, not less than six and a half feet tall and large in proportion. He had a heavy suit of long, black hair, a heavy oval face and cruel bloodshot eyes. Stolid and indiffer- ent, he refused to notice or to speak to anyone. He wore a large sombrero of Mexican manufac- ture, an ordinary check shirt, and blue overalls, cut off at the knees. His only redeeming feature was his delicate aquiline nose. Night came on and the two soldiers brought Mangus to the one fire used by the Walker Party before the arrival of the soldiers, near which the old savage lay, wrapped in a blanket. It was a cold February
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night. Mr. Conner says: "Our beat ran from the fire, about one hundred and fifty yards into the outer darkness. I was the citizen sentinel until midnight. About nine o'clock P. M., I dis- covered the soldiers were annoying the old sav- age while I was out in the dark, and ceased as I returned to the fire, when they appeared to be sleepy. Thenceforward I would rapidly reach the outer end of my beat, turn back slowly, and observe the soldiers, heating their bayonets in the fire and touching them to the old savage's feet and legs. They kept up this annoyance until midnight, and upon my last return to the fire- light Mangus raised upon his elbow angrily pro- testing that he was no child to be played with, whereupon each soldier fired upon him, once with muskets, and twice apiece with sixshooters, after which George Lount took my place on guard, and I went into my blankets. The following morn- ing the body of Mangus occupied exactly the same position it did during the night. I took his trinkets from under his huge head and gave them to a Lieutenant during the day. A little soldier calling himself John T. Wright, scalped Mangus with an Arkansas toothpick, borrowed from Bill Lallier, the soldiers' cook, for the pur- pose. A few nights later the army surgeon, Dr. Sturgeon, exhumed the body, and obtained the huge skull to send East. Now you have the real facts to which I can subscribe under oath."
Commenting upon the above Mr. Conner says : "But what about General West's report to the War Department, a copy of which I have in my scrapbook, taken from the Washington Republi- can and the Cincinnati Enquirer, which says that
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'Mangus was taken redhanded in a fight with the troops under Capt. Shirland of the California Volunteers, and delivered to him half an hour after the capture ?' That he placed a guard over the savage, a sergeant and nine men, and yet Mangus rushed his guard at midnight and was shot down, etc. I don't believe General West meant to prevaricate, but took the word of those under him, who have always disgraced the history of the West, worse than the fraudulent legends of Old Mexico.
"Let me refer to other facts in this case, if it does make you blush: Taken from these same newspapers and in my scrapbook, Governor Arny takes General West to task for the killing of Mangus, saying that he was present at the kill- ing of the old savage and writes from personal knowledge; that the military officers decided that Mangus must die, and to get an excuse, roused the old savage up by thrusting a red hot iron bar through a crack of the adobe wall into the room where Mangus was confined at Fort Buchanan, and killed him. Fort Buchanan, where the Governor locates the scene at which he was pres- ent, is something near three hundred miles from Fort McLane where Mangus was killed, yet the Governor and the General had a long contro- versy for the benefit of history as published and preserved in my scrapbook.
"I am going to suggest that General West's false report to the War Department will be matured by time into good history, like thou- sands of Arizona circumstances which it will be next to impossible to detect. I am in the case like Governor Arny, only I saw the killing of
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Mangus nearly three hundred miles from where the Governor personally saw the same killing."
So died the greatest chief the Apache nation had produced. His personal appearance is thus described : "He was six feet high, had a very large head with a broad forehead, a large aqui- line nose, a most capacious mouth, a broad heavy chin, and a powerful and well made frame. His eyes were rather small but exceed- ingly brilliant, and flashed when under any excitement, although his demeanor was as imperturbable as brass." His relation by mar- riage to Cochise and the Navajos, gave him large influence with those tribes. He was noted for far-sightedness and diplomacy, which made him influential in council, and a recognized leader in battle. For fifty years his influence was felt over nearly all of Arizona, the northern part of Sonora, and the western portion of New Mexico. He made his raids at will, whenever and where- ever he wished, and no enemy was able to cope with him. He was at all times the implacable foe of both the Mexicans and the Americans. Unlike most of the Apaches, he was deceitful and treacherous; his word was worthless; no treaty bound him, and he died as he had lived, a human tiger. He was about seventy years old when his career was treacherously ended.
Major Griner, after an investigation made in 1865 as to the cause of the Indian differences made this statement :
"In my experience I have never known a serious difficulty in the Territory between the Indians and citizens, which did not originate mainly with the latter. One of the most exciting
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difficulties in the Territory arose from the cap- ture of Mrs. White, a very beautiful woman, and her little daughter, by the Jicarilla Apaches. I was appointed to investigate it. I found that at Las Vegas the troops had, without any suffi- cient cause or provocation, fired upon the In- dians, and they in revenge joined with some Utes and attacked the next train coming from the States, killing Mr. White and others, and capturing his wife and child; and also the stage, with ten passengers, was taken and all killed. A war was the consequence.
"Another instance on the part of Mangus Colorado, the chief of the Apaches: During my administration as acting superintendent of In- dian affairs, I was present with General Sumner to make a treaty of peace. He was an Indian of remarkable intelligence and great character. I asked him the cause of the difficulties with the people of Chihuahua and Sonora, for at that time, under the treaty with Mexico, we were bound to protect its people from the attacks of the Indians residing in New Mexico. He said: 'I will tell you. Sometime ago my people were invited to a feast; aguardiente or whiskey, was there; my people drank and became intoxicated, and were lying asleep, when a party of Mexi- cans came in and beat out their brains with clubs. At another time a trader was sent among us from Chihuahua. While innocently engaged in trading, often leading to words of anger, a cannon concealed behind the goods was fired upon my people, and quite a number were killed. Since that, Chihuahua has offered a reward for our scalps, $150 each, and we have been hunted
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down ever since;' and, with great emphasis and in the most impressive manner, he added, 'How can we make peace with such people ?'
"I have also learned from the agent of the tribe, Dr. Steck, that sixty Indians of the same tribe were poisoned by strychnine."
Major Griner undoubtedly refers to the poi- soning of the Indians by Colonel Baylor, of the Confederate forces, which led to his withdrawal from the Territory, and which has been men- tioned before in this work.
The death of Mangus Colorado seems to have concentrated upon the whites all the hatred in the Apache nature. Cochise was elected their chief, and it is asserted that before accepting the mantle of Mangus, he took the Indian oath that for every Apache murdered at Fort McLane, a hundred white men should die, an oath which was most religiously kept.
The cowardly killing of Mangus Colorado, together with his arrest by Lieutenant Bascom, transformed Cochise from the white man's friend into the white man's implacable enemy. For more than twenty years, and until near the close of his life, he spared no Americans, young or old, male or female; men, women and children were murdered indiscriminately, and all pris- oners taken met a most cruel and vindictive death of inconceivable torture.
Following the death of Mangus Colorado, the Indians, under the lead of Cochise, renewed their activities, and the year 1863 opened with raids and murders. On January 29th the In- dians attacked some hunting parties of the sol- diers, near Pinos Altos, killing one soldier and
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wounding Sergeant Sitton. They were driven off with a loss of twenty killed and fifteen wounded. On the afternoon of March 22nd, the Gila Apaches made a descent upon the public herd, grazing near Fort West, New Mexico, and succeeded in running off sixty horses. At 8 P. M., Major McCleve started in pursuit, with a command consisting of Lieutenants French and Latimer, and about eighty men, all told. He followed the trail of the Indians some seventy miles west, then down the Gila five miles, then across the divide to the Rio Negro, moving up the stream and travelling most of the night some thirty miles more, when he succeeded in sur- prising them early in the morning. The fight lasted for twenty minutes and resulted in the complete rout of the Indians, the capture of many stolen horses and several Indian horses, the killing of twenty-five Indians, and the com- plete destruction of the rancheria, with its store of provisions. On his return, Major McCleve was attacked in a canyon, but the Indians were soon repulsed with a loss of three killed. In these two encounters the Indians lost twenty- eight killed and the troops one, Hall, who died the next day after the command returned.
On April 14th, 1863, the reports from Tucson stated that the Indians were hostile. They had driven away about forty head of cattle from San Xavier, and had also captured a train of twenty- eight mules, belonging to Mexican freighters who were hauling from Fort Yuma. Sub- Indian Agent Abraham Lyon was at Tucson at this time and arrangements were made so that he got a hundred stand of old arms, which he
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delivered to the Pima Indians to aid in the de- fense against the Apaches.
Indian hostilities were increasing, if that were possible. On April 25th, there appeared before Fort Bowie, about two hundred Indians. A running fight occurred between them and Cap- tain B. F. Harrover, who was sent out to meet them. It lasted about three hours. The In- dians were driven about four miles; one man was wounded and three Indians were killed. About this time orders came to "Show no mercy to adult male Apaches under any circumstances."
On April 6th, 1863, a treaty was concluded at Washington between John T. Usher, Commis- sioner on the part of the United States and a few of the chiefs and headmen of a few of the tribes of Indians, including a small representa- tion of Apaches. This treaty had no beneficial effect in Arizona, for, with the beginning of May, the Apaches were as active as ever. They attacked Captain Charles T. Hayden's train near the line of Chihuahua, but were driven off with the loss of eleven killed, including one of their chiefs. There was renewed activity in the fighting the Apaches. On May Sth, Colonel J. F. Chavez reported the capture of Gardo, who was reported killed in attempting to escape. On May 2nd, General West reported his campaign to the headquarters of the Gila. He thought the Indians were pretty well cleaned out, with the exception of a few about the Mimbres and the Copper Mines. On the day of General West's report, Captain T. T. Tidball, at Tucson, was ordered to make an attack on a rancheria of the Apaches in the Aravaipa Canyon, about
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