USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VIII > Part 10
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"June 5th, Indians killed Mr. Gantt, at Agua Fria, and captured the herd of Bowers Brothers, numbering one hundred and sixty animals.
"June 7th, a large force of Indians devastated the Upper Santa Cruz Valley, killed four men and wounded two. Among the killed were two
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Americans named Saunders and Blanchard; the balance killed and wounded were Mexicans.
"June 16th, Indians stole four horses from Mr. Lambertson at Walnut Grove.
"June 23rd, Indians murdered Mr. Cooper near the Vulture Mine.
"July 7th, Indians killed a mail rider and cap- tured a mail wagon near the Apache Pass.
"July 9th, Indians fired into a party of miners between Prescott and Bradshaw, and wounded one man named Leonard.
"July 10th, Indians stole five mules from a set- tler near Wickenburg.
"July 11th or 12th, a company of infantry, under Captain Smith, was attacked by a band of Cochise's Indians between the Cienega and Rio San Pedro; one private, W. H. Harris, was killed, and three wounded.
"July 22nd, Indians drove off a herd of cattle from the upper Santa Cruz, finishing a series of continual raids in the course of which two hun- dred head of horses and cattle had been captured from the valley.
"July 20th, Indians captured the Government herd at Camp Bowie, killed the herder, one Mc- Dougall, and wounded a soldier named Foley.
"July 24th, Abraham Henning murdered by In- dians near Camp Hualapai.
"July 25th, two men fired upon by Indians a few miles north of Prescott, and one slightly wounded. Two horses killed at the mining camp on the Hassayampa. Two mules stolen by In- dians from the premises of C. Y. Shelton at Lynx Creek.
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"July 26th, a band of Indians visited Walnut Grove and stole eleven head of stock from the corral of Wm. Simmons.
"August 3rd, Indians, a second time, captured the herd of Bowers Brothers at Agua Fria.
"On the same day Indians made an attack upon Messrs. Rogers and Smith, near Camp Date Creek.
"August 5th, Messrs. Harrington and Whisler murdered and a Mexican wounded near Camp Verde, the animals and arms of the murdered men secured by the savages.
"August 6th, Indians captured fourteen head of horses and mules, the property of Wales Ar- nold, near Camp Verde.
"August 7th, Joseph Burroughs murdered by Indians near Camp Verde. Mail stage fired into while en route to Wickenburg from Prescott.
"August 14th, Indians stole thirty head of stock from a ranch near San Xavier on the Santa Cruz.
"August 22nd, Indians drove off three horses belonging to Mr. Lambertson, from his farm at Walnut Grove.
"August 25th, six mules stolen by Indians from Captain Kaufman's escort, between Camp Verde and the Little Colorado.
"September 1st, eight head of horses, the prop- erty of a party of miners, stolen by Indians from Pine Flat.
"September 5th, Gabriel, a Mexican herder in the employ of Mr. Campbell, murdered by In- dians at Chino Valley.
"September 6th, Indians visited Camp Mc- Dowell, killed some stock, and carried off tents and clothing.
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"September 4th, Indians captured seventy-five head of Government animals from Camp Critten- den.
"September 10th, Indians fired into a detach- ment of Pinal prospectors, killed one man and two horses.
"September 13th, a mail rider and a stock herder murdered by Indians two miles from Tuc- son, the mail captured and destroyed, and the mule of the mail rider taken by the Indians to the Camp Grant Reservation.
"September 22nd, Indians visited the settle- ment at Agua Fria, and burned a house belong- ing to Daniel Hatz.
"September 23rd, a party of Indians captured a herd of twenty cattle from a ranch two miles south of Tucson. They were followed by a party of citizens, and so closely pursued that they aban- doned the plunder and took refuge on the Camp Grant Reservation.
"Some three weeks ago an American and a German left Prescott to hunt for game, and not having been heard from since, the supposition is that they have been murdered.
"Then, within the past few weeks, and while the Indians had full knowledge of the presence in their midst of a 'Peace Commission,' they broke into and robbed a house at Skull Valley; stole a horse from T. W. Boggs of lower Agua Fria, over a ton of corn from John Townsend of the same place, and hundreds of bushels of corn from farmers of other localities, shot at the mail carrier near Wickenburg, and fired upon some men at Kirkland Valley."
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CHAPTER VIII.
OUTRAGES BY INDIANS (Continued).
GOVERNOR SAFFORD'S MESSAGE CALLS ATTENTION TO OUTRAGES-PUBLIC SENTIMENT IN REFER- ENCE TO CAMP GRANT MASSACRE-MILITARY ACCOUNT OF CAMP GRANT MASSACRE-TRIAL OF PARTICIPANTS-CHARGE OF JUDGE TITUS- DEFENDANTS ACQUITTED-MORE OUTRAGES BY INDIANS-LIEUTENANT CUSHING'S EXPEDI- TIONS AGAINST HOSTILES-KILLING OF LIEU- TENANT CUSHING.
In his message to the Legislative Assembly at Tucson, January 14th, 1871, Governor Safford called attention to recent outrages in the month of August, linking the Indians in a simultaneous movement along the Southern Overland Route. Two stage drivers were killed, one stage captured and all on board were murdered. A train was taken and all with it killed. A stage station twenty-two miles east of Tucson was taken, and but two of the inmates escaped alive. Several others were killed about that time. He said that the Coyoteros and Apache-Mohaves, branches of the Apache tribe, had expressed a desire for peace, and that a large reservation had been set apart for the former by the United States. He said: "I visited the reservation in June last, and believe the larger number of this band earnestly desire peace. I found they were very poor, with no seed for planting except that furnished by the military authorities, and they were of necessity obliged to roam over a large extent of country, as
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Indians always are, unless provided with ample agricultural facilities. I found the military do- ing everything possible to provide them with seeds, but were not authorized to supply even their present wants, except in limited amounts; consequently the Indians had to principally de- pend upon game for subsistence. Much dissatis- faction and ill-feeling exist on the part of the set- tlers on account of the general belief that por- tions of this tribe join with marauding bands against them, and, as soon as their nefarious work is done, return to their reservation for safety. The Apache-Mohaves have received no assistance except from the military authorities, and that of necessity has been limited; and from personal observation, strengthened by informa- tion received from officers and citizens who have been more or less among them, I am convinced that they have been for some time past in a suf- fering condition ; and I shall not be surprised if in a few weeks, and perhaps days, they are again in open hostility. Three persons were murdered recently near Prescott, and it is charged, by well- informed citizens, to these Indians. They have also banded together in considerable numbers, and made demands on the inhabitants of Chino Valley for food, with which the latter were un- able to comply. The Indians retired without ac- tually commencing hostilities, but informed the people that they would return with increased numbers and take what they wanted. The dan- ger was considered so imminent that all the fami- lies of the valley were removed to Prescott for safety, and quite as much alarm now prevails with the people as when these Indians were in avowed hostility.
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"The Indians now engaged in open hostility are the Pinals, Tontos, what is commonly known as Cochise's band, and more or less renegades from all the bands that assume to be on terms of peace. It is also a well established fact that the Navahos, who occupy a reservation in New Mex- ico, have made frequent raids, and stolen prop- erty and murdered citizens as far west as Pres- cott. I believe I have fairly stated to you the condition and position the Apache Indians oc- cupy toward us at present."
An account of what is known as the "Camp Grant Massacre" has been given in a previous volume in the biography of W. S. Oury. The following, clipped from the two leading papers in the Territory at that time, shows public senti- ment in reference thereto: The "Arizona Citi- zen" of May 6th, 1871, says :
"The canyon is situated south of the Gila River, some forty miles east of Florence, and about sixty miles north of Tucson. For weeks it had been known that a band of Indians was camped in that vicinity, and numbers of animals were stolen from the friendly Papagoes near Tucson. Four citizens in the San Pedro Valley were murdered by the party there encamped. These discoveries were rendered more believable by the fact that it was redskins, and that they had made one of the old style Pinal Treaties with the commander at Camp Grant. They had been receiving rations from that post for some time, and had, in an apparently friendly mood, settled themselves in the canyon near the post, and while eating government supplies would make their murderous raids and return under the shadow,
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as it were, of Camp Grant, gorging themselves on the meat of stolen mules, horses, donkeys, and cattle, rejoicing in their success, gloating over their plunder, living in fancied security, and pre- paring to make another raid on some settlers or travellers. Having proof of their treachery, the dwellers in Tucson and vicinity went after these Pinals, and of the entire band in camp, after the attack, only seven are known to have escaped."
The "Prescott Miner," under date of June 10th, 1871, has the following :
"Many declare that the Indians killed 'were under the protection of the Government, having surrendered themselves and being considered prisoners of war.'
"Yes! as prisoners of war, armed to the teeth, unrestricted, and under no surveillance what- ever. Prisoners of war, camped at a distance of four miles from the post to which they owed obe- dience. Prisoners of war who visited the valley of the Santa Cruz, distant eighty miles, and mur- dered two persons, and captured all the cattle and horses in the neighborhood, a few of which, to- gether with an ornament worn by one of the vic- tims, were recaptured at Camp Grant. Prison- ers of war who next captured the United States mail twelve miles east of the San Pedro, and sixty-five miles from their rancheria and mur- dered the driver. Prisoners of war who marched to the San Pedro settlement and there murdered the last settlers in the valley, whence the aven- ging force followed their trail to the Camp Grant encampment. Prisoners of war who had just succeeded in all their depredations and were again on the warpath to the number of more than
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a hundred, with the commanding officer at Camp Grant at the head of forty men following on their trail. Over five hundred Indians, fantastically styled 'Prisoners of War,' to whom provisions and ammunition were supplied. Less than three hundred and fifty Indians were present when the Papago Indians made the attack. The band were on the warpath with Captain Stanwood in pursuit.
"We have seen the action of the Papago In- dians and the men who accompanied them termed a cowardly slaughter of helpless women and children. We do not know it to be such, but we are credibly informed that some of the women and children were killed, which could not pos- sibly have been otherwise where men and women are collected indiscriminately, and men, particu- larly Papago Indians, in the excitement of battle, are not the proper persons of whom to expect wise discrimination. We should be as ready as any of our contemporaries, to denounce a war upon women and children, but such this was not. It was the action of the people, aroused by govern- mental neglect, who took up arms and marched forward, prepared to encounter the enemy of double their number, and avenge their wrongs, or perish in the attempt, and we say: 'God speed every such mission.' "
From Bourke, "On the Border with Crook"; Dunn, "Massacres of the Mountains"; and the Fish manuscript, I condense the following:
In February, 1871, a party of women came into Camp Grant in search of a captive boy. Through them communications were had with Es-kim-in-zin, the chief of the band. The chief
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said that his people wished to make peace. As there were no provisions made for caring for them, Lieutenant Royal E. Whitman, who was in command at the post, told them to go to the White Mountains. They were not willing to do this. It was finally agreed that they were to sur- render to him and remain around the post as prisoners for the present. By March 5th about three hundred had come in and surrendered. Some of them were too old to go on the warpath, and some were peaceably inclined. Whitman sent a full account of this to division headquar- ters, and six weeks later received an answer stat- ing that his communication had not been in- dorsed in accordance with official etiquette, and it was returned therewith, with instructions to return it to Department Headquarters "prop- erly briefed." The fate of three hundred people was of less importance than the manner of ad- dressing a report. The red tape business with our Government has caused much trouble and delays which could be avoided. These Indians were employed in some useful work, such as cut- ting hay, etc. They were counted and rations issued to them every day, but soon after being removed a little further from the post, the count and issuing of rations was every third day. They behaved well as far as known by the officers in charge. The citizens, especially at Tucson and vicinity, were indignant at this feeding of the Apaches, and refused to believe that they had surrendered in good faith. The military au- thorities had not taken the necessary precaution to prevent the hostiles from coming in and mix- ing with them. Most of these Indians were
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friendly, but there were, doubtless, some hostiles in this number who were on hand to aid those who were on the warpath.
The following is the military account of the Camp Grant Massacre, condensed from the Fish manuscript :
In accordance with the peace policy which had been decided upon by the United States Govern- ment, these Indians were placed upon a reserva- tion not far from the post. They were princi- pally the Pinal and Aravaipa bands of Apache Indians. After some experimenting, Royal E. Whitman, a lieutenant in the Third Cavalry, was assigned to duty as their agent. He was unscru- pulous, and had outside parties in Tucson to work the business. A sutler's store was first started, then a blacksmith shop, and butcher shop. His sharp practices and moneymaking proclivities soon became disagreeable to the In- dians. Some have claimed that this caused dis- satisfaction when it was discovered that they were being cheated out of what the Government was giving them, but notwithstanding all these stories, and that Whitman was considered by many as a worthless fellow, he had great in- fluence with the Indians, and could do more with them than any one else. During the winter of 1870-71, it was claimed that these Indians com- mitted many depredations within a radius of a hundred miles to the southwest. On the killing of Wooster and wife on the Santa Cruz, above Tubac, indignation meetings were held in Tucson. At these meetings there was much "speechify- ing," as we are told, about killing the "red devils." It was claimed that it was these In-
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dians around Camp Grant that were committing the depredations. Arrangements were made at one of these meetings to organize a militia force, and W. S. Oury was elected captain. The reso- lutions drawn up received the signature of eighty-two of the Americans. One result of these meetings was the appointing of a com- mittee to visit the department commander, Gen- eral Stoneman, who was at that time on the Gila, near Florence. The committee consisted of W. S. Oury, S. R. DeLong, J. W. Hopkins, and some others. They made a trip to the Gila, and saw the General. The result of the conference was, in substance, that the General had but few troops and could not protect nearly all the places, and could not give them any aid; as Tucson had the largest population of any place in the Ter- ritory, he gave the committee to understand that Tucson would have to protect itself. The com- mittee returned, a little disappointed in not getting the aid they had sought and hoped for, and feeling generally cross and grieved over their hard trip and the loss of a mule.
In the early part of April, 1871, a raid was made upon the San Xavier and stock driven off by Indians. They were pursued and some stock recovered. One Indian was killed. It was claimed that he was identified as one of the Camp Grant Indians, he having lost a certain tooth which made him a marked man. The pur- suing party returned to Tucson and claimed that the raiders were Camp Grant Indians. In a short time a plan was arranged to pursue the raiders. This plan was promulgated by one Jesus M. Elias. Some Papago Indians were
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sent for to assist, and it was arranged for all parties to meet on the Rillito on the 28th of April. This was done with great precaution and secrecy. Parties were sent to guard the road that no news should be taken to Camp Grant of any parties leaving Tucson. The various par- ties met as agreed, and comprised the following : Papagoes 92, Mexicans 48, and Americans 6, total 146. The Americans made a very small showing considering the amount of blustering they had done. Adjutant General J. B. Allen furnished a wagon with arms and ammunition and stores for the expedition. The father of the project, Jesus M. Elias, was elected commander of the company, although W. S. Oury was along and seems to have been one of the main ones in the enterprise. The company left the Rillito at 4 p. m. They rested most of the next day on the San Pedro to avoid being seen, then started at dark, making an all night's march, and reached the Indian camp just at daylight and, in full view of the post, fell upon their unsus- pecting victims, killing a hundred and twenty- eight of them in a few minutes. The surprise was complete, and old and young of both sexes went down before the assailants. Not one of the attacking party was hurt. Twenty-nine children were spared and taken by the Papagoes and sold as slaves. Out of this number, however, two escaped, and five were recovered from Ari- zonans. It was the custom with the Pimas as well as the Papagoes to sell the children taken from the Apaches to other tribes and into Sonora. The bloody deed was accomplished on the morning of the Holy Sabbath, April 30th,
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1871. The company then went into camp for breakfast and to spend a portion of the Lord's day in rest and thanks for their victory. Cap- tain Penn, commanding at Fort Lowell, sent word to Lieutenant Whitman of the movement. On receipt of the message the latter at once sent two men to tell the Indians to come in, but the message was too late, the bloody work had been done. Dr. Biresly, post surgeon, with twelve men, was then dispatched to the place with a wagon to bring in any wounded that might be found. In his report Dr. Biresly said: "On my arrival I found that I should have but little use for wagon or medicine. The work had been too thoroughly done. The camp had been fired, and the dead bodies of some twenty-one women and children were lying scattered over the ground. Those who had been wounded in the first instance had had their brains beaten out with stones. Two of the best looking of the squaws were lying in such a position, and from the appearance of the genital organs and of their wounds, there can be no doubt that they were first ravished and then shot. Nearly all the dead were mutilated. One infant of some ten months was shot twice, and one leg hacked nearly off."
The party claimed as a justification of this massacre that they found an Indian boy riding a horse which was identified as one belonging to Don Leopoldo, and that some of the clothing of Dona Trinidad Aguirre was also found. Take it altogether the proof against these Indians was very slight. The trail followed led toward this point, but it does not appear that it was at- tempted to be followed for the last thirty miles
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at least, for the march was made in the night to avoid being seen; besides, the trail was then some three weeks old. It matters but little as to the proof. No act could justify the indis- criminate massacre of women and children. At the December term of court a hundred and four of the perpetrators of this deed were indicted and tried before Judge Titus at Tucson, and were acquitted, the jury being out twenty min- utes. It was impossible, under the existing feel- ing, to convict a person for the killing of an Apache. One of the principal reasons for this trial was, perhaps, the fact that President Grant wrote to Governor Safford stating that if the men who participated in this massacre were not brought to trial before the civil authorities, he would proclaim martial law in Arizona. At all events, the trial was had, and in his charge to the jury Judge Titus, among other things, said :
"The Government of the United States owes its Papago, Mexican and American residents in Arizona protection from Apache spoliation and assaults. If such spoliation and assaults are persistently carried on and not prevented by the Government, then its sufferers have a right to protect themselves and employ a force large enough for that purpose. It is also to be added that if the Apache nation, or any part of it, per- sists in assaulting the Papagoes, Mexicans or Americans in Arizona, then it forfeits the right of protection from the United States, whether that right is the general protection which a Gov- ernment owes all persons within its limits and jurisdiction, or the special protection which is due to prisoners of war.
VIII-11
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"Now, gentlemen, what is the evidence before you on this branch of the question ? Have the Apache Indians, and especially that portion of them quartered near Camp Grant on which the deadly assault described in the indictment was made on the 30th day of April last, been per- sistently assailing, despoiling and murdering the Papago, Mexican and American residents of Arizona, and has this been prevented by the United States ? The evidence is quite full on this subject, and I submit to you whether it does or does not prove that the Apache Nation, and especially that portion of it on which the assault charged in the indictment was made on the 30th of April last, then and now is in hostility to all the Papago, Mexican and American residents in Arizona, including the defendants and such as they ? Has this or has it not been continued for years ? Has it been attended with loss of life and property ? And has the Government of the United States prevented this ? Does or does not the evidence in the present question show that the clothing, arms and other property of mur- dered and despoiled Papago, Mexican and American residents of Arizona have been found in the possession of those on whom the assault charged in the indictment was made; that an obvious trail or Indian road leads from the place or places of this murder and spoliation direct to the encampment, and that these Indians, before and since the assault charged in the indictment, have admitted their participation in this murder and spoliation ? After this is shown, is there any evidence that the United States Government has stopped this, or had done so on the 30th of
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April last ? If you find that the evidence proves these practices, you will find whether it proves also that they were and are persistent. If you find that the murder and spoliation had been or were, on the 30th of April last, persistent, or if you find that this murder and spoliation were not persistent, you will find accordingly one of the following conclusions :
"First: That the attack charged in the indict- ment was or was not a justifiable act of defensive or preventive hostilities, or
"Second: That it does or does not cast such reasonable doubt on the motive in making the assault charged in the indictment as will render you unable to see whether the defendants were actuated by murderous malice in making such an assault. Accordingly as you find the affirmative or negative of these conclusions, your verdict will be guilty or not guilty."
It must be admitted that this charge was equivalent to instructions to acquit the defend- ants, which was done.
Lieutenant Whitman seemed to have had re- markable success in gaining the confidence of the Indians, notwithstanding his moneymaking proclivities, as he induced many of them, under their chief, Es-kim-in-zin, to return after the outrage, believing that the military had no part in the massacre, but soon one of the returning parties by some blunder was fired upon by a squad of soldiers, and the Indians fled to the mountains, more hostile than ever.
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