USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VIII > Part 14
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The report, continuing, says that their ill-will and constant war with the Mexicans arose from the fact that the Mexicans denied them any rights to the soil as original occupants, and waged wars of extermination against them; that the peace- able relations of the Apaches with the Americans continued until the latter adopted the Mexican theory of extermination, and by acts of inhuman
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treachery and cruelty made them our implacable foes; that this policy has resulted in a war which, in the last ten years, has cost us a thousand lives and over forty millions of dollars, and the country no quieter nor the Indians any nearer extermination than they were at the time of the Gadsden purchase; that the present war will cost the people of the United States between three and four millions of dollars this year (1871) ; that these Indians still beg for peace, and all of them can be placed on reservations and fed at an ex- pense of less than a half million of dollars a year, without the loss of a life.
This is rather a broad assertion and it was not borne out by subsequent events. However, these representations were considered by the Presi- dent, and Commissioner Colyer was directed to proceed to New Mexico and Arizona, and there take such measures as he deemed wisest to locate these Apaches upon suitable reservations, feed, clothe, and otherwise care for them, and the President instructed the War Department to co- operate with the Commissioner. In obedience to these orders he went to these Territories, and in consultation with the officers of the Army, Indian Agents in New Mexico, and officers of the Army under General Crook in Arizona, Mr. Colyer pro- ceeded to put his plans into execution, and in his report he says :
"The Indians came in gladly in large numbers, and at last advices over four thousand, being one- half of all the roving Apaches, were living peace- ably upon the reservations; that no depredations have been committed by any of these Indians since they came in, and that before spring, if
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they are unmolested, and have sufficient food, we shall have peace restored to these Terri- tories; that Generals Schofield, Stoneman, and other army officers reported that the Apaches who came into the military posts last year paid for a large part of the rations issued to them by sup- plying hay and wood to the garrisons at much less cost to the Government than that paid to the contractors for the Army." The report says: "That the act of Captain Nelson, the army offi- cer in command at Camp Grant, in turning back the party of two hundred armed citizens, who im- periously demanded to cross the Indian reserva- tion at that post, was necessary; saved the three hundred Indians collected there from another bloody massacre, and the nation from a disgrace, and thanks Captain Nelson for it."
This, of course, was mere assumption. The citizens of Tucson, in common with all citizens of Arizona, were anxious to interview Colyer ; find out just what his disposition was towards them, and what his plans were for ending the Indian war. It is nonsense to suppose for a moment that two hundred citizens would attack a fort like that of Grant while the military were in pos- session, well armed and equipped with gatling guns, just for the pleasure of murdering a few Indians there. General Crook condemned Nel- son for issuing this order, saying that the road passing from Florence to within four miles of the post was a public highway and that to deny any armed American the right to enter the reserva- tion, was to deny anyone the right to travel over this road, since it was necessary for self-protec-
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tion that all parties should carry arms in travel- ing.
General Crook had issued an order to enlist twenty-five Apache Indians as scouts, to fight the Apaches, but upon learning that Colyer was coming into the Territory on a peace mission, re- scinded the order. In reference to this Mr. Col- yer says: "The order countermanding the previ- ous order of General Crook, of employing Apaches to fight Apaches, was made by the Gen- eral himself, greatly to his honor." It should be remembered that General Crook, when hostilities were resumed by orders from Washington, en- listed Apaches to fight Apaches, and in this way conquered the hostile tribes.
Mr. Colyer says he was "received with cordial- ity by General Granger (commander in New Mexico), General Crook, and all the officers of the army in New Mexico and Arizona, and that there was at no time any discord of action."
Upon his return to Washington the reserva- tions which he had selected, and the arrange- ments which he had made for the protection and subsistence of the Indians upon them, under the care of the officers of the army under General Crook, were approved by the President and the Secretary of the Interior, and directions given by General Sherman for their permanency.
Of the complaints made by officials and editors of newspapers in Arizona, of a want of courtesy toward the white settlers, as well as the vitupera- tion and abuse of the press of Arizona and Cali- fornia, the commissioner takes but slight notice. He said that the business for which he was sent was accomplished, and that he trusted for his
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vindication to time and the results with which he believed God would prosper the work. Suffice it to say that it was found necessary in a very short time to set aside his report, and to instruct General Crook to resume hostilities.
The report opens with extracts from the report of Agent Steck, Indian Agent for New Mexico, for 1857-58 and '59, showing the condition of the Apaches in New Mexico at that time in a very favorable light, and then, continuing, recites the slaughter of the Apaches of Mangus Colorado's band by Johnson in 1841, which has been before recited; the capture of Cochise and some of his Indians by Lieutenant Bascomb; the escape of Cochise; the murder of his warriors which drove Cochise and his band into war against the whites, ending with the Pinole Treaty of King Woolsey, which has been fully recited in these pages, to- gether with the killing of Mangus Colorado while a prisoner, and other outrages committed by the whites upon the Indians.
Mr. Colyer further says: "With these official records before us, showing the injustice and folly of their treatment by the Mexicans in denying them any rights to the soil on which they lived as the original occupants ; their goodwill toward the Americans, who, on their first acquaintance, treated them justly ; their industrious habits and peaceable character when placed on reservations and allowed a fair opportunity to gain a liveli- hood; the inhuman treachery and cruelty on the part of white men, which have made them our im- placable foes, and the heavy cost, both in life and treasure, which these events have entailed upon us, we have felt it our duty, for the last three
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years, to endeavor to better the condition of the Apache Indians of Arizona. Of the present character of these Indians there is not much dif- ference of opinion between 'Christians' and 'Ex- terminators,' but in their treatment as one believes in their salvation, the other in their de- struction-there is disagreement.
"Congress, at the earnest solicitation of the board, having passed the appropriation of $70,000, referred to in our report of last year, 'to collect the Apache Indians of Arizona and New Mexico on reservations, furnish them with sub- sistence and other necessary articles, and to pro- mote peace and civilization among them,' the board at its meeting in May directed 'its secre- tary to visit the Apache country, to take such measures as might seem expedient to prevent the perpetration of further outrages like the Camp Grant massacre, and, if possible, avert the appre- hended war.'
"On the 13th day of July, in company with Commissioner George H. Stuart, I called upon the President at Long Branch, New Jersey, and, reporting to him the condition of affairs in New Mexico and Arizona, we received letters from him to the Secretary of the Interior and Secre- tary of War, directing that enlarged powers be given to such agent as the Secretary of the Inte- rior might select to effect 'so desirable an object' as above indicated.
"The acting Secretary of the Interior having selected me as the agent, authorized and re- quested me to proceed to New Mexico and Ari- zona Territories, and there take such action as in my judgment seemed wisest and most proper
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for locating the nomadic tribes of these Terri- tories upon suitable reservations, bringing them under the control of the proper officers of the Indian Department, and supplying them with necessary subsistence, clothing, and whatever else might be needed. The Department invested me with full powers to be exercised according to my discretion in carrying into effect its views in re- lation to the Indians referred to."
The gist of his report is contained in letters from Mr. Colyer, which follow : The first two let- ters relate entirely to the Indians of New Mexico, and are not of particular importance to Arizona. The other letters I give in their entirety :
"Camp Apache, Arizona Territory, "September 6, 1871.
"Since my last letter, dated August 22, 1871, I have the honor to report that, in company with Nathaniel Pope, superintendent of Indian af- fairs in New Mexico, John Ward as interpreter, and Philip Gonzales, as guide, with an escort of twenty soldiers under a sergeant of the Fif- teenth U. S. Infantry, Company K, we left Camp Craig, New Mexico, on the 23rd of August, 1871, with fifteen days' rations, for the Apache Indian country, in New Mexico and Arizona, to inspect the upper valley of Cañada, Alamosa, beyond the mountains, at Hot Springs, Ojo Caliente, and the Tularosa Valley, to ascertain their suitableness for an Indian reservation. After a very inter- esting ride of three days, travelling about twenty_ eight miles a day and camping at night, we ar- rived at noon of the 25th at Ojo Caliente. We here met, by appointment, O. F. Piper, Esq., agent for the Southern Apaches, who, in com-
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pany with Senor Trojero, alcalde of the Mexican village of Cañada, his nephew, and Sergeant Stackpole, Fifteenth United States Infantry, had ridden on horseback over the mountains which run between the Cañada proper and the Springs. They also brought with them Loco, one of the Apache chiefs, who had been in com- pany with the Senor Trojero over to Arizona in search of Cochise, under the direction of Super- intendent Pope, who had already forwarded to the Department an account of their expedition, and of its failure, owing to Trojero's having fallen in with General Crook, commanding the department of Arizona, and being as he says, or- dered back and forbidden to pursue his errand further.
"We examined the neighborhood of Ojo Cali- ente (Hot Springs) carefully, and finding the area of land capable of being cultivated far too small for the necessities of a tribe as large as this band of Southern Apaches, we were very reluc- tantly compelled to seek further. Its proximity to Cañada Alamosa, though separated by high hills or mountains, and, like that valley, it being a favorite place of resort of the Indians, made us hope to find it suitable for a reservation.
"Trojero, the scout, said that the Mexicans em- ployed by General Crook, whom he met at his camp, were among the worst villains in Mexico, and the Indians were part of Miguel's band of peaceable Apaches from the White Mountain reservation, who said they had to enlist in the service or be considered enemies.
"These stories, circulated by Trojero among them; his having been sent back by General
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Crook, together with the excitement produced by the threats of massacre from the settlers at Rio Mimbres, so alarmed the Indians that it was next to impossible to secure an interview with them, although Agent Piper had promised any and all of them presents, who would come out to meet the 'commissioner from Washington,' whom they were eager to see, but only two, Loco and Francisco, the Navaho interpreter, could be per- suaded to trust themselves, and Loco trembled like a frightened child when they saw us coming. Time, however, with patience and care, will yet succeed. We left Ojo Caliente on Saturday, 26th August, resting over Sunday, and, after a very interesting trip, we arrived at the Tularosa Valley on the 29th of August, and the White Mountain reservation, this place, on the 2d of September.
"VALLEY OF THE TULAROSA.
"I carefully inspected the valley and neighbor- hood of the Tularosa river, and finding the same to possess most of the requisites necessary for a home for the Indians, it being remote from white settlements, surrounded by mountains not easily crossed, sufficient arable land, good water, and plenty of wood and game, I officially notified Colonel Pope that I would designate it as an In- dian reservation, agreeably to the authority given to me by you in your letter of the 21st July ; and I telegraphed to the Secretary of the Interior, via Santa Fe, to that effect, on the 29th August.
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"CAMP APACHE, ARIZONA.
"I was received very kindly by Colonel Green, commanding, and the officers of the post, at Camp Apache, and found that at the time of my arrival dispatches had been received from Gen- eral Crook at Camp Verde, countermanding his order to enlist Apache Indians to fight Apaches, which was construed by those present to mean a virtual suspension of hostilities. This order of General Crook, abandoning the practice of taking peaceable Indians from the cornfields and compelling them to go on the warpath against their brethren, speaks much for his humanity and good sense, and was a great relief
to my mind. The General being on his way to Prescott, where his headquarters are estab- lished, and his campaign for the present being at an end, all fears of my orders crossing his movements are now removed. There are sev- eral tribes and bands of Indians, who have lived here for many generations, and who could not be removed to either Camp Grant or the Tula- rosa Valley without great suffering to them- selves, possibly a war of great expense to the Government, and as this reservation had been set apart for this special purpose by the War Department, under the advice of the late Gen- eral Thomas, I concluded, with the matured ad- vice of Colonel John Green, to select it as a reservation, and asked that the protection, pro- visioning, &c., ordered by the Government, be extended to the Indians at this place also. I enclose you a copy of my letter to Colonel Green upon the subject. Before leaving Santa Fe I
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believe that I reported that I had set apart $2,000 to be expended and forwarded, under the superintendence of W. T. M. Arny, Agent of the Pueblos, for clothing, a few agricultural imple- ments, subsistence, &c., in good order and well selected. We have waited four days for the Indians to come in, and to-day, about three hun- dred and forty reported.
"INDUSTRY OF THE APACHES.
"I inclose several reports of Lieutenant Colonel Green, giving an account of his ex- perience with and the character of these Apaches. By referring to one of these letters you will see Colonel Green, First Cavalry, says : 'The Apache Indians furnished one hundred and ninety tons of hay,' for which he paid them in flour. They brought it into his camp, in the White Mountains, fifteen tons a day. They sup- plied the garrison with all the wood they used, bringing it in at the rate of thirty cords a day, using their hands and a few broken axes to break it off, and the hay they cut with old knives, and the whole was brought into the post on their backs, and it was really interesting to see the spirit in which they went to work, and what nice, clean hay they brought in, much superior to any I have seen furnished by contractors in Arizona. Yesterday upwards of four thousand pounds were brought. Even the children went to work with alacrity. One little child that could scarcely walk brought in nine pounds, for which he received three-quarters of a pound of flour, and was highly delighted with his success.
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I propose to supply the new post with hay in the same way, which will be much cheaper than if done by contract.
"I was sorry that the supply of grain at this post did not admit of my complying fully with the general's wishes in giving them corn for seed. I could illy spare a very small amount, so that their planting will not be as extensive this year as I had hoped. I am in hopes that by next year I will be able to furnish them with sufficient seed, and would also respectfully recommend that the department commander urge the necessity of furnishing the ruder imple- ments of agriculture, as at present their only means of farming are sharpened sticks, and it is wonderful to see with what advantage they use them. They frequently ask for other seed than corn, particularly pumpkins, beans, squashes, and melons. It would probably be well for the Indian Bureau to send an agent to look after the interests of these people. I ask them, 'Why are you so poor?' and the answer invariably is, 'How can we be otherwise ? We had not much originally, and now we can get nothing; we do not steal; we cannot go to the mescal country, as we are liable to be met and killed by scouting parties.' I know myself this to be the case, hence they have either to starve or steal; or we must feed them until they can raise enough for themselves. Mrs. Green informed me that when the sick garrison was removed from Camp Goodwin, on account of its unhealthiness, to this place, she was carried all the way, ninety miles. over the mountains, on a litter, by the Apaches, on their shoulders; she having been an invalid
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at that time. Mrs. Green was much attached to them in consequence. I expect to leave for Camp Grant in a day or two. V. C."
"CAMP GRANT, ARIZONA TERRITORY. "September 18, 1871.
"Immediately after the massacre of the peace- able Indians at Camp Grant by the citizens of Tucson, the news was received by the peaceable Apaches on the White Mountain reservation, and nearly all of them, some six hundred in number, under the leadership of Es-cet-e-cela, their chief, fled frightened to the mountains. The evening before their departure a herder, a soldier detailed for that duty was killed. The only band which remained was Miguel's, num- bering about two hundred and seventy-five In- dians, under that chief. Colonel Green de- manded of Miguel the arrest of the murderer; Miguel replied that he did not belong to that band. The Colonel persisted, and Miguel sent out and had one of Es-cet-e-cela's Indians killed, and parts of the body brought in as testimony that the order was executed. On the arrival of General Crook some twenty-five Indians belong- ing to Miguel's band were enlisted as scouts, much against their will as we afterwards learned, to operate against the other Apaches.
"These twenty-five Indians, acting under Colonel Guy V. Henry's orders, had attacked a rancheria within hearing of the garrison at Camp Apache, and killed five Indians of Es-cet- e-cela's band. As I before reported to you, on
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the evening of my arrival at the reservation, four couriers arrived from General Crook at Camp Verde, one hundred and sixty miles dis- tant, from which place they had ridden in three days, with orders to discontinue the enlistment of Indians, the orders having previously been to enlist as many as one hundred.
"Hearing that Es-cet-e-cela was in the moun- tains near the post, I dispatched his son-in-law, a Mr. Stevens, mailrider at the post, with a mes- sage for him to come in, a promise of protection, and a suit of clothes. Miguel had been sent for by Colonel Green, some days before. The two chiefs arrived the same afternoon, September 6th, and visited me apart.
"I told Es-cet-e-cela the war was over, and all offenses must be forgiven. He said the soldier- herder was not killed by one of his band, but by an Indian from Rio Bonita, sent over by the In- dian survivors from Camp Grant massacre to stir them up to war. He complained of Miguel's killing an innocent Indian for it, and afterwards killing five more of his band without cause. We had hard work to reconcile him, but, with the aid of Colonel Green and Mr. Cooley, the interpreter, we succeeded. The chiefs met, stood some forty feet apart, eyeing each other, with arms folded haughtilv. The interpreter stepped up, and, leading Miguel forward, put his hand into the hand of Es-cet-e-cela , when they first shook hands and then embraced.
"The next day we opened the boxes of cloth- ing, coats, pantaloons, manta (sheeting), calico, thread, needles, awls, handkerchiefs, and VIII-15
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blankets, and placing them in charge of Mrs. Colonel Green, who has been a warm friend of the Indians; arranged the Apaches in bands and families, and, taking a careful list of the names of the heads of all the families, with the number of their wives and children, Mrs. Green, dis- tributed to every one, three hundred and sixty- two persons all told, a suit of good clothing. Without being solicited to do so, the chiefs all dressed in coats and pantaloons, and many more young men requested pantaloons and coats than we could supply. When all had received their presents, and were departing for their villages, a happier, more grateful and decently behaved set of poor people I have never seen.
"TALK WITH COYOTERO APACHE CHIEFS, CAMP APACHE, ARIZONA TERRITORY.
"A few hours before the issue of clothing, the following interview with the Apache chiefs was held at Camp Apache, (Fort Thomas), Arizona Territory, September 7, 1871. In the presence of Colonel John Green and the officers of the post, Commissioner Colyer opened the council with prayer, and, addressing the chiefs, said his words would be few; Colonel Green would in- form them what his orders were from the Presi- dent. The colonel told them that he was in- structed to feed all the Apaches who came in and remained peaceable upon the reservation, the boundaries of which were explained to them. Commissioner Colver then said that the great council (Congress) at its last session appro- priated money to feed and clothe them as long
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as they remained at peace and upon the reserva- tion; if they went off the reservations they were liable to be killed.
"Es-cet-e-cela shakes hands: 'He asked God's blessing upon this meeting. It is getting late and he has but little to say. He has heard all that is said, and before God, he believes that it is good. Tonight he will sleep well. He won't have to tread sleepless over the mountains, but has a plain road. Now they have grass, can hunt the turkey, and have what they need. Some of his people are absent, but he will get word to them as soon as possible; for the pur- pose of getting them in he wants a pass.'
"Commissioner Colyer said: 'The colonel will give it to him.'
"Miguel .- 'He has but little to say. He sees now that we have fixed things so that he won't have any stones to stumble against. He, like the commissioner, has but little to say, but what little he does say he means to live up to. His reputation is well known as a man of peace. He likes his home and quiet way of living. He has always been a farmer on the Carrizo, and that valley has been father and mother to him. He sees that when the soldiers do wrong they have balls and chains to their feet, therefore he is afraid to do wrong, nor has he any desire to. In his youth he was wild, but since he was up to Santa Fe and talked with his governor, he has kept on the Carrizo and worked on his farm. He asked for Stevens and Cooley as his agents. He knows Cooley, and wants him to keep his young men from going out. Some of his people are sick, and he has corn to gather, so he wants
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to go home in the morning. He will come in to see the colonel whenever he can. Sometime since he was told his father from Washington would come, and now he has come. His beef and his corn will be weighed out to him; when can he reach up to it? He would like his beef issued on the hoof, so that he can get the hide and tallow. (The colonel so promised.) He sees that peace has been actually restored. When his young men return from General Crook, he will see that they do not go soldiering any more. It is well one of his soldiers came back sick.'
"The morning after the distribution of cloth- ing, Miguel, Es-cet-e-cela, and Pedro, with sev- eral headmen, called at our quarters to bid us goodbye. Miguel said he should pray to the Great Spirit to take care of the commissioner, and, hereafter, if any soldier kicked him (Miguel), he should send him word to tell the President.
"DEPARTURE FOR CAMP GRANT.
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