USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VIII > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21
"Chief Es-cah-pah came to our wickiup and requested Cooley and the writer to accompany him to the camp of the soldiers, to have a 'peace- talk' with the 'big chief of the soldiers.' We promised the chief that we would go, but Dodd objected to the plan and declared that he would not remain behind in the Indian encampment. Dodd did not care to be left alone with the Apaches for the reason, as he said, 'the soldiers had been killing the Indians at every opportu- nity, and destroying their corn and other crops, and the Indians might retaliate by killing me.' It was necessary that one of us should remain in camp to look after our common and personal
47
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
plunder, and to act in case some unforeseen con- tingency should come up. Therefore, I said to Dodd, 'You and Charley go with the chief, and I will stay here with the Indians.'
"The chief accepted the change and smilingly said: 'I did want my younger brother with me, but he is without suspicion or fear, and shall remain with my people.' All matters being sat- isfactorily arranged, the 'peace party,' consist- ing of Chief Es-cah-pah, El Diablo (the chief's oldest brother), the cautivo, Miguel, as inter- preter, C. E. Cooley, and Henry Wood Dodd, started for the camp of the unknown soldiery, forty miles away to the southwest.
"Our 'peace party' reached the soldiers' camp in the afternoon of the same day, but instead of being received with open arms and crowned with white blossoms, they were immediately sur- rounded and disarmed by the troops and a strong guard placed over them, with orders to shoot down anyone or all of them should any move be made to escape.
"Here was a dilemma of which our Apaches in the rancheria and myself were in total igno- rance. Huero, the sub-chief, left in charge of our rancheria on the Carizo, sent out scouts to take note of all movements in and about the en- campment of the soldiers. The scouts, return- ing at intervals, reported that our peace party had undoubtedly been shot as not one of them could be seen in the soldiers' camp, and that the soldiers continued to fire upon any Apaches who exposed themselves. This situation of af- fairs naturally placed me in a very embarrassing position, to say the least, alone in the camp of
48
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
a wild, savage people, any one of whom might plug me at any moment, in retaliation for a relative killed by the troops. However, I deemed them a reasonable people; that they knew it was the original intention of the chief to have me along with his peace party and why it was otherwise ordered; that had I gone with the peace party my fate would have been the same. Therefore, the Apaches must know that I was no party to the 'white flag treachery' and the supposed murder of the peace party. Tak- ing this view of the situation I felt no alarm in the least, and carried myself as one of their own people. I talked with the sub-chief, Huero, and endeavored to convince him how improbable was the supposition that our peace party was killed, and how all would be well in the end.
"A little while before the sun set behind the range which bordered our rancheria on the west, and the third day after the departure of our peace party, Huero came to me and said: 'A large body of soldiers and some Apaches are now about two miles away;' that he did not see any one of our people with the troops, and, therefore, they must have been killed. I argued that it was unreasonable to suppose them to be murdered; that undoubtedly our friends were along with the approaching troops, but he had failed to distinguish them, owing to distance and they being mixed up with so many people. We discussed the situation; Huero was for leaving the rancheria at once, saying: 'We can easily get away from the soldiers,' and asked my ad- vice about the matter. I argued with Huero against his plan of running away; that to do so
49
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
looked bad; and indicated a cause for doing so. Furthermore, to abandon the place at the ap- proach of the troops would endanger the lives of our peace party, all of whom would be held as hostages for our return, and would be cowardly abandoned by us to their fate. My counsels pre- vailed, and not an Indian attempted to leave the rancheria. When the soldiers appeared in sight, one woman whose husband had quite re- cently been killed, became so frightened, she picked up her baby and fled.
"Seeing the troops yet a quarter of a mile away, Huero took my towel, which hung on the corner of our wickiup, and fastened one end of it to a stick, and the other end of the stick he tied with twisted bow strings into the top of a dwarf cedar near the south end of the little mesa, upon which was situate the rancheria, and perhaps fifty yards from our camp. When the troops were within about three hundred yards I walked out towards the south end of the mesa, where lay an oak log upon which I stood that I might have a better view of the approaching
troops. All the Apaches, men, women, and chil- dren, followed me and stood about the log, the sub-chief by my side on the log. It was about sunset when the troops filed past us at a distance of perhaps forty yards. As they passed I looked for the members of our party but could not see them, nor did Huero see them, and when the last man had passed, Huero said, 'Where are our people ?' I replied, 'Damfino, we must have overlooked them.' The troops made camp about a hundred and fifty yards north of and VIII-4
50
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
above our rancheria. During the passing by of the troops I failed to note a single friendly ex- pression on the face of any one of them; on the contrary, there was a sinister look and only a sidelong glance of the eyes towards me and the Indians; yet, I was not suspicious, and attrib- uted the ominous expressions to fatigue. Soon after the soldiers made camp our peace party came into our camp, and, as a consequence, there was much quiet rejoicing among our people, dissipating all thoughts of treachery on the part of the troops.
"The officers with this troop of horse were Captain Barry in command, Lieut. Frank Up- ham, since retired as Major, who died a few years ago at Santa Monica, California, and Lieut. Calhoun. Also with the troops were two civilians, one acting as interpreter, and the other one was George Cooler, for many years a resi- dent of Tucson, but who recently died at the Soldiers Home, Santa Monica, California. The twelve (tame) Apaches, including their chief Manuel, were along to do the trailing and mur- dering stunts.
"That evening the officers came down to our camp and had an Indian supper with us, the Apache women and girls, all of whom were more or less scantily clad, doing the culinary act. The guilelessness and wholesouled hospitality of the females, in their simple endeavor to entertain and to please the strangers, were unsuspicious of the fact that they and their little ones were to be most foully murdered on the morrow. When I looked on this. and that night learned of the in- tended massacre to take place early on the fol-
51
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
lowing morning, my very soul revolted at the heinousness of the crime and the foul treachery to be perpetrated.
"There was one man in our rancheria that was suspicious and who did not like the looks of things; it was Huero, the sub-chief. Several times during the evening and before the people went to sleep, he came to where I was sitting apart from the officers and taking no part in the general conversation, and asked what I thought about it, and if I thought the soldiers were all right. I answered him in the affirmative, and that so far as I could see or knew at the time, 'everything seems to be all right, and I see or know of no cause for apprehension on our part.' Finally he appeared to be satisfied, as I saw him no more that night.
"In the early days a story was current throughout New Mexico and Arizona that the Apaches used the precious metals in lieu of lead, which they made bullets of. I never gave much credence to the story, deeming it mythical and on a par with the numerous legends of 'lost mines' and 'buried treasures.'
"One day I was away from the rancheria in company with an Apache who was about my own age. We had sat down on a point overlooking the rancheria, and while we sat down, talking as best we could, a mixed jargon of Apache, English and Spanish, he pulled out his pouch. a pouch similar to those used by frontiersmen in the old days of the muzzle-loading rifle, a chunk of white metal, and, handing it to me, asked what it was. I was not a bit wiser than he, as I had never seen any but coined silver.
52
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
The chunk was the size of a large hen egg, and heavy as lead. I told him it was some kind of metal, and probably it was lead. At that time I did not know that lead was never found in a pure state, but only as a sulphide. As I re- turned the chunk to him, I asked him where he got it, and he pointed southward and said, 'It's about three sleeps from here, lying on the ground and is black ; plenty of it there and some day when the other two, Cooley and Dodd, go away, we will go and get some to make bullets.' Of course they could not melt it in the ordinary bullet ladle, but had to cut it into small squares and with smooth stones pounded it into bullets. It was only used in this way when they were short of lead. The Apache insisted that I keep the chunk and I put it in my sack. I handed it to Jack, and he said it was a silver nugget, and wanted to know where I got it. I told Jack the story as I tell it here. I never once attempted to find those 'planchas de plata.' "
53
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
CHAPTER IV. EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY (Con- tinued.)
CAPTAIN BARRY ORDERED BY COLONEL GREEN TO MASSACRE INDIANS - CAPTAIN BARRY DIS- OBEYS ORDERS AND IS PLACED UNDER AR- REST-BIG DANCE OF THE PINALS-"DODD'S DANCE" - RECEPTION BY THE TONTOS-AR- RIVAL AT CAMP RENO - INTERCEDE WITH GENERAL DEVIN FOR CAPTAIN BARRY-CAP- TAIN BARRY RELEASED AND RETURNED TO DUTY - DISBANDMENT OF EXPEDITION - DESCRIPTION OF C. E. COOLEY, HIS RANCH AND HIS SQUAWS.
"After the officers had returned to their camp and all the Indians were quietly sleeping in their several wickiups, the time being between one and two o'clock, Cooley said to me, 'What do you suppose those soldiers are here for ?' .Well,' I replied, 'to see the Indians; locate the rancheria ; note the topography of the country, and take a look around generally.' 'Not a bit of it,' replied Cooley. 'Captain Barry's orders were to secure you, then to kill every Indian in this camp, regardless of age or sex; that was Colonel Green's order for I heard it given. As for ourselves, we have been declared outlaws, subject to a drumhead courtmartial and summarily shot, unless we can clear ourselves of the charges.' To me this was a most astounding revelation and my blood fairly boiled with horror and indignation. I was responsible for
54
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
the presence of the Apaches, and to acquiesce in and become a party to such a dastardly, double- dyed act of treachery, was an act that even a dog would not be guilty of doing. I then resolved that come what may, no such dastardly work should go on if it was within my power to pre- vent or avoid it. I berated both Cooley and Dodd for bringing the troops there for so out- rageous a purpose, and told them that we, (my- self and the Indians), had ample time to get away, but that I had persuaded the Indians to stay there, and I would not stand for any such dirty work. As for Captain Barry, after re- ceiving the simple hospitality of these people, to reward kindness and hospitality with treachery and cold blooded murder, he would be a disgrace to humanity; that even the fiends in hell would feel themselves disgraced by such an act, and I could not nor would not stand for it. Cooley said in reply: 'I know it's an outrage and a shame, but Dodd and I were powerless to pre- vent the troops coming here, as all of us (the peace party ) were prisoners and under the eyes of a strong military guard, so you now under- stand the situation we are in.' Yet I failed to comprehend and said to Cooley, 'If you two are prisoners, how is it you are here in our camp ?' He replied that himself and Dodd were on parole, having pledged their honor not to escape, and that this was done to allay suspicion among the Indians; that the massacre would have taken place this evening had the troops arrived ear- lier; that the massacre was postponed until morning, fearing that in the darkness many of the Indians might possibly escape. While
55
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
Cooley was making the foregoing statement, I had risen and was ready for flight, and then he asked me what I was going to do, and I said, 'Notify the people that they may make their escape.'
"It will be remembered, as before stated, that the rancheria was located near the edge of a small mesa on the east side of, and overlooking the Carizo creek on the west. The narrow val- ley of the creek was thickly covered with wild cane (carizo) and on the west side of it was a steep mountain inaccessible to cavalry, It was the usual custom among the Apaches to have their camps on a mesa or point, with a mountain or rough country for a background. This was done as a precaution and for protection against any sudden raid by horsemen. Our rancheria was no exception to the rule, having a mountain adjoining both front and rear, and all our peo- ple had to do was to quietly slip off the mesa into the thick cane, then climb the precipitous moun- tain on the west side of the creek.
" 'Good God, don't do that,' said Cooley, now thoroughly excited, 'we are now outlawed and would be shot in the morning.' I answered, 'There's catching before hanging;' that I was not under parole and would hike with the Apaches; they could say to Captain Barry in the morning that they had mentioned the matter to me, and that sometime in the night I had warned the Indians and all had silently stolen away. Before this I had suggested to Cooley and Dodd that both skin out as they were made prisoners under a white flag, and under such cir- cumstances they had a perfect right to take ad-
56
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
vantage of the situation, but both refused to do so.
"Cooley then proposed that Dodd and himself get up and go to the soldiers' camp, awaken the officers and have another talk. I promised to say nothing to the sleeping Indians until they returned; but I warned them that too much treachery had already been practiced, and on the slightest sign of any more I would alarm the people, and 'I mean it, so help me God.' Both went up to the soldiers' camp, and I walked around among the Indians' wickiups, but kept a watchful eye on the military encampment. This was nearly three o'clock in the morning and I could see, but dimly, the sentries over the picket line.
"You must first catch your fish before you can eat it. To one like myself, whose whole life has been spent on the frontiers of our common country, and who is as familiar with the moun- tains and plains as most people are with the streets of their native villages, it appeared to me the acme of absurdity to even suppose that lumbering cavalrymen could catch me in the open should I choose to evade them. Hence it was evident to me that if you eat any fish, you must first catch them.
"At the first sign of treachery I intended to give the sleeping Indians warning. Cooley and Dodd were absent about an hour, perhaps, so it seemed to me, but it may not have been half that time, when both returned to camp.
" 'Well, how it is ?' I asked at once. Cooley being our talking man by the common consent of Dodd and myself, replied: 'I think Captain
57
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
Barry will disregard his Colonel's orders and not massacre the Indians.' I said, 'What you think don't go. I want more than guesswork in a matter of this kind.' He then said they had gone over the situation with Captain Barry and his Lieutenants; they intimated my attitude in the matter; that George Cooler had also taken part in the talk; that Cooler told Captain Barry that he knew Mr. Cooley at Fort Craig, New Mexico; that Cooley was Lieutenant and Quar- termaster at that post and that he, George Cooler, was a government wagonmaster under Cooley at that time, and a lot more was said at this conference. Yet I was not satisfied and Cooley said, 'Great God, Dodd, how did you understand Barry ?' Dodd replied, 'If I un- derstand the meaning of words, the Captain will not murder the Indians in the morning,' and to me he said, 'I pledge you my word on it.' I had great confidence in Dodd as he was a man of few words and absolutely fearless. By this time the stars in the eastern sky had commenced to grow dim, and relying on Dodd's statement, I lay down to sleep. The following morning, August 1st, I awoke quite late, and, springing up, I saw Captain Barry and Cooley walking along the brow of the mesa, and instantly felt that no massacre would take place.
"Captain Barry decided to hold a 'big talk' and told the chief to send out runners and have all his people in the rancheria for a 'big peace talk' next day. The Indians assembled, and I saw a few Pinals and White Mountain Apaches squatted among the bushes on the outskirts of
58
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
the rancheria, who were there to observe and hear what was said at the big pow-wow.
"On the 2nd of August the pow-wow took place. Captain Barry explained his orders from Colonel Green; that he had decided to dis- obey his orders to massacre them as a matter of humanity ; that the consequences to himself for disobeying his superior's orders was a very seri- ous matter and would cause him much trouble; that the Colonel received his orders from still higher authority which was above Colonel Green, and, said the Captain, 'I want the prin- cipal men of this tribe to go with these Ameri- cans to Camp McDowell where you will see General Thomas E. Devin, who is the only person that has the right to make peace with you, and if the General makes terms with you, he will give you papers that will protect you hereafter.'
"There was consternation among the females when the Captain made known his murderous orders, and a distinct murmur went the rounds among them. The women appeared greatly frightened and looked furtively about, and they nervously clutched their little ones as if to flee from the presence of some hideous monster. The men, on the contrary, received the news in silence and stoical indifference. On the chief's face appeared the shadow of a smile and a bale- ful glitter in his one eye. And I can never for- get the look of the sub-chief, Huero, when our eyes met as the captain stated his orders. How- ever, when the people learned of my actions of the night before, they simply idolized me as if I had done something heroic, and the stand I took the previous night undoubtedly had all to do
59
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
with the attitude of the Apaches toward me afterwards when in a worse and more dangerous predicament.
"The following day, August 3rd, Captain Barry returned with his troop to Colonel Green's camp at the junction of the east and west forks of the White river. When Captain Barry reported to his Colonel the results of his trip to the Apache rancheria on the Carizo, Colonel Green became very angry and ordered Barry to consider himself under arrest. The Captain was relieved of his command, and his First Lieutenant was ordered to assume com- mand of the troop.
"Soon afterwards the Colonel selected an- other site for Camp Ord, locating it on the mesa a little further eastward, where it is to-day, known as Fort Apache. This camp was strate- gically situated as it was in the center of the Apacheria. Having established a permanent military camp, with a part of his command as a garrison, Colonel Green returned with the re- mainder of his force to Camp Goodwin south of the Gila. Soon after his arrival at Camp Good- win the Colonel formulated a set of 'charges and specifications' against Captain Barry, in which he alleged 'disobedience of orders' and the viola- tion of certain articles of war; all of which. summed up, was 'conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.' These charges, specifications, etc., were sent to General Devin, commanding the southern military district of Arizona, and whose headquarters were then at Camp McDowell.
60
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
"In pursuance with the agreement with Cap- tain Barry, our three selves, the chief Es-cah- pah, the chief's brother, El Diablo, one middle- aged woman, Miguel, the cautivo interpreter, and twenty-six picked warriors, about ten o'clock A. M., August 3rd, 1869, made another and second start westward. This time our ob- jective point was Fort McDowell, and not, as in the first instance, a search for an El Dorado, with Sombrero Butte, Sierra Pintados, and the Stone Corral, the guiding landmarks by which we were to find a golconda. Arriving at the outskirts of the Pinal territory, our little party of thirty-three was met, as before, by a Pinal warrior, but this time without his warpaint. Notwithstanding the pow-wow on the Carizo was held only the day before, the Pinals and other distant tribes were aware of our coming, and all knew the object of our mission to Camp McDowell.
"The Pinal warrior said he was sent by his chief, Bah-dah-clah-nah, to guide our party to a certain place where the Pinals would meet us and have a big dance as a welcome ceremony by the Pinals. This place was afterwards known, and is down on all the military maps, as Dodd's Dance. It was here we, or at least Cooley and Dodd, came very close to the end of our earthly careers. Our party reached the place desig- nated, under guidance of the Pinal warrior, a little while before sunset, but not a single Apache was then in sight. About dark the Pinals made a sudden appearance, and in half an hour more there were probably four hundred in sight. The Apache women made their indi-
61
EXPEDITIONS INTO INDIAN COUNTRY.
vidual camps in a horizontal line along the base of a small hill that extended east and west, and which was thickly covered with small trees and bushes. Our camp was located about two hun- dred yards further southward upon more level and open ground, having bushes of chaparral scattered here and there. As soon as darkness set in, the Pinals made a large fire of pinyon, a short distance south of the line of campfires; the big fire to make light for the dancers. Shortly after this the tom-toms were heard, and the dancing began in the manner of all the North American Indians. Occasionally peals of laughter were heard, and a general feeling of good humor seemed to prevail. Cooley and Dodd had already gone up to the 'dance fire' and were seated nearby upon a log among a number of Indians. I remained standing in our camp for a while, listening to the babel of sounds and watching the ghostlike figures moving about in the firelight. Finally buckling on my two six- shooters, and throwing a large red blanket about my shoulders, I went to where the dancing was in progress. I was always wary and watchful, and ready for any emergency, however sudden and unexpected ; hence, instead of squatting down within the firelight, where one could be so easily plugged, I attempted to pass unseen around on the west side. But the keen eyes of the Apaches discerned me, and finding myself observed, I ap- proached to the outer rim of the firelight. The Apache girls, ranging in age from fullgrown down to four or five years, gathered together with joined hands, the tallest in the center and tapering both ways from the center, the
62
HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
ends of the two horns terminating with five-year old girls. Thus, in the shape of a crescent moon, they danced up to me and back again, the tallest one in the center repeating a few words, and the others joining in a sort of refrain. At times the words caused much laughter among the men who had stopped their dancing to look at the girls dance. By the laughter among the men I imagined they were guying me, so with- drew back into the darkness. Passing around to the north side I sat down amidst a lot of bushes and small trees, outside the range of the firelight, but where every movement of the In- dians could be seen plainly.
"The Pinal chief, Bah-dah-clah-nah, during the smoke and talk guaranteed protection, and his responsibility for the safety of our animals and other plunder. The chief's hair had re- cently been cut off close to the skull, a sign of mourning for the death of a brother killed by the troops a short while before. The chief didn't present a very prepossessing appearance, squatted on a blanket in front of we three Americans who were standing, Dodd on the left. Cooley next, and I on the right. Always pos- sessed of a keen sense for the humorous or ridiculous, in whatsoever guise it might appear, I was forced to chuckle when the chief said he would be responsible for our property, and, nudging Charley, remarked, 'Look at that Jack Sheppard head, it has a responsible look, don't it ?' Cooley, taking my remark seriously, said, 'Great God, what else can we do, we are helpless and in their power.' Cooley often said to me, 'You would laugh at some fancied absurdity, no
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.