OCR Text |
Show SELECTED. NARRATIVE OF AX EVE-WIT-NES9 op THE CAMP GRANT MASSACRE. The following which we ficd in the Richmond Euquirtr, is from a private , letter by an eye-witness of the misa-cre misa-cre of Apaches at Camp Grant, Arizona: Ari-zona: it me explain to you exactly tut circumstances of the massacre. Tht Apaches, you know, have always been considered the most hopeless of la dians, and have always refused to treat with the Government or go on any re jjrvation. The post commander at Camp Graut, LLut, Whitman, be lieving they could be much improved by a systematic course of kindness, had gradually induced 5U0 of them, com ujeuciDg with a few starving oi-i women, to come into camp near the post nnd accept food and work. Contrary in :illexpectalioo they seemed grateful, and dipused to make terms with the Government Gov-ernment at last; the men were obe-iieut obe-iieut to the slightest suggestion ol their new-found friend. and women auu -hiidreu seemed gay, hatipy and contented; con-tented; he spent hours in explain-.ng explain-.ng to them, through his iniurpre ter, their duties to the country. iud told them they would be takeu j ;are of if thiY would only be peacu-ible peacu-ible and industrious. Tiiey com pre-.lendt-d the situation at ouue, and had made a brave beginning to war J improvement, im-provement, and were even clearing tht around to put in a crop of corn. .Bui he uuiuriou-i Apache at Peace was no ;ood news to tne white adventurers, ivhoso living depends entirely on tht; r:w thousands of hunted una iinioram savages, and accordingly a party ot white men, who preter hostile Indian.-, .is more lucrative, at and near Tucson, loriued the humane plan of atuukiug (.his peaeelu camp near us anu tilling every man, woman, anu -rhild they could lay hands on. A uessenger wns di.-paiched for Lieut. Whitman, telling him his proteges were in danger, and he sent numeJi--itely to warn the friendly red men of their peril. His messenger was too ate the burning hu:s and ihe ground strewn with bodies of butchered women wo-men and children were all there was left, of the tirst earnest attempt to civilize civ-ilize the Apaches. It was an awful -ight. The survivors had fled to the fastnesses of the mountains. Word was sent to theui to bring in their mounded to the post for care, and they lid so, the principal chief being the tirst to come in. He was naked, and when he held out his baud for the usual shake he was so choked he could scarcely speak. Almost like a human ueing, wuau't it? Pointing to his naked na-ked and solitary coudition he said, "This is my family 1" three wives and seven children being killed before his jyes iu the space of five minutes. The rest cauie straggling in one by one, stripped of their clothing, thcr hair pulled out or cut oft", and seeuicd entirely en-tirely heart broken. This slaughter !. nH nf (h-PIr fW nthMimt. Jit accepting the white mun'a protection, "liruig us back our children," they said to the post commander, "and we will go away from the while man's -ight." Thirty of the youne and pretty -quuws had been carried off to a de uauched captivity. When the commander com-mander told them he would do all he could, it seemed to them like mockery. The chief said : "If you had loit your children and asked me to retake them, I should have said no, or I should have got them for you at once or lost my life trying to." " Your ways are not our ways, and I can only say I will do all I can lor you," responded the commander; "you know what I have done lor you before" be-fore" " You know us so well," replied the chief, "you how what our ways are. If our people are killed we tind the parties guilty if we can. If not, we kill anyoody we meet, exept our sworn fi iends. You know we have never tolu ou a lie, and you have never lied to us; and now we tell you again we will keep quiet and see what this great gov-T-rnmeni of yfurs will do for us. We know, too, that the men that killed ur kindred do not wish us lo be at peace, and that they hope tc drive us ff. Alier we wait for your government, govern-ment, we mu?t have our reveuge. If it does not avengo our loss, we will 'nune and tell you, our friend, before we do uny thing, that you may not be able 10 Mivj 'Thot-e Apaches tbat I f d, that 1 worked for, whose children j I buried that the coyotes might not j fut them, lied to me and said they; would keep the peace.' We cannot bo I at peace when our chi'dren are eantive I and our families killed by our enemies." ene-mies." What can be done under such discouragements dis-couragements to civilize the Indians? |