20082, 20083, 20084. The Army And Navy Journal, Volume IX, Number 29, Saturday, March 2nd, 1872. (letter)

The Army And Navy Journal Volume IX, Number 29 Saturday, March 2nd, 1872 To the Editor of the Army and Navy Journal. Sir: I take advantage of your offer to publish any corrections of the letter which appeared in your issue of the 6th inst., over the signature of one “Wm. Kruger, chief clerk to Captain C.W. Foster, assistant quartermaster U.S. Army,” deeming it but my duty to contradict the statement which so unjustly reflects on an officer of my regiment. Being personally cognizant of everything connected with the attack on the Wickenburg stage, and the subsequent treatment of Mr. Kruger and Miss Sheppard by Captain R.F. O’Beirne, Twenty-first Infantry, commanding this post, I can only state to you that there is not a particle, not a shadow of foundation or truth in anything Mr. Kruger states in his letter, excepting the mere circumstances of the stage attack and the particulars of the untimely death of poor Mr. Loring. The facts in the case are simply these: Word was received at this post about 8 AM on Monday morning, November 6th, 1871, that the stage which left Prescott on the 4th for California, had been attacked about seven miles from Wickenburg, and that six persons had been killed and two wounded. Colonel O’Beirne at once sent Captain Charles Meinhold, Third Cavalry, with Lieutenant Simpson and some twenty odd enlisted men to the scene of the disaster, with instructions to follow the trail, and if possible discover the perpetrators of the attack, it being at the time a matter of grave doubt whether the attack was made by Indians or Mexicans. He also sent the post surgeon, Dr. Evans, to Wickenburg to assist in attending to the wounded. The latter returned on Tuesday the 7th, bringing with him the two wounded passengers Mr. William Kruger, and his fideu Achates Miss Mollie Sheppard, a Prescott prostitute and keeper of a house of ill-fame, with whom he was travelling. Mr. Kruger, who was but slightly wounded, was invited by Colonel O’Beirne to place himself under the doctor’s care at the post hospital, while Miss Sheppard was taken by the Doctor to the quarters of one of the laundresses. Everything was done for these people that it was possible to do. Mr. Kruger occupied the quarters of an officer who was temporarily absent from the post, and received every attention, while to Miss Sheppard word was sent by my wife, through the Doctor, that anything she might need in the way of wearing apparel was at her service. Mr. Kruger, however, seemed to be much offended that his companion was not shown more attention or taken into the quarters of one of the officers; and as far as I am personally concerned, I confess I would much rather have shown this attention to her than him, she being a poor unfortunate woman, while Mr. K. is an intelligent man, who had already so far degraded himself that Captain C.W. Foster, whose chief clerk he was, discharged him, and that his own brother- so at least I am informed by reliable partiesw ould not recognize or speak to him while at Ehrenberg. To the Editor of the Army and Navy Journal- Continued. There being no proper place in the post for Miss Sheppard, Colonel O’Beirne told the Doctor that as soon as she was well enough to be moved he would prefer if he (the Doctor) would have her removed to Mr. Gilson’s ranch, a comfortable house about two miles from the post, but on the reservation, where she would be in every way better off, and where the post surgeon could go every day to attend her. About a week after the arrival of the “two surviving cripples,” the Doctor reported the woman well enough to be moved, and they (Mr. Kruger of his own accord accompanied her) accordingly went to Mr. Gilson’s, where Dr. Evans attended them daily for several weeks and until they were well enough to leave. There is another point in Mr. Kruger’s statement that I desire to contradict. I quote from the letter published in the Journal of the 6th. “That I left my mark with the Indians, there is no doubt, because two Indians died from gun-shot wounds at Camp Date Creek Reservation; but the commanding officer refused to have the thing investigated, for fear he would find sufficient evidence that they were his pets- that is, Camp Date Creek Indians. At all events there is no doubt whatever that the outrage was committed by Indians, and that by Camp Date Creek Indians, those so-called friendly Indians whom Uncle Sam feeds These citizens tracked the Indians from the place of outrage to Camp Date Creek.” Being myself issuing commissary for the Indians here— ApacheY umas and Apache-Mojaves, each of whom comes daily to the post to draw his rations from me, and knowing from my intercourse with them each individual Indian, I can positively assure you that no Indian or Indians have ever died from gun-shot wounds on this reservation, and as on his arrival here, I particularly noticed Mr. Kruger’s pistol, from which not one single shot had been discharged, and which did not present the appearance of having been recently reloaded, I am very much inclined to think that he did not “leave his mark with the Indians.” I am furthermore prepared to testify to the fact that every effort was made by Colonel O’Beirne to discover if these so- called Camp Date Creek Indians were the guilty parties. The iron loop of a mail-sack was found with one of them, and at once sent to the postmaster at Wickenburg, A.T., for identification, who returned it saying that the mailsacks on the ill-fated stage were only cut open, but no part of them was missing; some legalt ender notes were found upon another and taken from him, but were afterward identified by Mr. Charles B. Genung, of Peeples’ Valley, as money he had paid this Indian for work done upon his ranch; every effort, in fact, was made, but nothing was elicited to fix the crime upon the Indians here. Not only this, but Colonel O’Beirne also went in person to Wickenburg and collected To the Editor of the Army and Navy Journal- Continued. the effects of the deceased, which he forwarded to Lieutenant Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, from which he received a very handsome letter in reply. In regard to the statement that the trail led from the place of attack to this post, I have only to say that Captain Meinhold, Third Cavalry, went to the place of attack and took up the trail, which took the direction of this post for about one mile and then turned southeast and continued in almost the opposite direction from this place. I have already taken up more of your space than I first intended, for the unblemished and Christian character of Captain and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel R.F. O’Beirne is to well known throughout the Army, to be stained with the mire thus thrown at him by Mr. Kruger, but as his (Kruger’s) letter has been extensively published and commented upon by the press, I merely wish, in justice to a brother officer, to correct this foul slander. Fred H.E. Ebstein, Second Lieutenant Twenty-first Infantry. CAMP DATE CREEK, A.T., January 26th, 1872.