20021. The Arizona Miner, Prescott, Arizona Territory, September 21st, 1872. The Date Creek Affair. (article)

The Arizona Miner Prescott, Arizona Territory September 21st, 1872 The Date Creek Affair. We last week gave an account of the massacre of stage passengers, by Indians, near Wickenburg, several months ago, and of the successful efforts of General Crook to ferret out the murderers and robbers, which efforts, we explained, led the General to CaMp Date Creek, for the purpose of arresting such of the guilty savages as might there be found, and of turning them over to the civil authorities for trial. We also stated how the Indians resisted arrest, by stabbing the first soldier who, according to orders, attempted to make an arrest, which action of theirs was immediately followed by indiscriminate shooting between Whites and Indians. Well Gen. Crook returned to Fort Whipple, but had scarcely arrived when a despatch from Dr. Williams, Indian Agent at Date Creek, was received by him, the tenor of which was that Jemaspie, Chief of the Apache-Yumas, with between 80 and 100 of his people, had returned to the reservation, professing friendship for the Whites and a desire for peace. Away went Crook to Date Creek. Upon arriving there, the Indians were not then prepared to talk, owing to the fact that the wife of one of their principal chiefs was sick. The morning of the third day after his arrival, a council was held, the Indians agreeing to stay upon the reserve; to report the fact to their Agent whenever bad Indians came among them; to help the Whites chastise bad Indians, should they be called upon to do so, and to aid the authorities in bringing those Indians who had murdered the stage passengers to justice. This being all the General desired the Apache-Yumas to do, he promised, on the part of the Government, to do everything necessary for there welfare, so long as they would live up to their agreement, and assured them that their past misdeeds should be forgiven. Having heard that they intended to take the life of the friendly Mohave chief- Irataba- he warned them not to do so, and explained that Irataba was not the first person who had informed upon the murderers, after which Crook started for this place, and is now organizing a force of soldiers and friendly Indians to operate against the Apache-Mohaves and all other bad Indians.