The Arizona Miner
Prescott, Arizona Territory
September 14th, 1872
The Hunt for Evidence and the Result.
During the latter part of January, 1872, Wm. Gilson, a citizen of
Date Creek, informed General Crook that he had reasons for
believing that Date Creek Indians were mixed up in the Wickenburg
Massacre; and Mr. Gilson is a gentleman who has always responded
to the wants of the aforesaid savages.
General Crook then set spies— both Indians and whites- at work,
to hunt up testimony, plenty of which, it appears, was soon after
forthcoming.
First came an Apache-Mohave Indian boy, who had been raised by
Dan O’Leary. Him the robbers and murderers sent for to go out and
tell them the denominations of the green-backs they had secured
at the time of the massacre. Next came Irataba, Chief of the
Mohave Indians, one or two of his Captains, and several of his
warriors, who have testified that the murderers, after first
going to Date Creek, went upon the Colorado Indian Reservation,
boasted of the deed they had done; spent their green-backs and
other plunder. These proceedings were, it is said, brought to the
notice of other white men, besides General Crook, and if we are
not mistaken, Dr. Tanner, Indian Agent at the Colorado
Reservation has, for some time past, been in possession of these
facts, and has assisted in procuring them.
Again, Walapal Indians have substantiated these accounts.
The murderers have said that 15 of their number made the attack,
and 15 more were within hailing distance, ready to aid. They took
very little clothing, trinkets, etc., fearing that the possession
thereof might one day lead to their detection.
Crook Goes for Them.
We believe it was in March last that Gen. Crook, with Lieutenants
Bourke and Ross, started from Fort Whipple, to go where, nobody
knew, exactly, further than he went out on the Mohave road,
towards the Colorado river.
Well, he went to Beale Springs, succeeded in getting some Walapai
Indians to agree to go out with him and help him persuade the
Apache-Mohaves to come into Camp Date Creek, where they would be
fed and taken care of by Government. This was a ruse, as the
General’s main object was to get hold of the robbers and
murderers belonging to that tribe, and knowing that both tribesA
pache-Mohaves and Walapais- were more or less friendly, it would
not do to trust the latter with the real secret of the
expedition. Crook, his Lieutenants and Indians trudged on foot,
through snow and slush towards a rendezvous where two companies
Crook Goes for Them- Continued.
of cavalry were to meet him, when all were to go for the bad
Apache-Mohaves under guidance of Dan O’Leary and the Walapais.
But just at this time, an express came to him with orders to
cease hostilities and let the Indians and “Peace Commissioners”
settle the row. He came home to be growled at by citizens for
obeying orders, and to have his hands tied while a foolish,
Indian policy was being tried. But recently, having been granted
authority to chastise bad Indians, he with Lieutenant Ross, Henry
Hewitt, and a few other persons started for Camp Date Creek, to
carry out thern old object of arresting the murderers. Arriving
there, on the 7th inst., he found that the Indians had not,
agreeable to promise, come in to meet him. He waited until the
8th, when some 50 Indians, led by their chief, Ochocama, made
their appearance, armed and painted, apparently ready for war.
Meantime, Dr. Bendell, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and Mr.
Barney, arrived from Ehrenberg; Captain Byrne, D.H. Smith,
Irataba, Irataba’s son and another Mohave Indian came from Camp
Beale Springs. C.B. Genung, Wm. Gilson and other citizens from
neighboring valleys were also present. It was arranged by the
General, that the Mohaves should be kept out of sight of the
Apache-Mohaves until everything was ready for arresting the
murderers. The time for the council came; three or four of the
stage robbers were assembled and one- “Chimahueva Jim,” (a very
bad Indian, who speaks English, could not be induced to come to
the post). General Crook and the other whites we have named, with
Lieut. Volkmar, commanding the post, were seated on benches
opposite Ochocama and his braves, when Irataba and his followers
made their appearance and shook hands with their red brethren.
There being but about 50 Apache-Mohaves present, Gen. Crook asked
for information regarding the five or six hundred Apache-Mohaves
and Apache-Yumas, who a short time previous, drew rations at the
post. Little knowledge did he gain about this matter from the
chief, whose brother was then in the guard-house for having
attempted to smuggle arms from the post and for having disobeyed
an order of Dr. Williams, Indian Agent at the post.
It having been previously understood, by the Whites and Mohaves,
that one of the latter was to hand each murderer of the stage
passengers, a piece of tobacco, Mr. Mohave commenced to carry out
that part of the programme, offering the first piece to the
chief- Ochocama, who hung his head and did not let on that he
understood what the Mohave meant. But, he was persuaded to take
hold of it; while his countenance changed rapidly from one blue
color to another, and he finally dropped the tobacco. Another and
another Indian was given a piece; the last red devil had just
clutched his when, agreeable to previous understanding, a soldier
attempted to arrest him. Quick as thought, the savage stabbed the
soldier with a knife; the soldier pulled his pistol and shot;
General Crook rushed in and tried to stop the fracas, but it was
too late, as, already, Indians and soldiers were cross—firing
Crook Goes for Them— Continued.
upon each other. Three soldiers caught hold of the chiefO
chocama- who would have got away from all three had it not been
for Dan O’Leary, who, winding his fingers in the chief’s hair,
threw and secured him, when he was led to the guard—house.
Ochocama’s brother, who was in the guard—house, made two attempts
to escape through the roof, and was shot by the guard. An Indian
was observed by Lieutenant Ross, taking dead aim at Gen. Crook,
and, but for the action of the Lieutenant, in quickly pushing the
General out of range of the gun he would have been a dead
General. The bullet that was intended for Crook, hit and killed
an Indian. Most of the Indians ran away when the firing
commenced, but the Chief and those who had to remain fought like
demons. The fight started behind General Crook, and he is sorry
that it occured, but it was inevitable, as the Indians would have
resisted arrest, under any circumstances. Ochocama, after having
fired old boots, iron wedges, and other missiles out of his cell,
at the guard, jumped through the canvas roof, was shot at twice,
pierced with a bayonet once, and finally made his escape to the
hills, where according to the story of some Apache-Yumas who have
since come into Mr. Gilson’s place, he died. A worse Indian has
never expired in this Territory, for according to his own
confession, he murdered Mr. Leihy and Mr. Evarts, in Bell’s
Canyon, on November 10th, 1866, for no other reason he said, than
that some person had told him that Leihy had sold some of his
annuity goods. Leihy was Superintendent of Indian Affairs at the
time, and Mr. Evarts was his clerk. His murderers tried to lay
the blame of the crime on the Pimas, just as they have been in
the habit of trying to make the Tontos shoulder their other evil
deeds.
Then this villain and his brother- both of whom are now “good
Indians,” murdered a man named Taylor, on the Colorado river, in
August, 1869.
Mr. Gilson showed great courage in going, alone, to his ranch and
staying there after this row.
Mr. Genung having Indians working for him on the road over
Antelope Mountains, was furnished with a small escort of
soldiers, went home, told his Indians what had taken place, when
they all left.
At this writing, we have not the number of Indians killed in the
fight, but gentlemen who were present think that, including
Ochocama and his brother, the Apache-Mohaves lost about seven.
Others were wounded. Mr. Hewitt says many more could and would
have been killed but for the earnest efforts of Gen. Crook and
Dr. Bendell to put a stop to the firing.
The soldier who was stabbed by the savage was not expected to
survive.
Crook Goes for Them- Continued.
Since the fracas, about 100 Apache-Yumas, under chief, Jemaspie,
have come back to Date Creek and said they wished to live upon
the reservation, but were bound to kill Irataba and other
Mohaves, for having betrayed the Apache-Mohaves.
Gen. Crook has gone down to talk with those fellows, with the
view of getting them to aid in arresting bad Indians and turning
them over to the civil authorities, for trial.
No doubt, the Apache-Mohaves and their allies will now work hard
to punish whites, and we counsel our people to be on their guard.
Meantime, we urge General Crook, his officers and men to go in
and compel the red murderers to come upon the reservations, stay
there and leave white men and their property alone.
Dr. Bendell says he is prepared to stall-feed all Indians who
will come in and behave themselves, and we know that, for the
past two months reservation Indians have had more provisions than
they have been able to make use of.
