CHAPTER VI.

THE LABORS OF THE CALIFORNIA COLUMN (Continued).

ATTACK UPON VILLAGE OF PINOS ALTOS-ARIZONA GUARDS-MANGUS COLORADO-WHIPPING OF UNION OF MANGUS COLORADO AND COCHISE-MASSACRE OF MINERS BY APACHES -BATTLE OF APACHE PASS-DESCRIPTION BY CAPTAIN CREMONY-ESCAPE OF JOHN TEAL HIS SHOOTING OF MANGUS COLORADO -INTRODUCTION OF ARTILLERY TO THE INDIANS RECOVERY OF MANGUS COLORADO.

On the morning of September 27th, 1861, a force of over two hundred warriors attacked the mining village of Pinos Altos, but, fortunately for the people, Captain Martin had arrived the night before with a detachment of Arizona Guards, a volunteer organization, and after several hours hard fighting, the Indians were driven off with considerable loss. Soon after one hundred and fifty warriors attacked a large wagon train, one day out from Pinos Altos, and besieged it for fourteen hours. The train escaped destruction by the timely arrival of the Arizona Guards, who escorted it to the Mimbres River.

The situation of the settlers in New Mexico was about as bad as it was in Arizona, but relief was at hand. The Colorado Volunteers marched down from the north, turned back the Texans, and joined Canby in driving them from the Rio Grande. At the same time General Carleton with his Column of Californians, was advancing

by way of Fort Yuma, driving all hostiles before him, and reopening the old Butterfield route of communication to the coast.

Mangus Colorado, although in fact his band was domiciled in New Mexico, and not in Arizona, yet on account of the close relations existing between him and Cochise, the chief of the Chiricahuas, his history becomes, in a way, identified with that of the Indian fights in Arizona. Mangus never forgave the whipping he received at the hands of the miners of the Santa Rita Mines, and was, thereafter, the implacable foe of the whites. The details of this whipping are given by Cremony as follows:

"My readers will bear in mind the place described as Santa Rita del Cobre, where the Boundary Commission remained for several months, where Inez Gonzales and the two Mexican boys were rescued from captivity, where Delgadito made his attack upon Mr. Hay, and where he got handsomely seamed by Wells. The gold mines worked by Mr. Hay at that period, twelve years prior, had proved to be very rich, and attracted many bold adventurers, among whom were a number of celebrated Indian fighters, who had passed years upon our frontiers, and were universally dreaded by all the wild Indian tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. In a short time the mining population at that point amounted to something like two hundred, of whom one hundred and fifty were well armed, fearless and experienced men. The presence of such a party was far from pleasing to Mangus Colorado and his band, as they claimed exclusive proprietorship to that whole

region, which was their main fastness. They also regarded the miners as the legitimate successors of the Boundary Commission, with whom they had parted in deadly enmity after a short season of simulated friendship. Mangus made many skillful efforts to dislodge the miners, and divert their attention from the Copper Mines, but without effect. He privately visited some of the more prominent among them, and professing the most disinterested friendship, offered to show them where gold was far more abundant and could be obtained with less labor, accompanying his promises with something like the following style of inducement:

"You good man. You stay here long time and never hurt Apache. You want the "yellow iron;" I know where plenty is. Suppose you go with me, I show you; but tell no one else. Mangus your friend, he want to do you good. You like "yellow iron"-good! Me no want "yellow iron." Him no good for me-can no eat, can no drink, can no keepee out cold. Come, I show you.'

"For a while each person so approached kept this offer to himself, but after a time they began to compare notes, and found that Mangus had made a like promise to each, under the ban of secrecy and the pretense of exclusive personal friendship. Those who at first believed the old rascal, at once comprehended that it was a trap set to separate and sacrifice the bolder and leading men by gaining their confidence and killing them in detail, while their fates would remain unknown to those left behind. The next time, after this éclaircissement, that Mangus visited

that camp, he was tied to a tree and administered a dose of 'strap oil,' well applied by lusty arms. His vengeance was more keenly aroused by this deserved treatment, and from that time forth every sort of annoyance was put into operation against the miners. They were shot at from the cover of trees and rocks, their cattle and horses were driven off, their supply trains robbed and destroyed, and themselves reduced to want. But Mangus desired their utter extirpation. He wanted their blood; he was anxious for their annihilation, and feeling himself unable to cope with them single handed, he dispatched emissaries to Cheis (Cochise), the most famed warrior of the Chiricahua tribe, to come and help him oust the Americans."

Cochise agreed to assist him, provided Mangus would help him in dislodging the Americans from the Apache Pass and Fort Bowie. At Apache Pass was fought a great battle with their united forces.

While they were occupying Apache Pass awaiting the arrival of the Americans, they descried a small band of Americans approaching from the east, across the wide plains intervening between that place and the Cienega, and determined to cut it off. In the newcomers they recognized a small but well armed party of hardy and experienced miners from the Santa Rita del Cobre, and knew that such men were always on their guard and prepared to defend their lives with the greatest courage and determination. They knew also that they would be on the qui vive after having entered the pass and that any attack upon them would probably result in the

loss of several of their warriors. Two miles east of the pass, in the clear and unobstructed plain, was a gully, formed by the washing of rains through a porous and yielding soil. It was six or eight yards wide, and could not be seen from horseback until the rider was within fifty yards of the spot. A large body of the Apaches hid themselves in this gully, believing that the travelers would be somewhat off their guard while crossing the open plain, apparently without a place of concealment, and there they awaited the approach of their victims. The ambuscade was skillfully laid and eminently successful. The miners rode forward with their rifles resting in the slings across their saddle bows, their pistols in scabbards, and their whole attention absorbed on the pass they were about to enter. When within forty yards of the gully a simultaneous fire was opened upon them by the concealed Indians which killed onehalf of their number outright and sent the remainder wounded and panic stricken to seek safety in flight. They were pursued and massacred to a man. Their bodies were discovered by the Americans after the battle of Apache Pass, and it was an instructive lesson in Apache character, showing the shrewd calculations made by these people when determined to effect a desired result. It was subsequently learned that the victims had with them a considerable sum in gold dust, nearly fifty thousand dollars worth, all of which fell into the hands of their slayers, who had become well acquainted with its value.

The battle of Apache Pass and the events leading up to it are fully described in Cremony's