b"Three Great Apache Chiefs continued from page 20out ahead and then returned in the wee hours of thefight, several of Victorios warriors were wounded. One morning reporting they had not spotted any sign ofenlisted man was killed and a scout wounded among Indians. The joint force then mounted and rode the restMorrows troops. The battle was indecisive and Victorio of the night, arriving at the foothills of the Candelariawithdrew into the San Mateo Mountains. at dawn. A short time later, the party spotted signs of Indians. It was Victorios trail and its width and clarityMorrow caught up with him there on January 17th. indicated it was made by a very large band of Apaches. Another battle occurred. Lieutenant J. Hansell French was killed and two scouts wounded in the inconclusive The scouts were sent ahead and into the steep canyonencounter. Victorio retreated and disappeared. Troops on the trail between the two tall peaks of the Candelaria.searched everywhere for some sign of him for three Soon the scouts came upon the gruesome death scenemonths. Victorio zigzagged back and forth across New painted by the twisting, rotting bodies of the two possesMexico, raiding as he went. The closest Morrows troopsPon yfrom Carrizal.were able to get to him was coming on burned ranches,Tehwomen torn limb from limb, prospectors, miners and To both the Americans and Mexicans in the joint force,ranch hands killed and mutilated.the keen cunning of Victorio was spelled out in those bodies. It was readily apparent that Victorio had leftVictorio killed nearly 100 settlers during this hit and2nd Hand Storethe bodies of the first posse he massacred as bait forrun raiding in the three months after leaving the San the rescuers. When the fourteen rescuers from CarrizalMateo Mountains. It was not until April 8th that General arrived on the death scene in the canyon there was notHatch found Victorio high in the San Andres Mountains.We Collect & Deliver an Indian in sight. They had every reason to believe theCaptain Henry Carroll and seven enlisted men of the 9thYour MerchandiseApaches had left after the carnage. The rescuers relaxedwere wounded. Three of Victorios warriors were killed.FREE LOCAL DELIVERY AVAILABLEand began gathering the bodies of the Rodriguez partyVictorio again slipped from the battle scene, heading for burial. They gathered all the bodies and the fourteentoward the east. 662 W. Wickenburg Way Carrizal citizens gathered around for a mass funeral.WickenburgOpen MondaySaturdayOverhead, concealed by the boulders high up the canyonDisarming the Mescaleros thepony2ndhandstore.comwall, the Apaches watched the bodies being readiedMost of the Mescaleros on their reservation near Fort for burial. As the funeral began, the Apaches rained aStanton were peaceful. But some young malcontents928-231-2730928-232-2019relentless barrage of rifle fire down on the mourners. were lured by the successes of Victorio and urged by oneWe Carry Quality 2nd Hand All were dead within minutes. old Mescalero chief named Caballero to break away from& New Merchandisethe reservation. They stole supplies and raided along theYour Home Furniture Supplies Storeborder in Texas and New Mexico until finally, the high command ordered that all of the Mescaleros be disarmedSpecializing in Appliancesand their horses be taken from them. Jane and Peter KibbleIt was an order that played right into the hands ofpony2ndhandstore@outlook.com Victorio. When the time for disarming came, a large force of troops moved onto the reservation. Shots were fired, sending the Mescaleros into panic. Hundreds fled. While most surrendered after the initial panic, ten Mescaleros were killed in the melee and scores got away fleeing directly for Victorios camp. When the Mescalero warriors joined Victorio he decided it was time to retreat into Mexico until he could organize these new braves into his forces and map new strategy.Victorio had, in the more than 20 years he had fought the Army since the days of Mangas Coloradas, seen the number of whites in Apache lands grow dramatically and the number of U.S. troops increase to overwhelming proportions. Surely he knew that he could not forever prevail over such masses of army troops. His main ally was the international border. Mexico would not Captain Henry Carroll, one of many wounded men duringlet the U.S. troops onto her soil. With few exceptions, Victorio's hit and run raid in New Mexico. commanders of U.S. forces pursuing Victorios band stopped at the border and Victorio could flee into the Colonel Baylor and Don Francisco Escajeda,safety of Mexico with ease after his raids on the U.S. side.commander of the Presidio del Norte contingent, after reconstructing the double massacre and VictoriosThe Mexican military was widely scattered in Sonora and strategy, had but one thing to do. Bury the dead. The firstVictorio had a much easier time eluding Mexican troops posse had consisted of 15 men, the second 14, 29 in all.than he did the heavy force of U.S. troops hunting him to The joint force could find only 27 bodies. Apparently, thethe north. Victorios border barrier was about to disappear, Apache had taken two men captive to be tortured andalthough it is doubtful he was aware of the change.killed later somewhere along the trail. Victorios warriors did not attack the joint force as it was burying the 27Border Barrier Vanishesvictims of the massacres. Victorio had already lead themGeneral Ord, in command of the Armys Department back across the Rio Grande into the United States. Heof Texas, and General Trevino, who commanded the crossed into New Mexico in early January. Mexican forces in northern Chihuahua state, negotiated an agreement to jointly hunt down Victorio and his band Three Battles Indecisive on both sides of the border. Victorios reappearance in new Mexico brought his old enemy, Major Morrow and his 9th Cavalry into action.The agreement put two thousand U.S. soldiers and two Morrow ordered everybody of the cavalry in the sectionthousand Mexican troops, as well as hundreds of civilian into action. Victorio soon found himself facing cavalry atcowboys, miners, ranchers, and Texas Rangers into the every turn. field to hunt down Victorio. For Victorio and his band, there now were no safe havens.Near the head of the Puerco River Morrow and a battalion of the 9th encountered Victorio. In the ensuingContinued next month.ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2019 23"