b"lined them all up in front of his tent and told the Kid to take the guns and cartridge belts from the five who had government rifles. He then told the Kid to put his on the ground as well. This part of the story varies in several areas depending on who tells the story.According to one version when Sieber said to take the men to the guardhouse, they instantly resisted. Seeing the resistance, Sieber seized his rifle and shot and killed one of them. Other versions maintain he attempted to retrieve his rifle but never had a chance to fire it before a45-70 round hit him in his left ankle. That round was thought to come from the crowd that had gathered, not from the Kid or any of his cohorts. Now, either way, heres what happened nextthe small band of Apaches snatched up some horses and fled for the wilderness. The Army cavalry, however, reacted quickly and was soon hot on the trail after the fugitives up the banks of the San Carlos River.Telegrams were sent from San Carlos to San Francisco, Headquarters Division of the Pacific Railroad, and to Washington, D.C.in the east, as the territories braced for another feared Apache outbreak. Territorial newspapers in Arizona and New Mexico picked up the story and the Army began to feel the heat of irate editorials. For two weeks the marauding Apaches led the cavalry on a merry chase until the Kid and his band eventually located high in the Rincon Mountains. The troopers surprised them and captured their mounts, saddles, and equipment, but again, the Kid and his followers escaped into the rocky canyons and ravines of the Rincons. The Indians found themselves faced with the fading chances of survival without their supplies and horses while the Army was building strength. With little hope of escape remaining, the Kid managed to get a message to General Miles. He promised he and his band would surrender if the Army would back away. Miles called off the pursuit, and on June 22, the Kid and the others surrendered. Miles decided to try the Kid and four others by general court-martial. Truth be known, the Indians, in all probability, had no idea what the charges against them meant. Nevertheless, the trial was set for June 25th.After the trial was concluded, and to no one's surprise, the men were found guilty of mutiny and desertion, and they were sentenced to death by firing squad. However, General Miles was not happy with the verdict at all and ordered the court to reconsider its sentence. On August 3rd the court reconvened and reduced the sentences to life. Still not satisfied, Miles personally reduced the sentence to ten years. The sentence was to begin in the San Carlos guardhouse until the Army could decide where to send them.Now is when things started getting interesting. According to the court minute entry of January 23, 1888, the prisoners were originally slated to go to the Fort Leavenworth Military Prison. However, that destination was changed to Alcatrazstrictly for the sake of appearances. What happened next was unprecedented, but it worked out for the government. The judge advocate general's office reviewed the case and was convinced that the Indians had not received a fair trial. On October 13, 1888, Secretary of War Wm C. Endicott authorized the remission of the remainder of the sentences of the five prisonersand by November, believe it or not, they were back on the San Carlos.On top of all that consternation, more pressure was brought to bearSheriff Glennby the Indian Rights Association because of the apparent federalReynoldsmisuse of territorial jurisdictions. The court now not only agreed to the release those named in the original suit, but also the release of all the Apaches held as federal prisoners in Illinois and Ohio. That meant that at least eleven murderers would be set free. This made the Indians happy but, needless to say, the people of the Southwest, in Arizona in particular, were outraged (for lack of a better term). Now is when the pot started to boil up all over again. Almost immediately, Sheriff Glenn Reynolds of Gila County issued arrest warrants for the freed Apaches, which, of course, included the Apache Kid. They were apprehended shortly thereafter and the trial set for October 25,Deputy, Wm H.1889. Five days later, they were found guilty and sentenced to sevenHolmesyears in the Territorial Prison at Yuma.On November 1, the five Indians and one Mexican prisoner were slated to travel over the Pinal Mountains by special stage to make their way to the penitentiary at Yuma. I must interject here that I truly believe that, for whatever reason, Sheriff Glenn ReynoldsDeputy Wm H. Holmes and the stage driver, Eugene Middleton, collectively underestimated their jobs at hand getting their charges to Yuma. Proving, once and for all times, that complacency canEugenecertainly end up with dire results. MiddletonThe two-day trip started in Globe destined for Casa Grande. The remainder of the trip was then to be completed by rail to Yuma. The journey started okay, but by the second day, the whole plan started to unravel. On the Gila River, near the little town of Kelvin in Pinal County, the driver pulled the team up. He said it was necessary continued on page 10ArizonaRealCountry.com July 2021 9"