b'OLD WEST LEGENDSChief EskiminzinBy Dakota LivesayDuring the battle between whites and Indians, strange things happened. But there was probably no stranger single act than the one that occurred early summer of 1871.I n the early 1870s, Cochise and his band were raiding and killing white settlers in southern Arizona, and resentment was running high againstall Indians.Eskiminzin was the chief of a small group of the Aravaipa band of the San Carlos Apache. Low on food and poorly clothed he desired peace, so he accepted an offer by the U.S. Government to settle down and plant crops in the vicinity of Camp Grant. So he brought his people to Camp Grant near Tucson, Arizona. Eventually, more than 400 Indians had assembled in the area, and the citizens were becoming fearful.The plan was short-lived. Following an incident where a couple of settlers were killed, a mob of almost 150 men wasChief Eskiminzinassembled to punish the wrongdoers.In April 1871, a band of anti-Apache American civilians under William Oury, Mexican civilians under Jesus Elias, and Tohono warriors under Chief Francisco Galerita launched an assault on the settlement without warning. Although Eskiminzins people had nothing to do with the killing, the mob attacked and killed 144 women and children. Eskiminzin lost two wives and five children. Incidentally, nearly all of them were scalped.Eskiminzin was unfortunate enough to survive the tragedy. Two months later a military attachment accidentally opened fire on his people. Eskiminzin had had enough. However, before he left the area he wanted to visit his old friend, Charles McKinney. So, on the evening of JuneWilliam Oury5, 1871, McKinney and Eskiminzin had dinner. Following the meal Eskiminzin suddenly stood up, drew his pistol, and shot his friend McKinney dead.Later Eskiminzin explained his action. He said, I did it to teach my people that there must be no friendship between them and the white man. Anyone can kill an enemy, but it takes a strong man to kill a friend.Even though it was known that Eskiminzin killed his friend, strange as it may seem, he never spent a day in jail for the killing, and neither did the mob that murdered his tribe.Later in life, he was charged with sheltering his son-in-law the Apache Kid, was imprisoned without a trial, and soon after his release died, a broken man, in 1894. ArizonaRealCountry.com May 2022 23'