COCHISE, THE NOBLE WARRIOR

AUTHOR OF “THE APACHE INDIANS” AND “PIONEER DAYS IN ARIZONA” COCHISE, chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, was the most impressive Indian figure in the history of the Southwest. He was born in a canyon of the Chiricahua Mountains in the second decade of the nineteenth century, and died in a Stronghold of the Dragoon Mountains in 1874. This mountain fastness now bears his name, as does the county in which it is located and the little railroad station sixteen miles south of it.

Cochise emerges from obscurity to take his place in the pages of American history about 1857. He and his band were then encamped near the Overland Stage station at Apache Pass. Up to this time the Apaches had been living at peace with the Americans. Cochise and his followers were supplying wood to the stage company, and were receiving good pay for their service. So well-disposed was he toward the Americans at that time that once or twice he had sent warnings to them when he thought that parties of immigrants were in danger of attack from other savages, and was said even to have sent members of his own band to prevent such attacks.

Late in the fifties James H. Tevis was Government Trading Agent at Apache Pass. He is one of the first Americans to make mention of Cochise. They saw each other often and were on good terms for a long time. However, about 1859, a decided change came about in their relationship. One winter Cochise and his band, as was their custom, made a raid into Sonora and were gone a good while. The weather grew severe. The ground in the mountains was covered with snow and it was very cold. Only old men, women, and children had been left behind in the encampment of Cochise and they were on the point of starvation. One of Cochise's wives, scarcely more than a girl, came to the sutler's store barefooted through the snow to ask for food. When she was given something to eat she was almost too weak to carry it to her mouth. She devoured raw corn that was given her. Tevis later parched some corn and gave it to her; and when she was strong enough to go, he gave her a sack of corn to carry back to camp. As she left he said to her, “Cochise ought to be ashamed of himself. American men never allow their women to starve and walk through the snow barefooted.” When Cochise returned from his raid and was told all this, he felt the rebuke keenly and was in a towering rage. He had brought back with him a captive Mexican boy seven years old. Going straight to Tevis' door he knocked loudly and demanded that it be opened. When the trader appeared Cochise thrust the little Mexican boy into his arms and said, "Here nurse girl, take care of your baby!"

From that time there was enmity between the two. Soon after the above incident, Cochise openly and tauntingly said to Tevis: "You try to get me and I'll try to get you and whichever does it first, all right."

Three different times Cochise had his enemy in his power, but for some reason spared him. Once Tevis, mounted on a fine horse, rode out some distance and while his horse grazed stretched himself at ease on the grass. An arrow struck near him and brought him to his feet. Another came so close that he was convinced he had better leave at once. Though he was allowed to escape that time, Cochise later captured him, took him to his encampment, and there held him captive for nearly two weeks. To celebrate the event the chief began preparations for a big spree. He had his wives prepare a great brew of tizwin. First a pit was dug. Then the bottom was covered with a cowhide turned inside out. Hard corn was now put in and water was poured over it. After that the whole mess was covered with another cowhide and left to sour in the sun. After fermentation had begun. the women got into the pit and trampled the fermenting mass with their bare feet.

It was the intention of Cochise to get Tevis drunk and then put him to the torture. However, Tevis had a staunch friend in Goanola, an old medicine man, who advised him to pretend him to get drunk but to keep sober. Cochise himself and all his warriors proceeded with their debauch, and meanwhile the trader, with the aid of Goanola, made his escape.

Early in 1861 the friendly attitude of Cochise and his followers toward the Americans in general was interrupted by a tragic event of far-reaching importance. Johnny Ward, who had a ranch on the Sonoita River was raided by a band of Apaches, his stock was driven off and a boy, the son of a Mexican woman with whom Ward was living, was carried into captivity. The incident and its attending circumstances was reported to the commanding officer at Fort Buchanan and after considerable delay a young lieutenant, George N. Bascom, was sent with a detail of soldiers to recover the boy and the stock.

Ward was convinced that the raid had been conducted by members of Cochise's band; so he led the expedition straight to Apache Pass. Cochise saw the soldiers march down the canyon, and with five members of his family-his wife, his boy, his brother and two nephews came to Bascom's tent. The officer demanded that the missing boy and the cattle be handed over. Cochise replied that he did not have the boy or any

AN OUTSTANDING STUDENT OF SOUTHWEST HISTORY TELLS THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST VIVID FIGURES IN THE ANNALS OF THE WEST.