Return to Arizona
General Crook, known to the Apaches as the Gray Fox, returned to the Department of Arizona in early September 1882. He set about meeting with Apaches on the reservation and examining the situation carefully. A usually fair and honest man, Crook understood that the Apaches had genuine grievances. The size of the reservation, for example, had been reduced five times, primarily to make way for silver and copper mines. Crook gave the reservation Apaches considerable latitude to move their camps to more desirable locations and established an Indian judicial system on the reservation with Indian judges, juries, and police. At the same time, he was deeply concerned about
The violence occurring in connection with the bands that had left San Carlos for Mexico.
Consequently, Crook sought and received permission from both U. S. and Mexican officials to go into Mexico after Geronimo and the other Apaches who had taken refuge there. On May 1, 1883, he crossed the border with a contingent that included 9 officers, 42 enlisted men, 193 Apache scouts, and 5 pack trains with 76 packers. Captain John G. Bourke, who recorded his experiences with his commander in On the Border with Crook, accompanied Crook. Al Sieber was chief of scouts, assisted by Archie McIntosh and Sam Bowman. Captain Emmet Crawford commanded the troops, aided by Second Lieutenant Charles Gatewood. Mickey Free was one of the interpreters. Both Bourke and John Rope, a White Mountain Apache scout, have left first-hand accounts of the mission.
In Pursuit
Crook, realizing that he could not move fast enough with the pack trains, sent 150 Apache scouts ahead with Crawford and Sieber. On May 15, 1883, the scouts attacked the Apaches’ main camp. Nine Apaches were killed, but most of the warriors from the various bands were away hunting. Crook brought the rest of his force forward to the camp and set up his field headquarters there.
As women and children gradually made their way into the camp, the general gave them food, treated them kindly, and, rather than holding the returned Apaches prisoner, urged them to return to their warriors and encourage them to come in as well. Some, including Chihuahua, did exactly that.
When Geronimo arrived on the night of May 19, his men took up positions overlooking the camp. The next morning he sent two emissaries to confer with Crook. Determined to appear casual regarding whether Geronimo came in or not, Crook took his shotgun and strolled away by himself as if he were on a private hunting expedition. Geronimo and several of his warriors surrounded Crook, who sat down and started talking with Geronimo. He assured the Apaches that if they did not return to San Carlos, he would come back with a large force and, in partnership with Mexican troops, hunt down all of them.
As more Apaches decided to return to the reservation, Geronimo engaged in several talks with Crook over the next few days. Finally, Geronimo agreed to return but requested a week to find all of his people. Crook, who was running short of supplies, said that he had to leave soon but that Geronimo could catch up with him. On May 24, 1883, Crook began his return journey to San Carlos with 52 warriors and 273 women, a party that included Loco, Nana, and Kaytennae. Geronimo promised to arrive within two months. Only Juh, among the Apache leaders, had not agreed to return.
Crook reached Arizona in June. Gradually leaders who had promised to arrive did so, including Naiche, Chihuahua, Mangus, and Chato.
Geronimo's Return
Geronimo did not make his two-month deadline, but he did return, arriving in late February 1884. The journey had not been easy for Geronimo: One of his sons died on the way. In addition, Geronimo’s brother-in-law Juh had died after a fall from his horse.
Lieutenant Britton Davis met Geronimo at the border but angered the war leader by implying that he could not be trusted to keep his word. Britton explained, however, that he was there to protect Geronimo from people who would like to do him harm. While they were resting in camp, two men arrived. One said that he was a U. S. marshal, the other that he was a customs agent from the border town of Nogales, Arizona. They informed Davis of their plan to arrest Geronimo and the other Indians and confiscate the herd of some 350 cattle that Geronimo had brought with him. The marshal deputized Davis and ordered him to assist in the arrest. That action put the officer in a difficult position, as he had been ordered by General Crook to deliver Geronimo to the reservation.
Fortunately, a friend of Davis’s, Second Lieutenant J. Y. F. Blake, arrived. The two hit upon a way to get Geronimo to Crook without Davis running the risk of defying the marshal. Davis woke up Geronimo and told him about the plan to take his cattle but not about the intended arrest, fearing that if he did so Geronimo might flee back into Mexico.
Davis then suggested that it would be quite a joke on the two visitors if Geronimo could lead his cattle away while they slept off the heavy drinking bout they had engaged in throughout the evening. Geronimo concurred and, while the two slept, led his cattle and the approximately 100 Apaches in his party, accompanied by Blake, toward the reservation. Davis stayed behind to feign surprise the following morning at Geronimo’s absence.
Geronimo and his party arrived safely at San Carlos and were met by Captain Emmett Crawford, who was in charge at the reservation. Crook took the cattle from Geronimo, however, as he assumed the animals had been stolen. Geronimo was also disappointed to find that he must live at Turkey Creek rather than farther away from other reservation tribes at Eagle Creek. Eagle Creek, Crook explained, had been removed from the reservation and was now occupied by settlers.
Archie McIntosh, a scout married to an Apache woman, was in charge of distributing supplies to Geronimo’s people, including the wagons, plows, and ponies necessary for farming. Although well liked by the Apaches, McIntosh was found to have been shortchanging reservation Indians on supplies and was discharged. Lieutenant Davis, with whom Geronimo was now quite familiar, was put in charge of Geronimo and the others at Turkey Creek. Both Davis and Crawford supported Geronimo’s desire to raise cattle and sheep rather than farm, but Washington policy decreed otherwise.
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