Reno Evening Gazette / April 25, 1882
A Horrible Story of Apache Outrages.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 25.
A Tucson dispatch says: A correspondent at Safford gives an account of the recent Indian attack, as follows: Stanislaus Metas, aged 9 years, just arrived from Steven's sheep camp with the following story of the Indian massacre:
"On the 18th inst., before daylight, Indians attacked the camp whilst we were all asleep. My father and five other men attempted to get their guns, but too late. The Indians rushed in from all sides and overpowered them before a shot could be fired. The work of slaughter then began. An Indian put the muzzle of his gun against the head of one man and fired, blowing his brains upon the floor and walls. I saw them kill my mother and brothers by beating their brains out with stones. They killed five. They tied my father and tortured him most dreadfully. He begged them to spare him, but they only tortured him the more. When they were tired of torturing him one of them split his skull with an axe. An Indian squaw, wife of one of four friendly Apache sheepherders who worked with us, saved my life by holding me behind her and begging them to spare me. When all the Mexicans were dead except me the Indians left."
The squaw who arrived with the boy says there were 93 warriors in the attacking party. They called themselves Chicacahuas [Chiricahuas], and said that they were going straight to the San Carlos Agency to kill all the whites and get the Indians to join them. They also declared that they would kill all the inhabitants of this valley. They frequently declared that their whole desire was to kill in retaliation for those Indians executed recently at Fort Grant.
Later news from the front is to the effect that the whole force of about three hundred Indians, including women and children, crossed the Southern Pacific track last night, going south, near Lordsburgh, with cavalry in close pursuit. The present outbreak is the most disastrous which ever occurred in Arizona. Not less than 400 [other accounts say 40] persons have been killed.
To-night a mass meeting was held here. Governor Tritle proclaimed that it was determined to raise a force of volunteers to take the field for a couple of months.
