The Apache Kid (Haskay-bay-nay-natyl)
Encyclopedia
Has-kay-bay-nay-ntayl better known as the Apache Kid, was a White Mountain Apache
scout, and later a renegade
, active in the American
states of Arizona
and New Mexico
, and the Mexican
states of Sonora
and Chihuahua in the late 19th and possibly the early 20th centuries.
He was probably born in the 1860s and might have been killed in 1894. However, the Kid may have lived into the 1930s. The Apache Kid Wilderness
in New Mexico
was named after him. The Apache Kid character in Marvel Comics
was also named after him but otherwise has no connection.
to help quell Apache raids. By July 1882, due to his remarkable abilities at the job, he was promoted to sergeant
. Shortly thereafter he accompanied General Crook on an expedition into the Sierra Madre Occidental
. He worked on assignment both in Arizona and Mexico over the next couple of years, but in 1885 he was involved in a riot while intoxicated, and to prevent him being hanged by Mexican authorities, Sieber sent him back north.
The army reacted swiftly, sending two troops of the 4th Cavalry in pursuit of the escapees. The Kid and his followers evaded the soldiers, while relying on assistance from other Apaches who were sympathetic to them. The Kid contacted the army, and stated that if the soldiers were recalled, he'd surrender. They were, and he did, on June 25, 1887. He and four others were court martialed, and found guilty of mutiny
and desertion
, and sentenced to death by firing squad. In August, this was remanded to life in prison. General Miles
intervened, and further reduced the sentence to ten years in prison.
The five were sent to Alcatraz, where they remained until their convictions were overturned in October, 1888. They were freed, but in October, 1889, enraged Apaches in the area were able to force new warrants to be issued, and again the Kid was on the run. Again they were arrested, and again they were convicted, this time sentenced to seven years in prison, and transported to Yuma Territorial Prison
. Shortly afterward, the five escaped by overpowering three guards, Glen Reynolds, Eugene Middleton, and W. A. Holmes. Reynolds was killed, with his pistol and watch stolen in the process, and Holmes was killed as well; Middleton was badly hurt, but stated later that he would have been killed had the Kid not intervened and prevented his death.
and murder
, but there were never any solid links to him being involved in any crimes at all. For all practical purposes, he vanished.
During an 1890 shootout between Apache renegades and Mexican soldiers, a warrior was killed, and found to be in the possession of Reynolds' watch and pistol. However, the warrior was said to have been much too old to have been the Apache Kid. The last reported crimes allegedly committed by the Kid were in 1894. It was in that year in the San Mateo Mountains
west of Socorro, New Mexico
that Charles Anderson, a rancher, and his cowboys, killed an Apache who had been rustling cattle and who was identified at the time as the Apache Kid. That identification is also contested. After that, he became more of a legend than anything else. In 1899, Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky
, of the Mexican Rurales, reported that the Kid was alive and well, and living among the Apache in the Sierra Madre Occidental
. This was never confirmed.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
, future creator of the Tarzan tales, was a member of the 7th U.S.Cavalry while they were "chasing" the Apache Kid in 1896 Arizona.
Cattle ranchers continued to report rustling well into the 1920s
, often claiming it was the Apache Kid in the lead, but those also were never confirmed, and authorities eventually simply ignored any involvement by the Kid, long thought dead by either gunshot or sickness, as those rumors had filtered down also.
Today, one mile from "Apache Kid Peak", high in the San Mateo Mountains of the Cibola National Forest
, a marker stands as a grave
, where the Anderson posse
claimed to have killed the Kid in the 1894. According to local residents the body wasn't buried and the bones and shreds of his clothing lay scattered about the site for some years, with people taking some as souvenirs.
Fort Apache Indian Reservation
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 2,627.608...
scout, and later a renegade
Renegade period of the Apache Wars
The Renegade period of the Apache Wars refers to the conflicts between the United States and the Apache people who left the reservation system between 1879 and 1886, and renegade Apaches who lived in northern Mexico into the 1920s. Chief Victorio and the medicine man Geronimo were perhaps the best...
, active in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
states of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Chihuahua in the late 19th and possibly the early 20th centuries.
He was probably born in the 1860s and might have been killed in 1894. However, the Kid may have lived into the 1930s. The Apache Kid Wilderness
Apache Kid Wilderness
Apache Kid Wilderness is a wilderness area located within the Cibola National Forest in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Straddling a southern portion of the San Mateo Mountains of southwestern Socorro County, the area is characterized by rugged, narrow, and steep canyons bisecting high mountain...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
was named after him. The Apache Kid character in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
was also named after him but otherwise has no connection.
Early history
Has-kay-bay-nay-ntayl was captured by Yuma Indians as a boy, and after being freed by the U.S. army, he became a street orphan in army camps. As a teenager, in the mid-1870s, the Kid met and essentially became adopted by Al Sieber, the Chief of the Army Scouts. A few years later, in 1881, the Kid enlisted with the US Cavalry as a scout, in a program designed by General George CrookGeorge Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
to help quell Apache raids. By July 1882, due to his remarkable abilities at the job, he was promoted to sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
. Shortly thereafter he accompanied General Crook on an expedition into the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
. He worked on assignment both in Arizona and Mexico over the next couple of years, but in 1885 he was involved in a riot while intoxicated, and to prevent him being hanged by Mexican authorities, Sieber sent him back north.
Arrests and trials
In May 1887, Sieber and several army officers left the San Carlos post on business, and the Kid was left in charge of the scouts in their absence. The scouts decided to have a party, and brewed up what was called "tizwin", a type of liquor. During the drinking, several became intoxicated, and an altercation between a scout named Gon-Zizzie and the Kid's father, Togo-de-Chuz resulted in the Kid's father being killed. In turn, friends of the Kid killed Gon-Zizzie. The Kid also killed Gon-Zizzie's brother, Rip. On June 1, 1887, Lt. John Pierce and Al Sieber confronted the scouts involved in the altercations, and ordered them to disarm and comply to arrest, until the incidents could be handled properly through investigation. The Kid and the others complied, but a shot rang out from a crowd that had gathered to watch the events. Several other shots were fired from the crowd, including one that hit Sieber in the ankle. During the confusion, the Apache Kid and several others fled.The army reacted swiftly, sending two troops of the 4th Cavalry in pursuit of the escapees. The Kid and his followers evaded the soldiers, while relying on assistance from other Apaches who were sympathetic to them. The Kid contacted the army, and stated that if the soldiers were recalled, he'd surrender. They were, and he did, on June 25, 1887. He and four others were court martialed, and found guilty of mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
and desertion
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
, and sentenced to death by firing squad. In August, this was remanded to life in prison. General Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
intervened, and further reduced the sentence to ten years in prison.
The five were sent to Alcatraz, where they remained until their convictions were overturned in October, 1888. They were freed, but in October, 1889, enraged Apaches in the area were able to force new warrants to be issued, and again the Kid was on the run. Again they were arrested, and again they were convicted, this time sentenced to seven years in prison, and transported to Yuma Territorial Prison
Yuma Territorial Prison
The Yuma Territorial Prison was a prison in the Arizona Territory of the United States and now in present day Yuma, Arizona. The Territorial Prison is one of the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.The site is...
. Shortly afterward, the five escaped by overpowering three guards, Glen Reynolds, Eugene Middleton, and W. A. Holmes. Reynolds was killed, with his pistol and watch stolen in the process, and Holmes was killed as well; Middleton was badly hurt, but stated later that he would have been killed had the Kid not intervened and prevented his death.
Last years
A fierce snowstorm prevented any pursuit of the escapees. For years there were unconfirmed reports of sightings, but nothing ever came of any of them. Over the next several years, the Apache Kid was accused or linked to various crimes, including rapeRape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, but there were never any solid links to him being involved in any crimes at all. For all practical purposes, he vanished.
During an 1890 shootout between Apache renegades and Mexican soldiers, a warrior was killed, and found to be in the possession of Reynolds' watch and pistol. However, the warrior was said to have been much too old to have been the Apache Kid. The last reported crimes allegedly committed by the Kid were in 1894. It was in that year in the San Mateo Mountains
San Mateo Mountains (Socorro County, New Mexico)
The San Mateo Mountains are a small mountain range in Socorro County, in west-central New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The highest point in the range is West Blue Mountain, at 10,336 ft . The range runs roughly north-south and is about 40 miles long...
west of Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...
that Charles Anderson, a rancher, and his cowboys, killed an Apache who had been rustling cattle and who was identified at the time as the Apache Kid. That identification is also contested. After that, he became more of a legend than anything else. In 1899, Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky, also known as Emil Kosterlitzky, was a Russian-born polyglot linguist and soldier of fortune who eventually became a spy for the United States....
, of the Mexican Rurales, reported that the Kid was alive and well, and living among the Apache in the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
. This was never confirmed.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, future creator of the Tarzan tales, was a member of the 7th U.S.Cavalry while they were "chasing" the Apache Kid in 1896 Arizona.
Cattle ranchers continued to report rustling well into the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, often claiming it was the Apache Kid in the lead, but those also were never confirmed, and authorities eventually simply ignored any involvement by the Kid, long thought dead by either gunshot or sickness, as those rumors had filtered down also.
Today, one mile from "Apache Kid Peak", high in the San Mateo Mountains of the Cibola National Forest
Cibola National Forest
The Cibola National Forest is a United States National Forest in western and central New Mexico, USA. The forest also manages four National Grasslands that stretch from northeastern New Mexico eastward into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. It is administered by the United States Forest...
, a marker stands as a grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
, where the Anderson posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
claimed to have killed the Kid in the 1894. According to local residents the body wasn't buried and the bones and shreds of his clothing lay scattered about the site for some years, with people taking some as souvenirs.
Further reading
- de la Garza, Phyllis (1995) The Apache Kid Westernlore Press, Tucson, Arizona, ISBN 0-87026-094-4
- Forrest, Earle Robert and Hill, Edwin Bliss (1947) Lone War Trail of Apache Kid Trail's End Publishing Company, Pasadena, California, OCLC 6851309
- Hayes, Jess G. (1954) Apache Vengeance: The true story of Apache Kid University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, OCLC 834291
- Hearn, Walter (1960) Killing of Apache Kid no place, no publisher, OCLC 19545462
- McKana, Clare V. (2009) Court-Martial of Apache Kid, Renegade of Renegades Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, Texas, ISBN 978-0-89672-652-9
External links
- The Apache Kid, by James W. Hurst
- The Apache Kid - Outlaw Legend of the Southwest
- Apache Kid, by Paul R. Machula
- DESPERADO - Apache Kid, by LaVone Luby
- The Legend Of The Apache Kid, by Sheriff Jim Wilson