“Troops from Apache.”

“Lieut. Fenton Investigates the Cibieu Affair”

 “Gila County Officers in the Right.”

“Lieutenant Fenton, Seventh cavalry, and detachment of twenty soldiers, sent out from Fort Apache to investigate the killing of the Indian on Cibieu creek, Dec. 5, arrived in Globe on Wednesday last.  They were accompanied by William Voris, Frank Ketcherside and Huse Kyle, members of the sheriff’s posse that had the fight with Cooley’s band of Indians.  They were not under arrest, but came to Globe with Lieutenant Fenton, voluntarily, as a matter of prudence, to show their good faith and to pacify the Cibieu Indians, who supposed they were to be brought to Globe under arrest.

“Lieutenant’s [sic] Fenton’s investigation of the trouble at Cibieu corroborates the statements of the Gila county officers engaged in the affray, published elsewhere, and leaves no ground for action against the officers.

“Colonel Powell, commanding at Fort Apache, was notified of the Cibieu fight on Friday, the 7^th inst., and Lieutenant Fenton and detachment left the same night for Cooley’s camp.  Upon their arrival there they found the Indians in a state of great excitement, and their demeanor was so threatening that for a time it looked as though they might attack the troops.  The Lieutenant found that the Indian killed by Voris was Nan-tan-go-tayz, tag V 7, a brother of Cooley, chief of the band.  He was shot in the right breast, four inches below the neck, and the bullet ranged downward, diagonally through the body and came out in the region of the left kidney.

“The Indians expressed displeasure at the presence of the troops and informed Lieutenant Fenton, through an interpreter, that [sic] they wanted to settle their difficulties themselves.  Cooley and two other Indians accompanied the command to Vosburg’s and Ellison’s ranches.  At Vosburg’s the lying interpreter pointed out Frank Ketcherside as the man who killed Nan-tan-go-tayz, whereupon old Chief, trembling with excitement, and with gun in hand, assumed a threatening attitude as though about to shoot Ketcherside.  A soldier, observing the move, threw a cartridge into his gun and Cooley subsided.  When the soldiers reached Canyon creek, on their way to Pleasant [V]alley, they were met by John Dazin and band of Indians, armed and mounted, who asked permission of Lieutenant Fenton to accompany them to fight the whites.  The Lieutenant informed Dazin that he was not out for the purpose of fighting the whites, and told the Indians to return to their camp.

“Lieutenant Fenton and detachment left Globe Thursday morning for San Carlos and expected to proceed to Fort Apache the next day.”

Next:  Military report to Washington

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Note: John William Voris was husband to Virginia Pearl Coffee, daughter of Robert Marion and Emma Gaines Reynolds Coffee. Cibieu is Cibecue creek where these particular Apaches lived.  It was some 45 miles or so NE of  Fort Apache AZ.  It is in what is known as the San Carlos Reservation.  I have also seen references to it being in the Fort Apache Reservation.  See http://tinyurl.com/oepozyg for context.

Source:  Arizona Silver Belt. (Globe City, Pinal County, Ariz.), 14 Dec. 1895, Page 3, Col. 4-5. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84021913/1895-12-14/ed-1/seq-3/>