A HERO IN THE RANKS. 



Lieut. Alex. T. Dean, U. S. A. 



We often read of a brave deed, 

 or an act of courage being per- 

 formed by some officer in time of 

 war. The gallant conduct of the more 

 humble private is too often overlooked ; 

 yet, beneath the simple blouse of the 

 soldier there often beats the heart of a 

 hero. 



The following pathetic incident will 

 illustrate this. In the spring of 1882, 

 the Apache Indians became restless, on 

 their reservation, at San Carlos, Arizona. 

 Their savage natures chafed under the 

 dull and monotonous life they led at the 

 agency. The grass was high enough to 

 afford food for their ponies, and the 

 braves were waiting for an excuse to 

 break from the reservation and go on 

 the war-path. 



About this time, the chief of police 

 at San Carlos, a man named Stirling, be- 

 came involved in a dispute with an 

 Indian, a desperate character, and one 

 who had been on many a bloody raid 

 through Arizona and Mexico. The 

 Indian seized a loaded rifle standing 

 near, and shot Stirling through the head, 



killing him instantly. Whether this was 

 a part of the plot, on the part of the 

 Apaches, has never been known, but 

 they Avere in a suspicious state of readi- 

 ness for flight. 



Instantly, runners were sent from 

 camp to camp. The Indians were soon 

 in a state of great excitement. The 

 bucks commenced to saddle their 

 ponies, and the squaws to pack the lead 

 horses. Hu and Nana, the two famous 

 war chiefs of the Apaches, urged their 

 followers to flight, and that night, there 

 broke from the reservation of San Carlos 

 100 of the most blood-thirsty devils 

 that ever bestrode a horse. They were 

 fully aimed, well supplied with ammu- 

 nition, and were gaudy in war-paint and 

 feathers. 



Their time was well chosen. A 

 heavy rain had obliterated their trail, and 

 by an unbroken march of 60 miles they 

 were safe, for the time being, from 

 pursuit. 



The troops stationed in the different 

 military posts, in Arizona and New 

 Mexico, were at once notified, by tele- 



AFACHES AT HOME. 



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