HOO-MOO-THY-AH

This horrifying massacre was also described by one of the assailants of Hoo-moo-thy-ah's people, Captain John G. Bourke. His account of what happened can be found in his book, On the Border with Crook, pages 190-200.

Monument to Slain Skull Cave Families at Ft. McDowell

Throughout 1873 Hoo-moo-thy-ah was forced to serve as an informant against his own people. He had no choice. He had to cooperate with his captors simply in order to survive. As only a young child, he really couldn't devise any plan for escape or deception. The success of General Crook's Tonto Campaign, at least to some extent, must be attributed to Hoo-moo-thy-ah's information. Hoo-moo-thy-ah was in many scouts that year, and he saw great suffering (all described in his autobiography). He was one of the youngest witnesses to observe, and describe, the downfall of his people.

In 1873 Hoo-moo-thy-ah was with Captain Burns at Fort Whipple, near Prescott. Captain Burns was then campaigning against the Hualapais (Walapais), related to, but enemies of, the Yavapais. However, Captain Burns became very sick, and he was advised to go to Washington, D. C., to die. Captains Burns's "boy," Hoo-moo-thy-ah, was then given to Captain Hall S. Bishop. By this time Hoo-moo-thy-ah had a new name, given to him by Lieutenant E. D. Thomas--Mike "Mickie" Burns. (I will refer to Hoo-moo-thy-ah from this point on as Mike Burns). A year later, on 15 August 1874, Captain James Burns died at Navajo Springs, Arizona, enroute to Ft. Wingate, New Mexico. He was buried at Ft. Wingate.

Captain Bishop continued to care for Mike Burns until the summer of 1875. On 1 July 1875 Captain Bishop then asked General George Crook if he would let Burns accompany him on his new assignment to "Missouri" (Fort Omaha, Nebraska). General Crook agreed to let Bishop bring the boy along. Burns was about eleven years of age--a bright, endearing young lad.

In his autobiography, Burns describes his itinerary for going to "Missouri." First, the soldiers went to Ft. Wingate, New Mexico, after which they passed through some Pueblo Indian villages. They arrived in Albuquerque, and then went on to Fort Union, and then Trinidad, New Mexico. Next, they went to Fort Leon, Colorado, and followed the Arkansas River to Fort Dodge, Kansas. Finally, they were stationed at Fort Supply, Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Burns then assisted Captain Bishop in various campaigns on the southern plains (against the Kiowa and Comanche) until April 1876.

In early May 1876 Burns accompanied Hall to another new assignment: Wyoming. They traveled by train from Dodge city, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado. In his autobiography Burns commented in a very entertaining, comical, manner, how he nearly fell off the train--easy to visualize when considering the fact that he was a boisterous twelve-year-old boy on a "great adventure."

From Denver, Burns went to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and then to Fort Laramie, where he became well-acquainted with "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Throughout the rest of 1876 Burns was often in campaigns against the Sioux and Cheyenne. He was under General Wesley Merritt's command. At this time Burns became well-acquainted with Shoshoni and Arapaho scouts and even learned Indian sign language. The Shoshoni chieftain Washakie was a well-known acquaintance.

In Wyoming Burns also met General Crook again. It was a joyous reunion. (Crook had basically stalemated the Sioux at the Battle of the Rosebud. This was also the time of General George A. Custer's demise at the Little Big Horn--about which Burns was well-acquainted.) At the end of the 1876 campaign Burns went to Ft. Sidney, and then to Ft. McPherson, Nebraska.

In the spring of 1878 Burns was on the campaign again with Captain Bishop. This time the campaigns were against the Bannocks. Burns was then stationed at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming, where he heard of the Meeker Massacre by Utes.

In the spring of 1879 Captain Bishop prevailed upon Burns to attend school. Burns did so, and he was considered an excellent student. In the summer of 1880, however, Burns was unable to continue his studies. He was too poor, and so he "rode mail." In September of 1880 General Merritt decided to help Burns attend school. Captain E. D. Thomas and General George Crook also recommended school for him. Burns was therefore sent back to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where Richard H. Pratt ran an Indian school. Burns was the only Apache there at that time--from "the furthest West." Burns did very well at Carlisle.

In the summer of 1881 Burns found it necessary to again go to work. He acquired a farming position in New York State, where he stayed until the spring of 1882. He was proud to have seen the Brooklyn Bridge. While in New York Burns had the opportunity to again visit General Merritt, who recommended that he become an army cadet. He, however, refused to do so. He was about eighteen years old.

In the spring of 1882 Burns went back to Carlisle Indian School. Pratt told him he should go to Lore City, Ohio, where he could work for "a good Presbyterian man," Alvah Johnson. He stayed with Johnson two years, where "he learned a lot." Johnson wanted Burns to "stay with good Christians" in the East, but Burns was homesick for Arizona. He left Ohio in August 1884.

We next find Burns at Highland University in Kansas, where he stayed with Sac and Fox Indians. He wanted to become a teacher and was recognized as best student March 1885. While in Kansas he also listened to "a lot of preaching." He became friends with "good Christians," but became disillusioned with them when he asked "his friends" to help him with a donation to continue his education. They had professed they would do anything for him, but when he finally asked, he was given nothing. Nevertheless, he was able to earn his coveted teaching certificate.

Although Burns had proved himself capable of maneuvering in white society, he was not accepted by that society. No one would hire him as a teacher. He was an "Apache." He finally decided to go to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, to obtain work in the military. At Ft. Leavenworth he met Major Upham, whom he had known in the Sioux campaigns. Major Upham suggested Burns join the Army as a scout at Fort Reno, Indian Territory. He worked six months (1885) as a scout there among the Arapaho--some of the same Arapaho he had known in Wyoming. He had become so well-acquainted with these people that "they cried when they saw me."

While at Fort Reno, Burns received a letter from General Crook stating that he was back in Arizona trying to fix the mess that had developed there by 1883. Burns wrote Crook saying that he was very sick with a cold, and that he did not like the East, nor Eastern Indians. He wanted to go home. A short time later Burns met General Nelson Miles and told him he wanted to serve as a scout with General Crook. Miles told him to go to Fort Bayard, New Mexico, near Silver City, where he could enlist as a scout. Burns arrived at Fort Bayard on 15 October 1885, from whence he went to Fort Bowie, Arizona Territory. He desired to serve as a scout in capturing Geronimo, but upon arriving at Fort Bowie he received a telegram from Crook telling him to go to San Carlos. He arrived there 5 December 1885.

Burns was sorely needed at San Carlos. His talents were recognized by many there, and so on 26 January 1886 he was discharged from the Army. He was not allowed to go after Geronimo. Instead, he tried to start a school for Yavapais and Apaches, but the Geronimo troubles prevented the school from being successful.

Burns, however, stayed on at San Carlos, serving in various capacities, and finally married a woman, Hattie, of his own people. (She was actually a Tolkepaya Yavapai.)

In 1887 Burns witnessed the entire Apache Kid incident, wherein the scout Al Sieber was shot in the foot. Burns's account of the incident leaves no doubt that he felt the Kid was badly treated. He even goes so far as to state:

Public consideration will finally agree with the "Apache Kid." From the start, he did not actually, or unlawfully, kill a man. . . . No one knows for sure who did the killing . . . but the "Apache Kid" got the whole blame.

I believe Burns has been fully vindicated in his opinion. The Apache Kid was basically driven to lawlessness by a tragic set of unfortunate circumstances.

Throughout the next ten years Burns contined to serve at San Carlos in various capacities. One of his most important was as an interpreter. When the southeastern Yavapai (Kewevkapaya) finally appealed for their own reservation at Ft. McDowell (granted in 1903), Burns continued to advocate for his people. He eventually moved to Ft. McDowell and became a successful rancher. He also cut wood for various interests in the Salt River Valley. At Ft. McDowell he also continued to serve as interpreter. But, he considered perhaps his most important work to be his autobiography. He worked on it for years, but never saw it published.

Mike Burns--Hoo-moo-thy-ah--faithful Yavapai, died at Ft. McDowell on 16 November 1934. His son-in-law, John Smith, became the first Ft. McDowell Yavapai-Apache Chairman that same year. Hoo-moo-thy-ah's descendants continue to live at Ft. McDowell to this day.

Superstition Mountains (from Pinals)--Also Home of Hoo-moo-thy-ah

Grave of Hoo-moo-thy-ah (Mike Burns at Ft. McDowell)

Before I conclude this account about Hoo-moo-thy-ah I think it would be appropriate to mention here something about his famous cousin, Carlos Montezuma. Montezuma suffered a somewhat similar fate as Hoo-moo-thy-ah, and he too was faithful to his heritage and people.

Montezuma was born about 1866, probably in the Superstition Mountains of central Arizona. During the fall 1871 campaign of General Crook this boy also lost his family. He was captured in the Superstitions by Pimas from the Salt River Valley and then taken to Florence and sold to a man by the name of Carlos Gentile. It was Gentile who gave him the name of Carlos Montezuma.

Eventually, Montezuma was taken to Washington, D. C., and then to Chicago, Illinois. He was turned over to Reverend G. W. Ingalls of the Indian Department of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Montezuma received his schooling in the Chicago area. He was quite brilliant in his studies and graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois with a degree in chemistry. He then went to Chicago Medical School, a branch of Northwestern University. He became a highly skilled surgeon. However, he never forgot his people. As he became more successful in his profession he began to advocate for all North American Indians. He wrote voluminously about their rights.

By the time of World War I Montezuma was at Fort McDowell stirring up opposition to the draft among the Indians there. He was jailed for sedition, but was finally released by President Woodrow Wilson.

Montezuma then did a quite remarkable thing--he settled among his people permanently. In the last years of his life he developed diabetes and tuberculosis. He died in a wikieup among his beloved people on 31 January 1923. He is buried not far from Hoo-moo-thy-ah at Fort McDowell.

Grave of Wassaja (Carlos Montezuma) at Ft. McDowell

Peter Iverson's Carlos Montezuma and the Changing World of the American Indians, Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1982.