Mike Burns
February 11 ,1902
Arizona Republican Newspaper

Mike Burns, the educated Apache is in town.  He came down 
from his home in Yavapai County near Mayer, yesterday and 
will stay here several days. Next to his cousin, Carlos 
Montezuma, who is a practicing physician in Chicago, Mike 
Burns is probably the best educated Apache of mature years 
now living.  He is about 37 years old, and although rather 
under the average height, is a magnificent specimen 
physically.  Not only is he well educated he is a man of 
great natural intelligence.  While shy and modest, Burns 
expresses himself in excellent english and on occasion 
shows a good vein of humor.  The story of his life covers 
an interesting chapter of Arizona and Indian history and 
Burns himself is a shining example as to the results of 
educating Apaches.

Burns intorduction to civilization began in one of the 
most noted tragedies of Indian warfare in the territory.  
He was captured by troopers of the Fifth Cavalry a few 
hours previous to the great slaughter of apaches by that 
regiment near the canyon of the Salt River which occurred 
in Decmeber 1872.  The Apaches were on the warpath at the 
time and the band to which Burns' parents belonged was 
being pursued by the regulars.  the band numbereed about 150 
in all and had taken a refuge in a cave or natural depression 
in the widlest portion of the Superstition Mountains, a place 
which they considered inaccessible for whites.  Mike was then 
a chlid of seven or eight years.  Upon some errand, the 
nature of which he does not now remember, the boy on 
command of his father had started for Four Peaks with 
his uncle the day before the flight and some miles 
distant from the Indian camp they were discovered by 
the soldiers.  The uncle escaped, but Mike was captured 
and forced to lead the soldiers to the Indian hiding 
place.  There were five troops of the cavalry and with 
them were about seventy five Papagoes.  In the night 
the soldiers crept up on the Indian stronghold and 
surrounded it without being discovered.  Indeed, the 
Indians felt so safe, Burns explains, that they had
posted no sentinels and it developed that the warriors 
had put in most of the night talking and they only fell 
asleep a short time before dawn.  At the break of the 
day the soldiers poured volley after volley into the 
camp and 115 were killed outright.  A few children, 
mostly girls escaped.  But few captives were taken.  
Burns' father and mother were both killed.

The innocent guide to the slaughter of his relatives was 
taken in charge by Captain John Burns of the Fifth 
Cavalry and given the name "Mike" and he has been Mike 
Burns since.  Captain Burns until his death cared for 
the boy and then General Wesley Merritt took over.  
General Merritt educated him, sending him to schools 
in Pennsylvania and New York and then to the Carlisle 
Indian School.