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The Apaches were not in the habit of exterminating their neighbors when they overran their territory. Rather, they adopted them into their confederation, and in this manner, they successfully annexed all of the territory of the Jumanos, and a sub-tribal group of Apaches evolved known as the Jumanos-Apaches. Whereas the settled Indians in the Ojinaga region were evolving slowly into a group that was no longer identifiable as Indian, but was now the lowest substrata, socially, of the region, the nomadic groups of Jumanos were no longer welcome in the settled regions, and they were forced to join with the Apaches as a matter of survival.
Another group which was successful at adopting European style war tactics and which was availed of European warfare technology were the Comanches. These Indians were deliberately armed by the French so that they could make war against the Apaches, and hopefully, the Spanish. The French aim was for the Comanches to force the Apaches to move against the Spanish and their Indian allies and serfs by driving off of the range where they hunted and farmed, which they were successful at doing. The result was ever increasing marauding by the Apaches, which was eventually to practically depopulate the entire countryside in the states of Chihuahua and Durango, as far as Mexican settlement was concerned. Only in areas close to forts were the Mexicans able to hold out. The Mexican government, soon after Mexican independence began in the beginning decades of the 19th century, looked for solutions to the problem of both the Apaches and Comanches, who were beginning to be an even worse nightmare than the Apaches.
One approach was to occupy the services of scalp hunters. The earliest and most successful was an Irishman by the name of James Kirker. This man was likely a refugee from Ulster, the survivor of a people who had also lived in the saddle, herding cattle, and engaging in interminable feuds and cattle raids with their neighbors since practically prehistoric times. They had been slowly driven off of their traditional lands by settlers - mostly lowlands Scots - and when they raided the settlements sponsored and defended by the English crown, they were outlawed, and they eventually had to either flee or face the gallows. Such a man was Kirker, who arrived on the plains of West Texas perfectly well equipped to handle any encounters with bands of Apaches or Comanches. Although these Indians were deadly when it came to facing anyone else, they were no match for the military technology and the means to use it that Kirker possessed. Kirker's secret weapon was what was known as the "brace of pistols". This consisted of rows of muzzle loading single shot pistols stuck into rows of holsters hanging off the flanks of his saddle. Each pistol was attached to a leather thong, so that a rider could draw it, fire it, and then just let it drop which he reached for another one. In this manner, Kirker could charge into a group of mounted Indians, and his horse whirling around in a circle, just shoot all of the Indian braves right in the eye at point blank range before they even had a chance to get off any arrows at him. In addition, Kirker was even more adept at stealth than were the Indians, and he could sneak up on them at night and scatter their horses, leaving them helpless on the open range. James Kirker - or Santiago Quirque - as the Mexicans knew him, is said to have single-handedly driven the Comanches off of the range in the area where he operated |
