oncessionaires at Santa Rita to attack the Chihene in the region. Playing upon the credulity of the Chihene leader, Juan Jose, Johnson lured the Apaches to a fiesta ambush. As Indians scrambled for gifts in the plaza, they were shot down, and clubbed by Mexicans and Americans. Many of the Apaches were killed and the rest fled (Cole 72-73). Needless to say, the trappers of the region had now obtained official "enemy status". Following the massacre at Santa Rita, the Johnson massacre, and other events caused increased Apache hostilities. Kinsmen of the slain, apparently relatives of an important chief of the Chihene, Mangas Coloradas attempted to avenge their deaths (Griffen 174). Together with Chokonen, Bedenkohe, and Nednai, the mountains were swept clear of trappers. In retaliation, more scalping activities against the Apache were executed. Large numbers of Chiricahuas were killed in such diverse areas such as Janos, the headwaters of Yaqui, and near Casas Grandes, Arizona. Some local groups were entirely destroyed. No longer did Chiricahuas gather in large encampments for winter for fear of attack. As a result of these bloody encounters, many of the Apache bands began campaigns of scalping as well. No longer were prisoners taken and they were always put to death in slow painful ways (Cole 74-75). The Mexican War of 1846-1848 brought United States military forces into the southwest. Americans entered the region with pre-conceived ideas of the savage Apache. Following the Mexican War, and in accordance with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Article XI, Americans were to compensate any raids into Mexico from the new border lines established. Attempts at stopping the raiding from Unites States geographical Apaches proved to be an agitation for officials of the region (Cole 77). Subsequently, the Gadsden Purchase Treaty of 1854 which abrogated Article XI, increased the amount of land claimed by the United States. Since the Chiricahuas did no...
