in Lawton and Leonard Wood were sent back to Fort Huachcua, worndown by the rough country and grueling campaign.More than 3,000 miles were covered by the Indians and the Army during the chase, which took amonth longer than General Miles had planned. The men had walked and ridden through some of the most inaccessible desert land in North America,in heat sometimes above 110 degrees. At the turn of the century, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death inAmerica. Everyone was susceptible; but some were more susceptible thanothers. Northern Europeans, who'd been exposed for generations, had acquiredsome resistance to TB, but populations that had never faced the disease hadalmost none.In the fall of 1886, 5000 US soldiers captured a force of 35 Chiricahua Apachesthat had had never been touched by TB. The rag-tag band of warriors, womenand children was headed by Chief Naiche and his now-legendary medicine man,Geronimo. The remainder of the tribe, 500 in all, had been living peacefully onreservations in Arizona; but the government sent them with Geronimo's band to aFlorida prison. On the journey from the desert southwest to the humid east coast,tuberculosis attacked the Chiricahua for the first time.After ten days on the train, the Apaches were interned at Fort Marion in St.Augustine. They were crowded together on the fort's parapet; their outhouse wasa sandy floor a few feet from the water supply. Weakened by the journey, sickfrom unfamiliar food and filthy living conditions, the Indians did not have thestrength to fight the disease. Fearing a mutiny, the army shipped Geronimo and his seventeen men to FortPickens, an island prison three hundred miles to the west. Local authorities beganto ferry tourists across Pensacola Bay to meet and mingle with the famousApache warriors. Geronimo played to the sympathies of the tourists... ladies weregoing back and forth bringing blueberry muffins, shirts, pants, food to the 17warriors and none of them f...
