Bonito

[Brave Hawk (Did'e Itza)]

Going through some Apache student records from Carlisle school online, Chief Bonito had a son named Lorenzo Bonito. He was taken from San Carlos reservation and put in Carlisle on 2/2/1884. He died of infuenza at Carlisle School at the age of 13 on 5/25/1887.

[Brave Hawk (Did'e Itza)]

More info on my Tekeke (relative) Bonito:

Apache Chief Bonito (also spelled Benito)
Was in a group who killed Judge and Mrs. H.C. McComas and took their six-year-old son, Charlie hostage. Bonito settled on the San Carlos Reservation.

The Chiricahua “great mountain” Apache were called such for their former mountain home in Southeast Arizona. They, however, called themselves Aiaha. The most warlike of the Arizona Indians, their raids extended into New Mexico, southern Arizona, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Some of their most noted leaders included among their most noted leaders being Cochise, Victorio, Loco, Chato, Naiche, Bonito, Mangas Coloradas, and Geronimo.

Another account:
The McComases saw the Apaches coming and ran for the buckboard. Hamilton tried to turn the horses around and run back up the canyon, but a bullet hit him. He jumped from the seat with his Winchester while Juniata tried to take the reins and continue. Hamilton ran to the walnut tree to try to hold off the Indians. He got off three shots while running and four more at the tree before about five more bullets ended his life.
Other Apaches chased the buckboard about 300 yards when one horse was hit and fell. Juniata jumped out, ran around the back and tried to pull Charlie out. A mounted warrior smashed her head with his rifle butt, and then dismounted and hit her two more times with his pistol to make sure she was dead. Often raiders would murder children without a second thought, but this time they decided to keep the blond 6-year-old.
Two Indians quarreled over who had a right to the prisoner, but Bonito rode up and claimed the boy for himself. He tied Charlie with a rope to his own waist and put him on his horse. The Indians plundered the buckboard and stripped the dead couple. Hamilton’s Winchester and Colt were the prized findings.
The Apaches headed back to Mexico. Within the hour, two whites, John Moore and Julius C. Brock, discovered the bodies and sped away to spread the alarm. Conflicting reports indicated that either the McComases were not maimed or Juniata had been mutilated in shocking fashion. The command went up the Bavispe River in Sonora, following the river into the mountains and just across the border into Chihuahua. On May 15, Crawford’s Apache scouts found Bonito and Chatto’s village and attacked. Although Crook ordered women and children be spared, the scouts charged in firing indiscriminately. They killed nine and captured four children and one young woman. It was later said that the mother of an Apache named Speedy was killed during the fight. The enraged warrior found Charlie being led into the canyon, ran up to him, “and using rocks, brutally killed the small white captive.” Ramona Chihuahua, daughter of the chief and one of those captured, saw the incident and later told another young Apache, Jason Betzinez, what had happened. The Apaches later told the soldiers that the white boy was with them, but at first attack, he ran away and was never found. Chatto and Bonito were going to keep the boy and use him as a bargaining chip whenever they might have to surrender, but now that possibility was gone.

1883
By late May the remainder of the Chiricahua leaders, including Geronimo and Chato, had turned up to begin peace talks. All of them promised to find Charlie and bring him in. Crook wanted to wait for Charlie’s arrival before beginning the negotiations, but his supplies were dwindling and the agreement that allowed him to enter Mexico with armed troops also required him to withdraw immediately. Finally, he agreed to leave Geronimo and some other warriors behind to continue rounding up their people. Crook gathered his troops, packed up and left, taking Geronimo’s family with him as security that the warrior would keep his side of the agreement.
Slowly, the Chiricahua people trickled into the San Carlos Reservation but by December their number still did not include the Apache leaders Geronimo and Chato, or Charlie McComas. Bonito, who had been Chato’s second-in-command, did come into the reservation. He assured the officers that several Apaches had looked for Charlie according to their promise to Crook but so far they had found nothing.

“… our two groups separated, Geronimo’s and Chihuahua’s continuing toward the Bavispe River while Chatto and Benito/Bonito with their men headed north toward the United States”

Chato's raid served as official reason for General George Crook, Commander of Department of Arizona, who organized a punitive expedition to exterminate hostile Chiricahuas or make them surrender. On April 23, 1883 Crook's column consisting of 193 Apaches (scouts) and 42 white men (officers and muleteers) crossed the border and invaded the sovereign Mexico. On May 15 Captain Emmett Crawford's scouts attacked Apache rancheria. Indians' losses were light, but the emergence of American troops in the very heart of impregnable Chiricahua stronghold did impress the hostile chiefs. By Captain John J. Bourke, chief Bonito's daughter captured by Crawford's scouts testified that Apaches attacked by scouts belonged to communities of Chato and Bonito. However, John Rope (one of the Crawford's scouts) who was much more competent in Apache tribal structure told Greenville Goodwin in the late 1920s that it was Chihuahua's rancheria they attacked. Perhaps this contradiction shows that at that time Chato and Bonito recognized Chihuahua's leadership and he considered their people as his own. There is another variant: “Chihuahua, who is the only chief in camp” during the attack9, after “he and his brother had just come from warpath with lots of cattle” [3, 161].

Bonito and Zele tried to stop aggressive attacks of Chihuahua, but he was the only really drunk person of all present, and he persisted in his opinion. “Neither Geronimo nor any of the others had taken part in the discussion”
On November 24 1885 early morning renegade Apache killed two white cowboys who were driving a herd of reservation cattle, stole a herd of chief Bonito's horses and with the sunrise they headed towards Eagle Creek River leaving the pursuers empty-handed.
The “rebel” bands, with 74 men and 300 women, included the Nednhi led by Chief Juh and Geronimo; the Chokonen led by Naiche (the son of Cochise), Chato, and Chihuahua; and the Bedonkohe led by Bonito. The Apaches who remained on the reservation, including 250 Chiricahuas, generally opposed the breakout.

[ouroboros]

Jul 18, 2010 5:26:23 GMT -5 jeroen said:

The name Bonito ( or sometimes Benito) shows up once in a while in Apache history, but he remains a rather shadowy figure. So far, I have found very little info about him, not even sure if he was in fact a Bedonkohe or a White Mountain Apache married into the Chiricahua people.

Some infos on Bonito/Benito can be found in: Marc Simmons, Massacre On The Lordsburg Road: A Tragedy Of The Apache Wars.

On p. 86 a description of Bonito:

The second most important man in the party, Chato’s main lieutenant, was a White Mountain Apache subchief called Bonito (sometimes spelled Benito). A son-in-law of Chihuahua, his name first surfaces in 1882 at the time of the breakout from San Carlos. He had a pointed chin, a downturned mouth, extra-sharp cheekbones, and a skewed left eye that gave him a particularly sinister look. His fierce reputation as a fighter made him acceptable to the Chiricahuas. Strong evidence exists that Bonito carried Charley McComas back into the Sierra Madre

Link: books.google.pl/books?id=7mRJfZP_e7IC&pg=PA84&dq=yellow+wolf+apaches&hl=pl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj248z0s4roAhWXHHcKHaQ0A8MQ6AEIMzAB#v=onepage&q=Bonito&f=false

[gregor]

I have these pix of Bonito. Is this always the same person?



Bonito 1



Bonito 2



Bonito 3

... and last, but not least ... Chasi-ta his son

[Brave Hawk]

The top pic is the one I have from my family. the only son Bonito had was Lorenzo Bonito who died in Carlisle school. At least my Chiricahua Great grandfather Bonito

[P Presley]

Anderson and Nancy did live in Texas. They had 13 children and some were born and died near Waco Texas

[saskia21]

Oct 14, 2018 2:48:48 GMT -5 LivingAwake said:

I am also trying to find information about Bonito. I was told his last name was Alchise however I am not sure if that is connected to Chief Alchise.

He also had a son, Chasi-ta, whose English name from what I understand was Carl Moonwalker.

Is there anyone else that has further information?

Hi Livingawake,

There was a Bonito Alchise/Alchesay - indian name :Alkasha
Born 3 may 1901  and died 20 june 1919  to Michael (Mike)  Alchesay/Alchise and Nana (Natzahla)
He was one of many children.
Mike Alchesay was born in 1855 and was most likely the brother of William Alchesay born 1853.

Maybe this is your Bonito Alchise?

[saskia21]

Jan 1, 2019 16:56:19 GMT -5 Nahi said:

Oct 14, 2018 2:48:48 GMT -5 LivingAwake said:

I am also trying to find information about Bonito. I was told his last name was Alchise however I am not sure if that is connected to Chief Alchise.

He also had a son, Chasi-ta, whose English name from what I understand was Carl Moonwalker.

Is there anyone else that has further information?

I’m not sure but I think there was not any familiar link between Bonito and Alchise. They participated in some actions together though, for example when Nock-ay- det - klinne was to be arrested near Ft. Apache. Some Cibecue and White Mountain Apaches trying to avoid it, ambushed some soldiers. Among the Attakers were Bonito and U- Clen- ay ( Alchesay) together.
I think his son L. Bonito was related to Kaahtheney (Jacob) by marriage (but I’ve not heard about family links with Alchesay).

According to the census, there was a link between Bonito (Yu ta An) and Alchise. De son of Bonito and Nano to ahe, Tse gay born cir. 1876 "marries" She stone born cir. 1880 daughter of Alchesay and Tah jo nay.They "marry" cir. 1896. Tse gay disappears from de census after 1900, in 1901 She stone is living with her parents again.
 

[L. Bonito]

There are still Bonitos and Alchesays here on the White Mountain Apache Reservation as well as on the San Carlos Resevation.