Geronimo: The Rest of the Story

By William Howard Heydorn MD

On the eve of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 paratroopers prepared by applying war paint and wearing Mohawk haircuts. As they came down from the heavens they shouted “Geronimo” and thus began another of the legends about this Apache warrior. Geronimo has been pictured as both a vicious murderer who should have been executed and also as a victim of the prejudice against Native Americans. Geronimo is also known to have been baptized into the Reformed Church in America, but few know the story of how he came to accept Christ. In 1900 and 1901, the Reformed Church sent Howard Furbeck, as part of a missionary quartette, to “sing the Gospel” to settlers in the new towns forming along rail lines in the Territory of Oklahoma. The quartette was also popular at camp meetings with members of the Apache, Arapahoe, and Cheyenne tribes. Furbeck’s never before seen letters and photographs of a prairie baptism fill in pieces of Geronimo’s story that have yet to be heard.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664272422

William Howard Heydorn MD

Col. William H. Heydorn is an Army physician who retired from active duty after thirty years. Between 2003 and 2016 he represented the Joint Commission in International Accreditation and visited over forty health care facilities in twenty-two countries. His mission was to improve health care delivery in countries such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia. Military awards include the Legion of Merit and the Order of Military Medical Merit.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 William Howard Heydorn, MD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written

permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy

of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed

since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7241-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7243-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7242-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022913098

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/01/2023

20253.png

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1:   The Jumpers

Chapter 2:   In the Beginning

Chapter 3:   The Only Good Spaniard/Mexican Is a Dead One: The Indian View of the Situation

Chapter 4:   The Only Good White Man Is a Dead One: The Indian Has a New Enemy

Chapter 5:   Geronimo Finds a Hero

Chapter 6:   Some Things Never Change

Chapter 7:   Native Americans Learn the Tricks of the Trade

Chapter 8:   The Missionaries

Chapter 9:   The Controversy Continues

Appendix 1: Correspondence between Howard and Abbie

Appendix 2: Howard’s Poem to Abbie

Preface

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an apologist as one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something.¹ In preparation for this book, I read, scanned, or viewed the seemingly endless roots and branches extending from the tree I often refer to as Geronimo, and found that, over eleven decades after his death, he continues to be featured in the news.

Many publications and films describe Geronimo in a favorable light and concentrate on the victimization of Native Americans, whereas others portray Geronimo as a vicious murderer who should have been executed for crimes against society. Some authors have attempted to remain neutral and claim that Geronimo was a complex human being who displayed paranoia and a contradictory personality. With so many books, articles, and films already available on library shelves, a potential reader may ask, Why another book? I have three reasons why another book is necessary to tell the rest of the story.

The first is that my grandfather knew Geronimo, having spent time with him during the last eleven years of the iconic Indian’s life. Furbeck family lore provides information and photographs from family albums that have never been available to the general public.

Second is that public broadcasting on the West Coast offered a new film series, Country Music, by Ken Burns, in the fall of 2019. This is music that is easy to listen to, memorable, and reflects the culture and traditions of the listeners. I was inspired to make frequent references to this music of the people to underscore historical events covered in the narrative.

Third is the recognition that although I never met my grandfather, I have come to know and admire him. Howard Rutsen Furbeck was a minister and missionary who was assigned by the Reformed Church in America (commonly referred to as the Dutch Reformed Church) to the mission field in the vicinity of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It was he who provided the inspiration for this unique tale that tells the rest of the story. No apologies will be offered.

The name, Geronimo, has been familiar to children and adults throughout the world. It continues to be heard on occasion coming from the diving boards in swimming pools, the high bars in playgrounds, and even in bedrooms. A Calvin and Hobbes cartoon depicts Calvin shouting GERONIMO as he jumps out of his bedroom window with a sheet for a parachute as his pet observes.

Picture%202%20Calvin%20%26%20Hobbes.jpg

CALVIN AND HOBBES © 1986 Watterson. Reprinted