John H. McComas, his wife Olive, and their six-year-old son Charles traveled from Silver City to Lordsburg on March 28, 1883. John, an experienced miner known for his expertise with dynamite often used in wartime, had work relations with the U.S. Army as a civilian contractor.

While the exact reason for their journey remains unclear, it was likely connected to John's work. As they traveled along what is now known as U.S. Highway 90, tragedy struck. The family was ambushed by a group of Apaches led by Chief Chatto. Both John and Olive were brutally killed in the sudden attack.

The Apaches kidnaped their son Charley and were never found despite search parties' immediate and determined efforts. Over the years, many speculations arose about Charley's fate. It was widely believed he was adopted into the Apache tribe and given the name “Santiago McKinn.”

Some reported sightings of a young white boy living with the Apaches in the years following the incident appeared in the local press, fueling these beliefs. Rumors depicted him as acclimating to the Apache lifestyle and customs, fully embraced by his captors.

As he grew older, there were claims that he had become a part of the Apache's raiding parties. Unfortunately, conclusive evidence of his life or exact experiences post-abduction never materialized.

Charley's story became one of the enduring mysteries of the Old West era, mingling fact, speculation, and legend. Despite the absence of a definitive conclusion to his saga, the tale of Charley's capture has continued to echo through the annals of American history as a chilling reminder of the dramatically contrasting worlds converging on the final American frontier in the late 19th century.

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Upon an ancient trail, where shadows played,
Between Lordsburg and Silver, a saga relayed.
John McComas with Olive, their young boy in sight,
Unaware of the ambush looming as night.

John's thoughts buried in the journey's call,
His eyes were on the future, oblivious to the fall.
His heart hummed the miner's hopeful song,
Oblivious of the storm brewing strong.

In hidden canyons, in silence vast,
The Apache waited, tied to their past.
In their hearts, a battle's flame,
Claiming a land, unnamed and untamed.

Swift as a shadow, the raid unwinds,
Eclipsing the journey in terror's confines.
John and Olive fell, ending their quest,
But for their son, fate penned a different test.

Apache eyes on the young one dwelled,
Into the heart of the tribe, a captive propelled.
Now reborn as Santiago, his past life shed,
In Apache tongues, his story spread.

Yet whispers of Charley echo through the ages,
Of a boy lost in history's pages.
Did he dance beneath the eagle's watchful eye?
In his heart, did the memories of old lie?

Became the Santiago, on mountains high,
In the wind's sigh, Charley is yet to die.
A family fallen, a son reshaped,
In the heart of the wild, his spirit escaped.

Tales spun in the embers' glow,
Of Charley, Santiago, carried by winds' flow.