Geronimo's descendants sue secret society at Yale
DriftingByTheStorm
Posts: 8,684
This is hillarious to me.
Nothing to see here though.
You know, Skull and Bones is just a little boys club.
Nevermind that the election before last was an exclusive contest between
Bonesman A and Bonesman B.
Just a little boys club.
International Herald Tribune
Geronimo's descendants sue secret society at Yale
By James C. McKinley Jr.
Published: February 20, 2009
HOUSTON: The descendants of Geronimo have sued Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale University with ties to the Bush family, charging that its members robbed his grave in 1918 and have kept his skull in a glass case ever since.
The claim is part of a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington on Tuesday, the 100th anniversary of Geronimo's death.
The Apache warrior's heirs are seeking to recover all his remains, wherever they may be, and have them transferred to a new grave at the headwaters of the Gila River in New Mexico, where Geronimo was born and wished to be interred.
"I believe strongly from my heart that his spirit was never released," Geronimo's great-grandson Harlyn Geronimo, 61, told reporters Tuesday at the National Press Club.
Geronimo died a prisoner of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1909. A longstanding tradition among members of Skull and Bones holds that Prescott Bush - father of President George H.W. Bush and grandfather of President George W. Bush - broke into the grave with some classmates during World War I and made off with the skull, two bones, a bridle and some stirrups, all of which were put on display at the group's clubhouse in New Haven, known as the Tomb.
The story gained some validity in 2005, when a historian discovered a letter written in 1918 from one Skull and Bones member to another saying the skull had been taken from a grave at Fort Sill along with several pieces of tack for a horse.
Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. attorney general who is representing Geronimo's family, acknowledged that he had no hard proof that the story was true. Yet he said he hoped the court would clear up the matter.
Tom Conroy, a spokesman for Yale, declined to comment on the lawsuit but was quick to note that the Tomb was not on university property.
Members of the Skull and Bones, who guard their organization's secrecy, could not be reached for comment. Though the society is not officially affiliated with the university, many of Yale's most powerful alumni are members, among them both Bush presidents and Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts.
"Of all the items rumored to be in the Skull and Bones' possession, Geronimo's skull is one of the more plausible ones," said Alexandra Robbins, the author of "Secrets of the Tomb" (Little Brown 2002), a book about the society.
"There is a skull encased in a glass display when you walk in the door of the Tomb, and they call it Geronimo," Robbins said.
Some local historians and anthropologists in Oklahoma have cast doubt on the tale, noting that no independent evidence has been found to suggest that Geronimo's grave was disturbed in 1918. Ten years later, the army covered the grave with concrete and replaced a simple wooden headstone with a stone monument, making it nearly impregnable.
Geronimo, whose given name was Goyathlay, put up fierce resistance to white settlers, fighting the Mexican and U.S. armies for nearly three decades. He finally surrendered, with only 35 men left, to General Nelson Miles on the New Mexico-Arizona border in 1886 and spent the rest of his life in prison, dying of pneumonia.
Not all Apaches want to move his remains to New Mexico. The branch of the tribe that settled at Fort Sill after Geronimo died is fighting to keep the grave where it is.
"There is nothing to be gained by digging up the dead," said Jeff Houser, the chairman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe. "It will not repair the damage to the tribe caused by its removal and imprisonment."
Nothing to see here though.
You know, Skull and Bones is just a little boys club.
Nevermind that the election before last was an exclusive contest between
Bonesman A and Bonesman B.
Just a little boys club.
International Herald Tribune
Geronimo's descendants sue secret society at Yale
By James C. McKinley Jr.
Published: February 20, 2009
HOUSTON: The descendants of Geronimo have sued Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale University with ties to the Bush family, charging that its members robbed his grave in 1918 and have kept his skull in a glass case ever since.
The claim is part of a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington on Tuesday, the 100th anniversary of Geronimo's death.
The Apache warrior's heirs are seeking to recover all his remains, wherever they may be, and have them transferred to a new grave at the headwaters of the Gila River in New Mexico, where Geronimo was born and wished to be interred.
"I believe strongly from my heart that his spirit was never released," Geronimo's great-grandson Harlyn Geronimo, 61, told reporters Tuesday at the National Press Club.
Geronimo died a prisoner of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1909. A longstanding tradition among members of Skull and Bones holds that Prescott Bush - father of President George H.W. Bush and grandfather of President George W. Bush - broke into the grave with some classmates during World War I and made off with the skull, two bones, a bridle and some stirrups, all of which were put on display at the group's clubhouse in New Haven, known as the Tomb.
The story gained some validity in 2005, when a historian discovered a letter written in 1918 from one Skull and Bones member to another saying the skull had been taken from a grave at Fort Sill along with several pieces of tack for a horse.
Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. attorney general who is representing Geronimo's family, acknowledged that he had no hard proof that the story was true. Yet he said he hoped the court would clear up the matter.
Tom Conroy, a spokesman for Yale, declined to comment on the lawsuit but was quick to note that the Tomb was not on university property.
Members of the Skull and Bones, who guard their organization's secrecy, could not be reached for comment. Though the society is not officially affiliated with the university, many of Yale's most powerful alumni are members, among them both Bush presidents and Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts.
"Of all the items rumored to be in the Skull and Bones' possession, Geronimo's skull is one of the more plausible ones," said Alexandra Robbins, the author of "Secrets of the Tomb" (Little Brown 2002), a book about the society.
"There is a skull encased in a glass display when you walk in the door of the Tomb, and they call it Geronimo," Robbins said.
Some local historians and anthropologists in Oklahoma have cast doubt on the tale, noting that no independent evidence has been found to suggest that Geronimo's grave was disturbed in 1918. Ten years later, the army covered the grave with concrete and replaced a simple wooden headstone with a stone monument, making it nearly impregnable.
Geronimo, whose given name was Goyathlay, put up fierce resistance to white settlers, fighting the Mexican and U.S. armies for nearly three decades. He finally surrendered, with only 35 men left, to General Nelson Miles on the New Mexico-Arizona border in 1886 and spent the rest of his life in prison, dying of pneumonia.
Not all Apaches want to move his remains to New Mexico. The branch of the tribe that settled at Fort Sill after Geronimo died is fighting to keep the grave where it is.
"There is nothing to be gained by digging up the dead," said Jeff Houser, the chairman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe. "It will not repair the damage to the tribe caused by its removal and imprisonment."
If I was to smile and I held out my hand
If I opened it now would you not understand?
If I opened it now would you not understand?
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Geronimo's Great Grandson Asks Yale Secret Society to Return Ancestor's Skull
The great grandson of Geronimo says he wants to know whether Skull and Bones secret society at Yale University has the remains of the famous Apache chief and shaman.
By Stephen Clark
FOXNews.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It's the stuff of legends: an elite secret society that includes what would become some of the most powerful men of the 20th century allegedly invading the grave of an Apache chief to steal his skull for fraternal rituals. It's also the stuff of a new lawsuit filed Tuesday by descendents of that Apache chief.
On the 100th anniversary of the death of Geronimo, 20 of his blood relatives have asked the courts to force Yale University and the school's secret organization, Skull and Bones, to release his remains for return to his native land and a proper burial.
The lawsuit also names President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Army Secretary Pete Geren as defendants because they are responsible for maintaining Geronimo's remains on a U.S. Army base in Oklahoma, the group said.
"I believe it's a good cause because indigenous people over the century have been annihilated, removed from their homeland," said Geronimo's great grandson, Harlyn Geronimo, at a press conference in Washington, D.C.
Click here to watch interview of Harlyn Geronimo
Skull and Bones has never said whether any of Geronimo's remains are in its possession. The descendants say they are investigating long-held claims that in 1918, members of Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, the father of George H.W Bush and grandfather of George W. Bush, invaded Geronimo's grave at Ft. Sill and stole his skull, some bones and other items buried with him.
"In this lawsuit, we're going to find out if the bones are there or not," said the group's lawyer, said the group's lawyer, Ramsey Clark, who was attorney general in President Lyndon Johnson's administration.
Gila Reinstein, a spokeswoman for Yale University, said she is unaware of the lawsuit, but Yale can add nothing to the mystery of the Indian chief's whereabouts.
"To the best of my knowledge, Yale University has no relics or bones belonging to Geronimo," she said, adding that she couldn't speak on behalf of Skull and Bones because it is independent of the university.
Geronimo fought for decades against Mexican and American expansion into tribal lands. He and his small band of Apaches surrendered to U.S. troops in 1886 and were sent to Florida as prisoners of war before being transferred to Alabama.
Five years later, he was sent to Ft. Sill, where he lived the rest of his life as a free-range prisoner. Geronimo became a celebrity in the twilight of his life, appearing at fairs and selling souvenirs and photographs of himself. He died of pneumonia in 1909 at Ft. Sill and was buried at the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery on the military base.
Three members of the Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, served as Army volunteers at Fort Sill during World War I. They are accused of stealing the items which supposedly are used in initiation ceremonies. One alleged ritual includes kissing Geronimo's skull.
Geronimo said he's bringing the lawsuit now after contemplating it over the past decade because he has the time to do it after retiring from a tribal council in 2000. Clark added that at the 100th anniversary of the shaman's death, "We really thought it would be a good time to say enough is enough."
Geronimo said he has appealed to former President Bush for help in returning the remains.
"According to our traditions the remains of this sort, especially in this state when the grave was desecrated, need to be reburied with the proper rituals to return the dignity and let his spirits rest in peace."
Asked why he didn't appeal to Obama first, Geronimo said he thought Obama may be too busy to heed his request.
If I opened it now would you not understand?
EDIT: Never mind. I am confused. It was Osceola, the Seminole Indian Chief that this happened to. Sorry.
to use such a thing as an object of initiation for something
so childish as a fraternity, is beyond abhorrable.
its just not right, the disrespect is sickening. i wish Geronimo's family luck with their suit.
hopefully they will get some answers, at the very least.
I don't think it is beneficial to ANYones understanding to refer to Skull & Bones as "something so childish",
a "fraternity" that can spit out BOTH choices in a rigged election SURELY is NOT CHILDISH.
Just a thought for the bone pile.
If I opened it now would you not understand?
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2623/is-geronimos-skull-residing-at-yales-skull-and-bones