Apaches accuse Prescott Bush of robbing Geronimo's grave

Sunday, December 25, 2005 

Native Americans are petitioning Congress to investigate the elite Skull and Bones group and return what they believe are the remains of Apache warrior Geronimo for reburial.

The petition alleges that Geronimo's grave was robbed in 1918 by members of the society, including Prescott Bush, President George W. Bush's grandfather. The alleged graverobbers stole Geronimo's head and his prized silver bridle, which had been buried with him. These allegations are also within a book by Yale graduate, Alexandra Robbins, titled; "Secrets of the Tomb". Robbins suggests that the reason these men robbed graves is; "Bones as a society is preoccupied with death; skulls, skeletons, and artwork depicting death are prevalent in the tomb. When Bonesmen steal things they use the euphemism that they are taking 'gifts to the goddess' whom they honor within the tomb."

Robbins also said; "I think it's ridiculous that Bonesmen's sense of entitlement is broad enough to include items that allegedly don't belong to them. The items they supposedly steal as a prank or competition may be valuable and meaningful to the actual owners. It's appalling that proper authorities have not forced their way into the tomb to retrieve the items that don't belong in there."

An economics professor at Clark College, James Craven, suggests that; "In the near future, there will finally be large groups of Natives showing up in front of 'the tomb' to protest this ugly racism and grave robbing by the Bones, and they will not be leaving until that skull and any other Native artifacts have been returned...[The theft] is a metaphor for something much bigger and even uglier. It is the ugly racism and hubris of the in-bred power elites who seek to infiltrate positions of power."

In her book, Robbins also reports that Apaches met with Skull and Bones representatives following their admission by letter that they did in fact have a skull they called "Geronimo". The Apaches were offered some bones, but refused to accept them at that time because, according to the petition; "It was obviously not the skull seen in the smuggled photograph."

Endicott Davison, an attorney for Skull and Bones, denied that Geronimo's skull is in the possession of the group.

Online Petition

• http://www.petitiononline.com/Geronimo/petition.html

Sources

• anonomous. "Allegations Refuted art StraightDope.com" — Common Sense, January 10, 2006

• Brenda Norrell. "Congress petitioned for return of Geronimo's remains" — Indian Country Today, December 25, 2005

• CBS News. "Skull And Bones" — 60 Minutes, June 13,2004

• CBS. "Skull And Bones video" — 60 Minutes, June 13,2004

• Noam Rudnick. "Of skulls and bones: More secrets of the tomb" — Yale Herald, October 24,2003

• Cecil Adams. "Is Geronimo's skull residing at Yale's Skull and Bones? Was it stolen from the grave by Prescott Bush?" — Chicago Reader, November 11, 2005

• Webster G. Tarpley & Anton Chaitkin. "Skull and Bones: The Racist Nightmare at Yale" — George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography, 1992,reprint 2004

• Alexandra Robbins. "Secrets of the Tomb, book extract" — Secrets of the Tomb, 2003