Hodges Soileau (American, B. 1943) "Cochise" Signed lower middle. Original Mixed Media painting on Paper.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood Cochise Commemorative Cover postmarked October 11, 1981.
One of the best known leaders of the Chiricahua Apaches was Cochise, described by a white friend as "six feet tall and straight as an arrow." From his youth Cochise was a close associate of his father-in-law Mangas Coloradas, and like Mangas he was friendly with Anglo-Americans until he was betrayed in February 1861. A child had been kidnapped from a ranch near Apache Pass. Lieutenant George Bascom suspected Cochise and ordered him to come in for questioning. Cochise complied, believing the soldiers knew as he did that a band of Coyoteros had kidnapped the boy, and that the Chiricahuas had nothing to do with it. Bascom informed Cochise that he was under arrest, to be held as hostage for return of the child. Cochise managed to escape. From that day he became an enemy of the whites, joining Mangas in numerous raids and leading his warriors in the famed ambush of the California Volunteers in Apache Pass. Other targets were stagecoaches and mail carriers. One day the mail contractor, Tom Jeffords, boldly rode into Cochise's camp and asked for a personal treaty. Cochise was so impressed by the man's courage that he honored the request. After that, mail carriers were never molested, and Jeffords and Cochise became close friends. In 1872 when the government sought to pacify the Chiricahuas by assigning them a reservation in their Dragoon Mountains homeland, Cochise agreed provided that Jeffords was appointed agent. After this, Cochise remained a man of peace until his death, June 8, 1874.
Image Size: 15.25 x 13.5 in.
Overall Size: 21.25 x 19.25 in.
Unframed.
(B07413)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via wire transfer or cashier’s check, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through 6 online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be out bid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.