Geronimo fight turns into family feud

A second Mescalero family, also claiming to be descendants of the legendary Geronimo, plans to oppose an attempt to repatriate the Apache warrior's remains to New Mexico. Lariat Geronimo, 39, of Mescalero, said Thursday he is a great-grandson of Geronimo, and his immediate family members are the true descendants of the warrior. He said they oppose an attempt by Harlyn Geronimo of Mescalero, who also claims to be a great-grandson of the warrior, to move the remains. Lariat Geronimo alleged Harlyn Geronimo doesn't have a valid claim as a blood relative and has filed the repatriation lawsuit to gain publicity for himself. "Everybody from the original Geronimos are going to fight this; this is a form of identify theft, and we're going to fix it," Lariat Geronimo said during a phone interview. "My family, the true descendants, never considered (Harlyn Geronimo) family." Attempts to reach Harlyn Geronimo on Thursday were unsuccessful. Harlyn Geronimo announced the lawsuit on Feb. 17 — the 100-year anniversary of Geronimo's death. It seeks the return of the warrior's remains to New Mexico from where they currently rest in a Fort Sill, Okla., cemetery and, possibly, from somewhere in Connecticut. The civil suit alleges that Yale University's secretive Skull and Bones student society also is in possession of some of Geronimo's bones...Las Cruces Sun-News