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Show 6 - PARCHED TIMES - JUNE 15, 1996 MORE SILVE Y, from p.2 Slowly and carefully the fifteen men advanced to within turn back. We will get them yet, and I am willing to scout about forty yards of the gulch. Suddenly, the Indians who ahead a half mile from the main bunch so that we will not be trapped." To this plan they all agreed. They came out of the canyon safely and soon reached a fine large spring with a nice, natural meadow surrounding it. This spring later was named Hatch Ranch. Being very thirsty they drank from the dear cold spring many times. The Indians had apparently eamped there the previous day, and having left some scraps of food, it was eagerly eaten by all. After a night of rest for both men and horses they shot fresh meat near by, and again took up the Piute trail. Captain Dawson and his Rico-Disappiontment bunch were met at Piute Springs by a carrier from the Double Cabins bringing detailed news of what had happened at the Blues and that the Indians were apparently steering toward the La Sal Mountains. Dawson and his men thought the best way to catch up with or head off the Piutes would be to go as quickly as possible to the la Sals by taking the route that the Neals Olson and Menefee party had blazed in the fall of 1878. Going down the Three Step Hill into Lisbon Valley, thence up the Valley to the Big Indian and on to the head of were concealed in the rocks and brush on this little hill poured a murderous volley of shots into this little advance guard. Four men fell dead in their tracks. Instantly the other men of the guard looked for a place of shelter. Knowing they must cross about a hundred and fifty yards of open ground in Pack Creek. Near there they struck the Piute trail looking fresh as the Indians still had a large bunch of ponies and a considerable herd of goats which slowed them down. Near the head of Mill Creek, Billy May and his men from Dolores and Rico numbering about sixty, overtook Captain Dawson and his outfit but did not "throw in with them” for some unknown cause. Instead, they trailed along a short distance behind. As Billy May's brother having been killed led to all this, many of the men were surprised that he did not take the lead with his men, at this stage of the game. Dawson and his son decided to go on at any cost and to accomplish what they had set out to do, which was seeking revenge for the killing of three white men, and the recovery of all stolen horses. For a number of miles along the trail. goats and an occasional Indian pony had been seen played out, no doubt by the fast driving by the Piutes. The trail ahead looked so fresh that Dawson decided to detail four men to scout ahead some distance in order to protect the main body of men. This was done across Wilson Mesa and for some distance down a hill leading to a prong of little Castle Valley. The scouting party of four men, after reaching near the bottom of the long hill leading to the valley, saw about half a mile ahead of them, an arroyo or gulch. Just buyond this gulch was a low hill covered with a growth of scrub oaks and large and small boulders. Looking at this point intently a few minutes, they saw, or imagined they saw a red blanket flit an instant then disappear behind a rock. They also positively saw an Indian pony moving among the brush. Although they were not sure of the Indians being here in order to reach their comrades following behind, and, seeing the gulch only afew yards ahead, they made a dash ahead and reached the gulch in safety for a time. But here they made a sad mistake as the Indians crawled through the brush and rocks above them and poured in a murderous cross fire upon them, which they could not return to much effect for they could rarely see an Indian and then only a hand or a gun for an instant. After about an hour of this sort of fighting, six more of Dawson‘s men were killed in this trap. The remaining five crawled to a cave or a hole in the bank where the Indians could not see them. Dawson's main body of men had now come up to within about two hundred yards of the gulch. Dawson and his comerades saw the four men fall from the bullets of the Indians and saw the balance of the men run for the shelter of the gulch but they were powerless to help them, as the Indians now opened up a rain of bullets on them compelling them to hastily seek scanty shelter among the small boulders and scrub oaks. Here the patter of the bullets was almost constant. Jim Hall of Rico was wounded in the leg in the beginning of the battle and he suffered much pain, and loss of blood. They had no water and the sun shone on them with merciless intensity. The Indians seemed to have plenty of ammunition and were better armed than the whites, nearly all of them having 44 caliber Winchesters. While the whites had a "duke's" misture of old buffalo guns with short range, and a slow velocity of bullets made distance shooting a guess. The Indians were concealed a greater part of the time and it make it difficult to fire a shot with much hope of doing damage to the Indians. One Indian, supposed to be a Chief, climbed up on a big boulder. The white men could hear his voice, no doubt shouting instructions to the other Indians how to proceed to get a shot at the whites without taking chances themselves. Many of the whites fired at this rather bold Indian, but the slow-moving bullets of their old-fashioned guns fell short, so he escaped unharmed. At this stage of the battle the whites heard several shots in quick succession a short distance down the valley. The next day, they found the bodies of two men apparently unarmed, with their bodies riddled by bullets. After a time they were identified as the Wilson brothers of Moab who had been camped on Castle Creek and it is surmised that they were curious about all the shooting and wanted to investigate and in so doing the Indians surprised and shot them. pack to us as fast as you can, or seek the nearest shelter of Captain Dawson and his men wondered why Billy May and his sixty men did not come to their aid knowing that with a small force of men he could not hope to make a flank movement on the Indians to try to rescue the boys in the gulch. Not knowing that the greater number of them had already been killed and wanting to help them at any cost, he knew something must be done at once. So far it had been every fellow for himself, hunting the best place possible for shelter against the Indian bullets. Captain Dawson talked with anumber ofhis men and it was decided to get a volunteer runner to make a nmning dash for the gulch and try to persuade the boys to make a rim for the main body of rocks and brush.“ men and get away from danger. ambush, they thought best to report at once to Captain Dawson. After a brief consultation, Captain Dawson decided to send a part of his small force ahead a short distance on the trail to investigate with instructions to fall back to the main body of men iffired at by the Indians. He called for fifteen volunteers to carry out this dangerous task. Twenty men promptly stepped forward and offered to go. Captain Dawson selected fifteen men and said, ”Boys, be careful and remember, if fired upon, we will be close behind you. Run MORE SILVEY, p. 7 |
