| Show A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER it was in the latter part of the summer of 1849 about thirty miles from santa banta fe now in the territory ot or new mexico tue government troops were near sunta santa fe and making hay boy lor for their cavalry dorsee there being no tome tame hay bay in the country they had bad to resort to wild grass grasa to bupt supt ly their wants it was wae on this occasion ocoa eion that thai one of the most moat desperate fights occurred though little has ban ever been said or written about it the comanche Coma nobe indiana io in those days were a warlike people and es a daring a foe of uncle sama men anever as ever met on the plains plain in a battle and they were not conquered for or may years afterwards as aa a tribe in be it was waa in thu the mouth month of august 1849 while a beall squad of govern me 1 employed emp loyes were camped several miles from the post for the purpose of at putting up bay fir the post it ig is the one whose duty it was to do most of the cooking king fur the he little squad that relates bis atis story and it is bilue in every particular as aa related to me his body bore many scan and as he be told the story of how bow he be came toy by them knowing him as I 1 did I 1 did aid not doubt his word in the early morning as his bin duty called him up earlier than any one she else to prepare break be was busy preparing the mea meal A little after broad daylight before any oue one else ol of the company had bad arisen be heard beard a distant quickly turning hie big lace face in the me direction the sound came from a eight bight greeted his hie eyes eyba not very pleat ant to benad only about three hundred yards from camp ou on the prairie lu in lull gallop hom three to five hundred warriors of the Co manches oo on horseback were advancing all in their best war paint the alarm aarm was quickly given the commissary sergeant who had the key to the cheat wherein was wac the most moat ot of the ammunition as soon as a e r rose as from his bis blankets took to his hie itself heels as aa last as ae he be could run in the abe opposite direction from cheris the indiana were viere coming As another was rising rifling from his hie bed he was wae struck in the StO MELCh by so arrow the next secand another was bit in lathe the fo d at ard d his bis days daye on earth were at ai an ent en another toi lol lowed the sergeant bilich left le t only nine out of the twelve this nine sent abent deadly answers to the message wat anat the savages bad already sent into the be little camp of whites them were some hands banja went up mangat mongat the in cisne and some screams but bug they were so 80 fastened to their horses bonea that it was wan not easy to tell just juat what effect the bota bad bad when only about thirty yards yarda distant they turned and galloped away to a safe gate distance bonit acme yar a there holding a consultation I 1 lu u the me meantime antime though nearly very every one of the surviving whites had bd received wounds some were latal they broke open the ammunition with the butts of their muskets and got to the ammunition but fou found ad they ouy on y bad six rounds left fir this wae only procured in time for by this time the savages were on the return at full speed peed and yelling at the top of their voice when in easy rane range for a most moot effectual fires fire they got a good aim and in return gave the waitea one with interest this charge wais not broken but they daubed dashed right into camp aou and many of them dismounted by inifi time it became a hand band to band tor for life or death and by the time the atae six rounds were fired only enree were left to tell what had bad happened ed taking his musket by the barrel and using it as a club a formidable weapon to clear the way for or hl his a escape one ol of them got out of their W way jy strange to any ay when the whites whiter ammunition gave out the indians indiana ceased to fire fird on them any more aud and commenced to pillage the can camp the survivor spoken of was with an arrow that struck the arm none bone just below the shoulder and split off a piece of the bons bone of the arm entering the side and pinning his arm tu his side aide HO he took the arrow just outside the arm and broke it off pulled the balance ol of the arrow through the arm at d pulled it out of his side this freed his bis arm to use his big gun as a club ht hf made bis escape to a neighboring not tar far away though pierced with arrows arrow in many plaoma he be feared tilts wound the he most from loss lose of blood and ana as ae was not able to travel far twenty hours bourn afterwards when he be was waa found by the soldiers be was wa moze more dead wan alive when the camp was explored the soldiers lound twenty seven eTen places that bat bore evidences where that dum bumber ber of the be indiana had bit bi the he dust R W |
