| Show COL B irtle arall ABOUT 1855 preston nevada may 5 34 mr Beck beckwith vAth tb sr delta utah dear frank it if you yon want to hear a real indian story pick up some old timer of ely and drive out north of town keeping the left hand road about ten miles up the valley you will come to a it great chasm that cuts straight across and thru the west range of mountains this deep break in the ois ls known as her cules gap but it could well be call ed bloody ravine back in the days of 1855 the in diana of nevada were unconquered they were continually stealing cat tie tle and killing settlers whenever it could be done without too much risk to themselves at that particular time a small army of united states soldiers un der col cot A B steptoe was crossing the terri toray of nevada under or ders to punish the indiana indians for some of their depredations A band of warring indians was camped on a meadow that lapread out like a tan fan at the west end of this mountain gap A small stream ian tali from the meadow and followed the gap to the open valley bedow col cot steptoe came down the valley from the north keeping to the open spaces and sending out a scout to look tor for indians As he came near hercules gap a scout came running with the news of an indian encampment at the west of the gap on the meadow the in deans were unaware of the approach appi ch of steptoe Step toes s troops the colonel posted thirty so soll ders liders at the east en trance of the gap and then taking the balance of his men he marel ed on the south a few miles where he crossed avei a low pass to the west then creeping along the north he gave the indians the surp ilse ilso of their lives taken so unaware the whole indian band ran for the gap and hoped to escape by and open re treat the soldiers followed the in deans from the west where the in deans were met by the thirty soldiers who had been posted to head them off at the east the walla walls of the gap stand per cular at most places and reach anywhere from a hundred to a thousand feet in height at the hot torn tom the walla walls are not over a hun dred feet apart at the widest place possibly the gap is 1 i I mile in length the frightened indiana indians were be tween two fires bome of them fought desperately some tried to hide along the jagged walls others begged tor for mercy but the soldiers were ere out for extermination and the cry of deicy went unheeded with in ili thirty ninnies n the battle was ov er steptoe counted 93 of the enemy dead and no i prisoners riso ners lie ile had lost 9 old leis and 11 were wounded the Merrl Merri cats as the indians call ed them were burled buried in a common grave while the indians were left to bleach under tl e sun and snows for over twenty years before some of their bones were gathered thrown into a pile and bi ried at the time of the battle it was thought tl if at every indian in the band I 1 ad been killed but one little rapp about six years of age bid hid in a cresce in the south wall and by some unknown means climbed over that wall and ran down the valley an irish prospector tom me quilty found the little fellow a few days la ter exhausted and frightened wit less the kind old irishman adopt ed the little and raised him to manhood lie ile was always faithful to Mc Quilty and following tl if e indian fashion the little sho sl onie named himself allty tom you will be interested in hercules gap cap if you yon will take some old timer along who can tell you some of the stories connected with the place recently bill peterson killed a mountain lion there about halt way through the gap using stones as his only ammunition he ile left a scrawl e I 1 sentence on the rock wall that LC LO ignatee the place where he met and killed the big cat chester W cheel scoutmaster labor unions are cai the and working tor for per cent good to themselves out of it there has been on answer to col lindbergh ergh s I 1 lunt statement that air nail contractors had the right of trial before being convicted the basic principle ot of united states law Is that a man mail is innocent until proved guilty after a fair trial |
