Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1856-11-13
New series---Vol II, No. 2.

I 1auianss had crossed INTO Mexico.
/ though our provisions were getting s. &
/ we pushed ahead, as il was rntnoreu IA.
there was an Indian town at lie mouth of
Pecas containing $50 OF 200 Indians all
/ good warriors. The Number however
1 would make no difference with the Capt
when he had sixty men; we having receiy-
Led an addition 10 our party Of eighteen
men, Of number under Capt. Gilbert.
We pushed down the Rio for a consid.
cradle distance, when we saw fresh In.
1 dian trail leading to The River. We fol-
lowed 1t TIL we came very near the river.
| when we saw seven head of cattle. The
/ Capt. divided the forces. He took the
horsemen, and Lieut. Clawson the mule
eers. and, up the river we charged, with
THE hopes OF getting something for our
trouble, but il B.as no go. was with the
hi-l"+4EFier e"s "a We .Fmnle.
u dlstasseslrom AMP the river a considera-
my own practice ,"Slio1 ldm discovered where The In
" s,,e na wonderful OF virueNover to the Mexican side.
,er suspected lack to the rest. They had
ieveral eass5re successful than US, for they had
chased two into the river bat did not sue
ceed in getting them cn account of the
bank being so steep that they could not fol-
low them on horseback They dismocnt-
ed and ran down the banks to the waters
edge, the Captain ahead, leaping from onea
foothold To another, like wild man. wa
wing his hat, bat when he arrived at tue
waters side there were no Indians there.
They had taken 10 The water, and when
all Indian gets into water hat is swift they
are like fish, and it is almost Impossible
to shoot them. We secured large num-
ber of baskets and such things, in their
camp, but they were poor Pluudeg.
We then struck across the couatrY to the
Pecas, which was nolmore than five miles
from the Rio, taking all the cailie with MS
with the exception of one large OK, which
the Captain ordered to be killed for a feast
that evening. When we arrived ii The
Pecas our path led 10 small village
There were tracks there which were fresl..
The guides slipped 10 the bank and looked
over, and below us, almost Que thousand
feet, for the banks are that high in man,
places,l was e camp of these red devils
cooking their meals over their fires.
myself counted nine Of them We crowd
ed to the edge Of the precipice and deIir-
cred a volley upon them They never
looked up, but ran off without taking anv
thing with them. with the exceptions Of
one who took his bow and arrows with
him, and the squaws, Two in nulNhrr pirk-
ed up their basket with a papoose IN it,
They succeeded in nakiag their escape
without any of their number being killed.,
but three OF them were very badly wound
ed, from which, am c0ufilem they will
never recover. We then ran down to tie
river TO see if we could not discover more.
but they had all fed. The two guides
plunged into the river. and we stretched a
rope bridge across as before, and The first
men over got the plunder. great num-
Der OF the men crossed, but Lieut.. CIawson
and Wiihefell were almost The first to land
on the other side. The sorme. is very
small man and had some difficulty in eros
sing, he being SO light That the current
swept him off MS feet. They had to have
their pistols throws 10 them from the side
we were on.
The Captain called Tor the men shat were
idle 10 come 10 tie iop of the hill where
the guard were with the pack mules and
our animals. We had not bern yerr long
on the hill oil we heard some singing down.
the river. He mounted the men and gave
Capt Gilbert Instructions to move on the
top of the hill with his men and get in
ambush. They did SO. but were not kept
there long until the singing became plain,
and at last six head of cattle made their
appearance and Immediately Two mounted
Indians appeared behind them, driving
them ahead. The foremost was singing.
very cheerfully, one Of his Indian songs.
| think il must have been
Loudly tle guns d;d rattle"
for at that moment we did pour volley
upon them, and down fell Mr.. Indian and
horse without a struggle. The other one
started his pony at full speed, and our men
charged after him with our noble Captain
a their head. The Indians pony was
badly wounded, believe by our Captains
own gun, as he endeavored 10 dismount
the Indian, and he succeeded The Indianu
finding that his horse could not stand it
further, jumped off while his pony was
going at full speed, lit on his feet, plunged
into the river and succeeded in making his
escape with his scalp. His pony. after
running hundred yards further, fell dead.
We secured thirteen head of cattle, four
very good ponies and two splendid mules,
and then followed the river to where it
emPtes into the Rio Grande, where, we
heard, we would find settlement, but the
Indians made good their escape at our ap-
proaeh.
We encamped on the Pecas that night,
and had splendid roast of beef that even
ing, but nothing else, as our other proVi-
sions were at an end. The beef however
was very good, although our salt was very