Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-05-02
From the Springfield tIIl) Republican.
Narrow Escape from the SavageS.
Remarkable Narrative,


last evening and related the following
thrilling and remarkable narrative. From
his description Of places and things which
he saw, we are perfectly satisfied that his
statement is correct iv every respect. A
gentleman of this city who has travelled
over the country he describes, assured US
that no person, except he had visited
those places and witnessed what he des-
cribes, could ever have related truthfully
what he related. He converses in sever
al different Indian languages, and ap-
pears TO have paid close attention to what
was passing around him during his So
journ among the savages. He looked
well and hearty, and with the exception
of his hands being torn by some wounds
from a tomahawk he seems to have suf-
fered no damage. He left on the cars
last evening for Logan county, where his
mother resides.
Mr.. Baily left here some eighteen
months ago with party of nine persons
to engage in driving teams from the Gulf
of Mexico to the Rio Grande. They land
ed at Lndianola and hired to man by the
name Of Ross 10 drive team for him.
They drove to Nueces river and encamp-
ed there. Whilst asleep their mules
were stolen by the Indians. They pre-
pared the next day to follow them, and
came up with them at sunset. They saw
six Indians, fred atand killed them all,
when they were attacked by about 800
who were secreted in the woods. They
Immediately fired on the white men, kill
ling all but Mr.. Baily whom they took
prisoner. They then took him back to
the wagons, which they pIundered of all
the arms and amuuition in them. They
took two boxes of government Colts re-
voIvers and twenty kegs of powder. The
prisoner was stripped of all his clothing
and bound hand and foot upon pony
They then started for their encampment
in the Witchataw mountains, which place
they reached after eleven days hard RI
ding.
They remained in camp about week
and then started on robbing expedition
to attack a train on the Santa Fe road
They remained about FIVE days waiting
when merchant train came along. They
proceeded to surprise the train aud killed
every person with it, took the goods and
mules belonging TO the train and started
for the Kickapoo settlement, traded of
the mules for ponies and returned to the
Witchataw Mountains. ....-.
The prisoner was kept strictly conf
ned during the day, and was tied up eve
ry night with peices of raw hide by the
hands to limb Of a tree as high as he
could reach and stand on the ground.
During the day he was allowed to lie
down and sleep few hours. Duringthe
time Mr.. BaiIy was with them they went
on FIVE robbing expeditions, taking him
always with them. The last merchant
train they robbed they took two men pris-
oners who had brayely defended them
selves till their weapons were all dischar-
ged, and who killed twelve of the lndi-
ans These two were then taken and IL
ed to stake and skinned alive. Mr. Bal
ly was placed close to them end compell-
ed to witness this horrible scene. Every
time he would close his eyes they would
punch him with spears and bayoDets until
he would open them and look on this pic
ture Of revolving horror. They then took
the skin reeking with warm blood, and
slapped him around the face with it, cev-
ering him with blood, and telling him if
he tried to escape this should be his fate.
One of their excursions was against
the United States mail wagons. They
killed the five men with them, tore open
the letters, got out the money, and cutting
outthe pictures from the bank bills, threw
them away. They kept all the newspa-
pers that had any pictures in them
throwing everything away that was not
embellished.
For three nights after this they did not
tie him up but kept guard over him.--
The third night they had big war dance,
and, in the excitement forgot Mr.. Baily.
While dancing around their fire in front
Of the tent, he Crawled out under the back
of tent, seized one of the ponies and es-
capped. lie was soon misseds and was
followed for FIVE days. At the expiration
of that time they came so close to him
that they fred on him, which obliged him
to leave his horse and take to the noun
tains. Fortunately he found small cave
just large enough to crawl into, in which
place he remained day and half, the
Indians being so near him that he could
hear their footsteps as they searched for
him.