Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-06-02
INDIAN BARBARrTY..


Mrs. Pages Captivity and Srffferings--5he is
Thrown Over Precipice-Three Days on
Snow Bank-Crawls Sixteen Miles &C., &C.,
Tubac, Arizona april oth Cores. st. Louis Republican.
The following thrilling details of captivity,
savage barbarity, suffering ana restoration to
her friends, of one whose misfortunes have
lately filed the public ear, will be read with in
terest The writer has taken the story as il
fell from her own lips, and gives il TO the pub
lie without establishment
NARRATIVE OF MRS LARsENA A. PAGE.
l had been married but little over two months,
and was living with my husband, Mr.. j.. II.
Page, in rude cabin at the mouth of the grand
canon leading to the pinery Of the Santa Rita
Mountains. Our family consisted of myself
and husband, little Mexican girl. eleven years
of ose, M;soro KirLland and Mr. William Ran
dali, who was engaged with my husband in the
lumber business.
On the Morning of the 10th of March, after
an early breakfast, my husband left US at camp
for the purpose Of putting some Mexicans to
work, and Mr.. Randall going out to kill deer,
Misare and myself were left quite alone. Asit
was washing day, had started to procure some
water, when the little girl screamed and said
the Apaches were on us. They came up in a
run. Having six shooter Colts Reyolver) in
my hand, l turned to fire at them but they were
already so close that before l could pui the
the weapon. They then proceeded to plunder,
seizing on everything they could carry off
-four, blankets, clothing, &c; and, not satisfied
with this they destroyed the balance. We hal
loed and screamed lor assistance, but the In
dians struck me with their lances, and told us
to keep quiet, or they would kill us. They
packed up what they could take, and marched
us off, hand-in hand, in hurried and barbarous
manner. After proceeding thus for a quarter
g tlo tlp,e at.l, -, fn,
our talking together, the little girl being little
in advance of me.
We travelled thus all day, over a rocky and
mountainous road, penetrating deeper and deep
es into the mountain, and finally almost reach
ing the summit Having suffered mach from
recen: attacks of fever and ague, l was in
very enfeebled condition, totally inadequate for
the fatgues of such a journey; and my inabill-
ty to travel at the speed wh.-l they desired was
the cause of my receiving the most brutal treat
ment at their hands. They several times point
ed six shooter at my head. as much as to say
that my fate was already decide upon, and
that was to he made a victim OF savage bar
barty. The little girl, who was ahead, would
occasionally fall back, crying, and tell me that
the Indians were going to kill me. They spoke
but little Spanish, yet enough was understood
to awaken my fears and fill me with apprehen-
sion. l knew that my strength, which was
rapidly failing, would admit Of my proceeding
but little further and that unless my husband
and other parties were following to rescue us,
must fall q victim soon as my strength en-
tirely failed.
We had proceeded thus about sixteen miles,
as nearly as my limited ideas of distance will
enable me TO Judge, and now Jagged behind
much that my savage captors grew inpatient
and resolved to kill me. They stripped me Of
my clothing, including my shoes, and left me
but single garment. They then thrust their
lances at me, inhicting eleven wounds in my
body, threw me over ledge of rocks, or preci-
pice, some sixteen eighteen feet high, and
hurled large stones after ME, to make sure of
their victim, and then left me, supposing must
die, and too barbarous to end my misery by
entirely extinguishing the spark of life. This
occurred near sunset ] had nine lance wounds
in my back and two in my arm, and my head
was cut in several places by the rocks which
were thrown after me- but most of the latter
| glanced, without striking me.
had alighted on bank of snow, almost in
a state Of nudity, and in senseless condition.
In counting up my camping places before
reaching home, think | must have laid there
| in state of Inconsistencies for near three
days. when | came to ! took some snow and
put on my wounds. recollected the direction
travelled and the position of the sun from camp
at sunset, and with these guides started for
home My feet gave out the hrst day, and
was compelled to crawl the most of the distance.
Did not dare to go down TO the foot of the
mountain, for fear l could find no water, and
was therefore compelled to keep in the steep
and rocky mountain. Sometimes, after crawl
ing up steep ledge, laboring hard for half
day, would lose my footing, and slide down
lower than the place from which started. AS
| had no fire and no clothing suffered very
much from the cold. | was at a point said to
be six thousand feet above the sea, and only
wonder that l did not freeze. / scratched holes
in the sand at night in which to sleep, and be-
fore could travel was obliged every day to
wait for the sun to warm me up. ! travelled
what | could every day, and in the meantime
had to subsist on grass alone. On the four
teenth day l reached the camp of some work.
men in the pinery, which was untenanted.
There found little food and some -four which
had been spilled on the ground. The fire was
not quite out, and kindled it up. Scraped up
some of the -four and made me a little cake,
the first food had tasted since left home. l
was now near the workmen in the pinery, and
within two miles of my home, but was too
weak to go on. l could hear the men at work,
and sometimes saw them, but could not attract
their attention. At length ! crawled along
to the road over which they must pass, and
was found there, and carried nome, after being
out sixteen days.