Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1871-03-11
The late Indian fighi.

we publishsi several weeks age
The first information Of the kill
ing was communicated TO General
James Oakes, commanding at Fort
Richardson. by the stage driver, on
tho 25th Of January, whereupon the
General, with his usual prompt
ness, dispatched two scouts imme'
dlately, ono 10 60 above aad the
other below, with orders To ferret
out the internal rcd skins, and eN'
terminate them II possible, Lieut.
Bothwick, Of tho 9th Cavalry, with
a detachment of twenty men, went
10 where tho negroes were killed,
on,Salt Creek, 32 miles from Fort
Richardson, on tho Fort Griffin
road. When the Lieutenant reach
ed the place, he left detail to bn'
~ the dead, pnd with the balance
of the party continued in pursuit,
Here no caught u glimpse OF the red
devils In the distance, and Travelled
night aud day. At daylight on the
9th, he overlook thirty Indians /;
when within two hundred yards of
them he commanded his men to
Commence firing" which order was
readily obeyed The Lieutenant
occupied q mountain top and tho
Indians in a cannon below. lie no.
ticed three or four of the Indians
fall from their horses at the first
vollcy. lie supposed they were
killed, The Indians held their po'
sition for several hours and kept up
q continuous fire. Lieut.. Bothwick,
finding himself in rather q close
place, attempted to retreat to a lot
of rocks, but upon nearing them,
some forty or fifty Indians were
found to be occupying tho position,
whereupon he rctrcated to another
position without drawing tho tiro
of this party. III UUi >.
The Indians were exceedingly
we'll armed and mounted, having
longrange guns and six-shooter',
They also appeared to be drilled as
we'll as armed the chief evidently
understanding the moduS opera@d'
of battle.
Lieut.. Bothwick received wound
in tho right sido,swhich caused him
to fall from his horse, but, although
wounded, he mounted again, and
the Indians retreating, he followed
for forty miles, but night overlook
them, and in the morning, ithaving
showed during the night, the trail
was lost and the chase given up.
In going through the woods LIT.
B. received severe injury, by com
Ing in contact with tho limb of a
tree, when riding at full speed.
His face was struck and severely
left side being badly
bruiscd-from which, together with
his wound, he experienced much
pain.
The negroes we're horribly butch
cred, scalped, their noses and ears
cut off, their bowels cut open and
filed with cornmeul, out ofthe wag-
on which the negroes had with them.
dog and h horse were found kill.
cd about half o mile from where the
fight took place, from which it is
tho negroes attempted to
make their escape.
Bret johnson was found with In
iisn's hair in his elenched hands,
md by him about a hundred cx-
ploded cartridges thrown from his
rifle. Bret and hisp
.y, from appearances, fought dcs-
Deratcly,, Bret johnson is u colored
man, and well known on the from
,ier as n noble fellow. He has liv-
ID there for the past eighteen years,
lid was u negro who knew his
place, huving been, before the war,
, servant Of U. S. officers. He has
been known, several times, to go
llone on foot into the Indian camps
md either steal or ransom white
children, whom the Indians had ia
Ken into captivity. lie succeeded
n getting three white children, be-
onging to Montague county, not
ong before his death. 1t seemed
o be his delight to re-capture chill
iren from tho sayagcs, and bring
hem into the settlements. For
,hese nets of chivalry he mover ask
ID any remuneration. He was one
If the best shots, with rifle, on
he frontier, and was stranger TO
ear. He lived at Fort Griffin, and
was an excellent Indiun guide. All
hat knew the unfortunate, regret
iis loss, and say he was noble
hearted man. Thirty arrows were
aiken from the bodies Of the nc
,roes. Z J , q s..
Too much praise cannot be be-
slowed upon thelgallant Lieutenant
or the determination he manifested
% arrest the murderous Indians.
His men also displayed great cour-
sge- sauL..rs1y.,.. !
General Oakes, the efficient and
.ble commandant of Fort Richard
,on, is always ready and willing to
send his troops to the aid of any
portion of the frontier. He keeps
,i1 scouts out continually, and uses
every imaginable effort to stay
r.,,
The Indians Of the present day
IRE far different to what they were
rear. ago. Then bows and arrows
we're their principal weapons of
to-day they are armed as
we'll as the United States forces,
ind perhaps, God only knows, BY
he SaJne eouernmeHt, through the In
ifaf sgencfcsi . d. =
Since the above fight took place
General Oakes ordered sub-Post
% be established al the most dan
,erous Indian passway on Salt
,reel.. 81 milss from Fort Richard
on. % bsFort Belknap road This
pOiut will be guarded BY q eOmPa-
Nv tf soldiers.
u. Ia A.. ~.-,~-.,l,sr.d that ON