The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-18
CAPTURE OF A SUPPLY TRAIN.
Massacre of Persons In Charge by
MeXicans and Indians.

been received at the War Department
giving details Of the massacre by Indians,
Mexicans and negroes combined, of per-
sons in charge OF train Of supplies en-
route to Fort Stockton, at Howard's
Wells, near old Fort Lancaster.
The facts, as reported to Gen. Augur
by Col. Merritt, of the 9th Cavalry, under
date Of the 29th Of April, are as follows
On the Goth inst. l arrived, with the
cavalry ot my command, at Howard's
Wells, but few hours too late to prevent
one Of the most horrible maSsacres that
has ever been perpetrated on this frontier.
A Mexican train, loaded with United
States commissary aud ordnance stores
on its way from San AntoniA 10 Fort
Stockton, was attacked by Indians, who
plundercd and burned all the people with
the train, seventeen souls in all were
killed or wounded, except one woman.
My command buried eleven bodies and
brought three wounded men and one
woman into thlsapost Before arriving at
the burning train the first intimtaion we
had OF the horrible disaster was the char.
red and blackened corpscs Of some Of
the poor victims, but no one was
alive to tell the horrors of the
affair. ! supposed up to this time
that Captain Sheridan with the infantry
Of my command, was in camp at How.
ards Well, about mile from the scene Of
the massacre, and while yet some distance
from the point, the smoke of the burning
wagons mistaken for his camp fires, con.
firmed me in this belief. l knew at least q
Sergeant and four men were at the Well,
in charge Of the forage. I moved. rapidly
toward the Well, when the Sergeant in
command Of the detachment at tha,
point, was met and pointed out the
course the Indians had taken with the
stolen animals Of the train. In less time
than 1t takes to relate it, the trail was found
and a rapid pursuit was at once made by
Companies A and ii, Of the 9th Cavalry,
commanded respectively by Capt. Cooney
and Lieut.. Vincent. After following the
trail some seven or eight miles the cavalry
came upon the Indians in force on the
summit OF an almost impossible bluff
Here a fight occurred, in which, regret
to say, Lieut.. Vincent iell mortally wound.
cd, while bravely leading and attempting
to control his men. He died shortly after
returning TO camp. About ten O'Clock;
that nights Captain Cooney was pain
fully though not seriously injured by
his horse falling on him while being
moved at q rapid gate, he, however, re-
mounted and rejoined his command
The men Of his company behaved very
well, but being in great part recruits
without experience In Indian fighting
which was the case in Company q. to d
great extent they squandered their anu
nition, and the lack OF ammunition made q
protracted pursuit Of the Indians i'm
practicable. A woman who escaped
from the Indians reports that six Indians
were killed in the fight. Words car
not convey an idea OF the sickening at
trocities committed by the demons
who overpowered the train men. Sew,
eral Of them were taken alive ant
tied to wagons and burned. An old wo
man was carried some distance from tht
place OF attack and then shot and seal ped
Her grandchild had It's ears cut of, was
scalped and had It's brains knocked out
while the daughter, tho mother Of thl
child, who witnessed all this, as also the
death Of her husband, was carried off BY
the fiends. More than ono OF the poo
wretches crawled from the burning wag
ons to which they were bound, and 60
off only TO burn to blaCkened and unre'
cognized masses, with their charred hands
and faces raised In positions OF entreaty
The train had nine men With It, the re
mainder Of the party were women ant
children. 1t is feared one woman wa
taken away by the band, though 1t is pos
sible that she, as well as tho other bodie
searched for, was burned to ashes witt
the wagons. 1t Is reported that the ban'
consisted OF from one hundred and twenty
five to one hundred and fifty men, an
was composed of Indians, Mexicans, an
deserters from thea army. A number Of arm
and supplies Of ammunition was take
from the train by the band before burnin
1t. How many cannot say. It was th
supply which was lately sent from the al
senal at San Antonia 70 Fort Stockton,
Gen. Augur In this report expresses th
opinion that the Indians were from Mexic
and this belief is sustained by the fac
that Mexicans and deserters from tn
Colored regiments were with them; sue
deserters universally lyescaping into Mexic'