Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-05-18
THE RED-SKINNED DEVILS.
.EWn W mM
OHlclal Account Of the Murder, Scalp
ing, MutIlatiOn and Burning Of
Party Of "MoYers."
One Of the Most AtrociOusIy Fiendish
Crimes ever Committed, even by
Indians Blood Curdling De-
tails.
h. I--7Ee-.EW -
Grant Responsible for 1t ALLIE has
Sent his Troops into the South, in
stead Of Ordering them TO the
Plains.

partment, giving the details of a horrible
massacre by Indians, or Mex;eans and
negroes combined, Of persons in charge
Of train of supplies, en- route to Fort
Stockton, at HoWard's Wells, near old
Fort Lancaster. The facts as reported
to General Augur by Colonel Merritt of
the Ninth Cavalry, under date of April
18th, from Fort Clarke, are given as
follows:
On the twentieth of April / arrived
with the cavalry in my command, at
Howard's Wells a few hours too late to
prevent one of the most FtsaEf F
HORRIBLE NIASSACRES
that has ever been perpeTated on this.
frontier. A Mexican train loaded with
United States cOmmissary and ordi-
nance stores, on its way from San An
tOnia to Fort Stockton, was attacked
by the Indians, and plundered and
burnt. All the people with the train,
seventeen in all were killed or
wounded, except one woman. MycOm-
mand buried eleven bodies and brought
three wounded men and one woman in
to this post. Before arriving at the
burning train, the first intimation we
had of the horrible disaster, was the
charred and blackened corpses 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 infantry of my COM
mand, was in camp HOward's Well,
about one mile from the
SCENE OF THE MASSACRE,
and while yet some distance from that
point, the smoke of the burning wagons
being mistaken for his camp-fires con-
firmed me in this belief. | knew at
least, that a sergeant and four men were
at the Well in charge of forage. The
command moved rapidly toward the
Well, when the sergeant in charge of
the detachment at that point was met
and pointed out the course the Indians
had taken with the stolen animals be-
longing to the train. In less time than
it takes to tell it, the trail was found,
and rapid pursuit was made by COM
pany's A and u, of the Ninth cavalry, 1
commanded respectively by Captain /
COoney and Lieutenant Vincent. After
following the trail for some six or seven
miles the cavalry came upon
.-r, THE INDIANS,
in force on the summit of a steep and !
almost impregnable bluff. Here a sharp
fight occurred, in which / regret to say
that Lieutenant Vincent fell, mortally |
wounded, while bravely leading and at /
tempting to control his men. He died |
shortly after we returned 10 camp, about
ten O'clock that night. Captain Cooney
was painfully though not seriously in 7
jured by his horse falling while moving /
at rapid gait. He, however, remounted !
and retained his co0mand. The men 4
of his company behaved very well, butt
being in a great part recruits without I
experience in Indian fighting-which |
was the case in Company HI to a still
greater eXtent-they squandered their /
A lack. of ammunition !
made protraeted
PURSUIT OF THE INDIANS DIPRACTI-
CABLE.
The woman who escaped reports that
six Indians We're killed in the fight.
Words fail to convey an idea of the
atrocities committed by the
demons who OverpOwered the train
men. Several of them were taken alive
and tied to the wagons and burned. An |
old woman was carried some distance
from the place of attack and then shot /
ears cut of, was scalped, and had its /
brains dashed out, while her daughter, /
the mother of the child, who witnessed /
it all, as also the death of her husband /
at the train, was carried off by the |
fiends. More than one poor wretch .
crawled from the burning wagons after /
the ropes which had bound them had /
burned off, only to burn to -
UNRECOGNIZABLE MASSES, |
with their eharred hands and faces !
raised in positions of entreaty. The
train had nine men with it. The re- /
of the party were women and |
children. 1t is feared the women were |
taken away by the band, though it is |
possible that they, as well as other bod |
les unaccounted f0r, were burned to |
ashes with the wagons. 1t is reported |
that the band consisted of from one |
hundred and twenty-five to one hun
dred and fifty men, and was composed /
Of Indians, MeXicans, and deserterS
from the army. A quantity of arms,
supplies and ammunition was taken
from the train by the band before burn
ing it-hOw many arms, / cannot say.
1t was the supply which was lately sent
from the arsenal at st. Antonio to Fort /
stockton.
General Auger, in this report, ex-
presses the opinion that the n
INDIANS CAME FROM MEXICO,
and this belief is sustained by the fact
that the MeXicans and deserters from /
the colored regiments were with them,
such deserters universally escaping intoi
Mexico. ....- -.... .-... -.