Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-18
Atrocities on The Fron,;cr.


WASHINGTON, D. c., May IA report has
been received at the war department giving de-
tails Of massacre by Indians, McXiCans and
negfOes combined, of persons in charge Of
tram OF supplies EN- route to Fort Stockton, ut
Towards wells, near old Fort Lancaster. The
facts, as reported to Gen Augur by Col Mer-
rift Of the 9th cavalry, under date of April goth,
from Fort Clark, ATE given as follows. On The
20th arrived with the cavalry of my command
at Towards wells, a few hours too late to pre-.
vent one of the most horrible itiassacrcs that
has ever been perpctrated on this frontier
A Mexican train, loaded with United States
commissary and ordnance stores, on its way
from San Antonio TO Fort Stockton, was at
tackled by Indians, plundcrcd and burned All
the people with the train, II souls in all, were
Killed or wounded except one woman My com
mand buried eleven bodies and brought three
wounded men and one woman into this post.
Before arriving at the burning train, the hrst
ntimatiOn we had of the horrible disaster was
the charrcd and blackcned corpses of some of
the poor victims, but no one alive to tell the
horrors OF the affair. | supposed, up 10 this
time, that Capt. Sheridan with the infantry of
my command was in camp at Howardville,
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, confirmed me in this belief. /
knew at best that sergeant and four men were
at the well, In charge OF forage. The command
moved rapidly toward the we'll, when the
sergeant in charge of a detachment at that
point was met, and 1pointcd out the course the
Indians had taken with the stolen animals be-
longing TO the train. In less time that it takes
oGclate it, the trail was found, and rapid pur-
suit was at once made by companies 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 a steep aud almost impossible bluff Hero
pl,n~ LII,
Lieut.. Vincent fell mortaly wounded while
bravely leading aud attempting to control his
men. He died shortly after returning TO camp,
about 10 O'Clock that night. Capt. Cooney was
painfully though n"t seriously injured by bis
horse falling while moving at a rapid gait He,
however, rcmounted and retained his command.
The men of his company behaved very well, but
being in great part recruits, without expert
ence in Indian fighting, which was the case in
company TO a still greater extent, they squan-
dered their ammunition. Lack of ammunition
and supplies made protracted pursuit of the
Indians impracticable. A woman who escaped
reports that six Indians were killed in the
fight. Words fail to convey an idea of the
siCkening atrocities committed by the demons,
who Overpowered the trainmen. Several Of
them were taken alive, tied 10 wagons and
burned. An old woman was carried some dis
| lance from the place of attack and then shot
and scalped Her grandchid had its ears cut
off, 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
fends. More THAI one poor wretch crawled
from the burning wagons after the ropes which
bound them had burned off, only TO burn to
blackened unrecognizdblc masses, with their
charred hands aud faces raised in positions of
entreaty.
The train had nine men with it, The remain
der of the party were women and children. Ii is
feared that one woman was taken away by the
band, though possibly she, as well as another
body nnaccounted for, was burned TO ashes with
the wagons.
1t is reported the band consisted of from 1876
to 100 men, and was composed of Indians, Next
cans, and deserters from the asuly. number
of arms and supplies of ammunition were taken
from the train by the band before burning. How
many arms, | cannot say. 1t was the supply
which was lately sent from the arsenal at San
Antonio to Fort Stockton
Gen. Augur, in this report expresses the opin-
ion that the Indians came from Mexico, and this
belief is sustained by the fact that Mcxicans and
descrters from the cOlOred regiments were with
them, such deserters universally escaping into
Mexico.