The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-07-03
CAMP COLORADO,
COLEMAN Co. TEXAS. June /!

OSA@--AeAN ~ AH-AAAD3 OuAS @c'
Editors Statesman
The party in pursuit Of Indian horse
thieves, that left here on the morningof the
third instant, proceeded eastward to a
point about two hundred miles from here.
The country traversed was of mountain
Gus, wild and rough nature. They over
took the Indians on the evening of the fifth
day out. They were making poor Roadway,
along a high, narrow ridge. When our
citizens came upon them, they attempted to
drive the horses over a perpendicular bluff
of ten feet. They succeeded in making a
few jump of, but were so closely pursued
that they left them, and were glad enough
to get away with the horses they rode.
The Indians having escaped, our citizens
could only gather what horses they left and
return At the time they were overtaken
they only had nineteen head The remain
der of the eighty-fve they started with were
lost in driving rapidly at night, except
three head, two of which were killed be-
cause they could not be driven, and would
be used by those in pursuit if dropped, and
the other, it is thought, was killed for food,
as he was found partly dressed in the man
ner of butchering beef, and one quarter
cut off and taken. Up to date only about
thirty-fye have been recovered. The In
dams pack contained plenty of tobacco,
ammunition for Spencer, Henry and Needle
guns, salt and other necessaries.
The pursueFs found springs and camping
grounds heretofore unknown. At one of
these springs the trees were barked and
painted very nicely with various hyreo-
glyphics. One tree contained the picture
of a dead Indian, with blood oozing
from bullet wound. There was also
white men painted in various attitudes of
great agony and distress, and upon a
breast bone or shoulder bone of a buffalo,
they found seventy-eight horse shoes and
thirty-four mule shoes painted-this is sup
posed to indicate the number of horses
stolen, and was placed there by party of
Indians who went out in the rear of the
white men, as their trail was seen coming
into the old trail, as if from the direction
Of Flat Top Mountain. They avoided the
white men, whose horses were too much
jaded to turn westward on the fresh trail
when they found it.
Our citizens were without bread six days,
and without salt four days, and the last
three days they could not find buffalo, and
were necessitated to subsist on a wolf,
two very young cubs and deer.
After all this suffering and hardship, the
greatest regret hear expressed is That, af-
ter oyertaking them, their horses were So
completely run down they could not kill
an Indian. The Indians had five changes,
while the white men only took one, and
when overtaken could not urge their horses
into lope.
While nearly all our citizens were out on
this chase, party of seven Indians visited
this neighborhood and stole seven head OF
horses from Messrs. Franks and Clayton,
and chased and tried to kill a white man
in the Big Bend of Herds creek.
As soon as their presence was known,
Messrs. James jackson, Abe Hunter and
John Kennedy started in pursuit. They
came upon the Indians on Sweet Water
creek, about twenty miles southeast of here
They were engaged in butchering beef
The heroic trio finding them dismounted,
rode up and sent them a volley. One In
dian was killed instantly, and another
wounded. From then until darkness set IL
a running fight was kept up, in which two
Indians were killed and third dismOunted
The remainder of the band were lost, some
running toward San Anna Peak. Tht
white men gathered up the horses, scalpeC
one Indian and brought home all his para
phernalia, knife, belt, bow and arrows, ETC.,
together with larriatas, saddles, camp equip
age, blankets, etc.
Abe Hunter is satisfied with the scalp anC
Indian accutrements, white jackson anC
Kennedy divided the remainder Of the boot,
between them.
The trail out west of Cedar Gap and be
You'd the headwaters of the Brazos is a
plain as the beef trail from Texas to Kan
sas, such is the extent of stealing and driv
ing from our frontier.
There are many stray animals here
dropped by the Indians. Mr. Kin Elkinl
has six head, and is waiting for the owne
to prove and take them, Adios. HENRY