Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-12-17

of Lewis, Carey and other United States
! infantry officers organized and directed
the splendid valor of the Colorado troops
"a combination of skill and courage un-
der the gallant command of Gen. Slough,
too much even for the Texans, and their
rout was complete. Everything was sur
rendered by them, and their forces were
conducted back as prisoners by the Dad
they came, giving their parole not to
| fight again unless exchanged.
Many of the defeated Confederates
scattered over the country, preferring
probably to take the cha1ces of escape
which in that mountainous region were
good--after their own fashion; but sub
jected themselves by so doing to the
rigid espionage at once adopted in the
towns and villages adjacent to Santa Fe
and other military stations.
Among these scattered persons were
three young Pueblos who, in the capacity
of scouts and spies, had been induced
! to accompany the Confederates from
| Isleta, one of the lower and larger of
their villages below Los Pinos. Good
treatment and good wages had produced
in their minds a natural spirit of indus
| trious and Jealous partsanship, and
much of the success attending the forays
Of the Confederates was well known to
have resulted from the early and correct
| intelligence brought in by these spies.
But as the business of spying was viewed
| by all Pueblos as a commercial one, and
separate from all sentiment involving
patriotic feeling, spies of Pueblo origin
were as plentiful in the Federal as in the
| Confederate service; and from those in
the United States ranks continual in
formation vas obtained respecting those
who, with the enemy, had by their dis
tlnguished personal appearance, vigi-
lance and daring become sufficiently
well known to be designated par excel
lence, The three Pueblo spies"
The frontier military post of Fort
Union, distant about 100 miles northeast
OF Santa Fe, is, from it's geographical
position and other circumstances, the
most important post in New Mexico, and
here extensive and critical espionage was
specially maintained regarding strangers
who might possibly be enemies disguised
or otherwise. Here, at last, the three
| famous Spies having wanderel. in after
the defeat of Apache Canon, were de
| tected strolling about the garrison, not
| attempting any concealment of their
well-known persons. To summon
| guard, arrest and confine them, was the
work of few minutes. Ne resistance
| was offered, for they seemed quite I'M
conscious of having done anything rep
| rehensible, and all their after converse
| ton gave evidence that they had only
looked upon their campaign as busl-
ness matter, the rendering of services to
tray elers for good compensation.
Fort Union is, or was, in war time, a
settlement of considerable pretensions, a
nucleus toward which many settlements
centered, independently of its military
standing; and, as the national eXigencies
had brought most civil matters under
military Jurisdiction and influence,
| strong and capacious guard house had
recently been erected, in which offenders
of all classes, military and civil, were
| confined Here the Pueblos were taken;
but as the postcommander, Maj. Plymp-
ton, was, from policy disinclined to any
| harsh treatment of class of men whom
he considered as possessing very little
knowledge of what was right or wrong
in reference to international affairs, no
| orders were given for more than safe
| holding and they were left together and
in the possession of their bows and ar.
rows; it being contemplated to release
them after few days confinement and
send them back to their friends.
In that guard house there were con
gregated about thirty other men, many
of them charged with extreme crimes;
criminals who, when the usual conditions
of frontier life were present, would have
set the timd law and justice at defiance,
w ~ hot hp nf Il
tary and civil law were united, found a
power above themselves-one that could
! grapple with and quell the boldest and
strongest Among the prisoners was a
| sergeant of Colorado regiment some
| companies of which were at the post.
| This man upon being arrested by an of
| ticer of his company for misdemeanOr
| fired at and killed the officer. Quick
trial and a sentence of death was the re-
suit, and the sentence was ordered to be
carried into effect few days after the
arrest of the Pueblo spies In accord
ance with a well-known military rule the
whole of the prisoners in the guard house
were at the hour of execution marched
out to witness the punishment, which
seen, they were marched back again to
their prison.
ihctt Is NO uOubl tnal lle sight Oh lne
execution very seriously impressed the
spies, and there is conclusive evidence
from much subsequent testimony that
this impression was observed by the
other prisoners, and that from devilish
spirit of mischief the Mexican portion
of them affected to believe that such was
to be the fate of all the prisoners; es-
pecially might the spies expect public
death in short time. Indeed, from the
preparations now going forward it was