The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-04-30
Indian Cruelties-Captive Among the
COmanches.


A young Texan who was captured by
the Comanche Indians about year ago
gave the following account of his expert
ences recently to correspondent OF the
Galveston Ne'cs
l was trying TO get five beef steers back
to the herd early one morning last May,
when 1 was suddenly surrounded by
about twenty-five Comanche Indians,
and taken prisoner. This happened
near sunrise. / was tied on my horse
and carried some 30 miles that day. AT
night we arrived at a sort of camp, where
we joined fifty more Indians, and 1 founi
they had another white man prisoner.
i was not allowed to speak with this man
but L could see from the blood on his
face and clothes that he was wounded.
AS soon rs the Indians had kindled n fire
and eaten some meat, they began to tor
ture this second prisoner, though for
what reason l have never learned. They
beat him with catridge-box strap with
a large buckle on the end of it, after
stripping him of his clothes They cut
gashes on him with knives. They sawed
off his thumbs with an old cavalry sabre,
and mashed his toes between rock and
eiiV puet tiitt VI a hlttI
out some of his teeth, with a bayonet,
and sticking cactus thorns in his flesh,
they poured powder in his ears and burnt
it. All this time the man did not COM
plain or cry out, as he probably expected,
by his fortitude, to induce the Indians to
spare his life, But in this he was mis-
taken, for they, finding that he did not
complain at all these fortunes, began TO
cut pieces of flesh out of his legs and
back and eat them ; or ut least pretend
to eat think they only chewed up the
flesh and spit it out. Seeing that all of
this torture did not make him cry out
Gor he had fainted), the chief stepped
up with sharp knife and cut out one of
his eyes, and put a live coal of fire in the
socket, and then put an end to his life
with knife.
The Indians then had dance. / was
led to a small tree. L had no water or
anything to eat for thirty-six hours.
The next day about midday the party
moved in northwest course, travelling
about 20 miles and after this we moved
in northwest course about 300 miles,
where we met several large parties of
Indians, some of whom had been on raids
I III ANol IcAuS. III llltI
section of country with the Comanches,
and was kept employed mostly herding
ponies and sometimes dressing deer-skins
and buffalo hides. My clothes were all
taken away from me few days after l
was captured, and only had a pair of
drawers and blanket afterward. / often
had to eat raw venison and buffalo meat
without salt. After / had been with the
Indians some six months, they ceased TO
treat me as prisoner, and was allowed
to go some distance from the camp. /
think it was the LIST of February l left
them. was herding ponies, and was
allowed to ride one of the best without
saddle. The second night I took my
, buffalo robe and used it as a saddle, filed
sack with dried meat, and struck out
for the settlements, which L reachd tow
ards the last of the month. / sold my
horse and buffalo robe, and collected
three months pay that was due me at
the time | was captured and now, with
Gods help, shall keep out of the way
of the Indians hereafter.