The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-07-01
FIGHTING INDIANS IN TEXAS.
A Terrible Hand-to-Hand Fight IN the
Mountains.

The Galveston News says: Early on
the morning of the 8th inst. messen-
ger arrived at Major Jones' headquarters
with the intelligence that the Indians
had stolen some horses in Lost Valley
the previous night. The Major, with
portion of his escort and small detach-
ment from Lieutenant Longs company,
Immediately started in pursuit. The
trail was in the upper end of lost Valley,
where the Indians had assembled after
committing the theft. 1t led over a
mountainous country, yet could be east
ly distinguished, and was followed with
astonishing rapidity, considering the na-
ture of the ground Up rocky noun
tain sides, down deep declevities, over
fallen timbers and deep ravines, the de-
termined little band, nothing daunted,
continued for upward Of five miles,
when suddenly, as we rose steep hill,
the Indians were discovered short dis
tance ahead. Lieutenant Long fred the
initial shot, and killed an Indian at sew
enty PAGES with his pistol. Then the
fight began. There WAS no marshalling
into line with military precision, no
precautionary commands, no dreadful
adjustmen of accourtrements, no pomp,
no parade. We simply heard the Major
say, "The ball is opened, boys; sail in. -
Suiting the action to the word, he piled
his spurs to his horses TANKS, and the
men following his example, all rushed
down on the Indians, who fought with
savage desperation, shooting and dodg-
ing by turns, riding fiat upon their hor-
ses' backs, hanging to their sides, and
carrying themselves in all conceivable
shapes to elude the aim of our carbines.
It was a regular running fight, such
as frontiersmen are familiar with. Each
man singled out his foe. and "went for
him." Private Eanes charged stalwart
savage who had been brought to bay,
and, having emptied his pistol without
dispatching him, seemingly found him
self at the mercy of the Indian. By
some means or other Eanes' horse re-
fused to huge an inch, Notwithstanding
that he applied the spurs to him yigor-
ously. The Indian was not more than
six feet distant, and at this distance
fired two shots at Eanes with Spencer
carb1ne. By this time another man, at
tracted by Eanes' imminent peril, drop
ped to his knees and took deliberate aim
at the Indians breast, but the gun snap
ped, and now came question of who
should get his gun loaded first; FORUM
ately for Eanes, the cartridge hung in
the Indians gun, which caused him fatal
delay, for at this juncture bullets began
to rain in upon him from several direc-
tions.
It was all done in half a minute, but
the intense excitement made it seem a
very Ions time. The Indian continued
to present his gun and work vigorously
at the lever. growing meantime like
some wild beast, his flaming eyes glar-
ing with leonine ferceness upon his enc
mics around, and it was not until his
body had been penetrated with bullets
that he fell over kissing defiance through
his clenched teeth as he expired.
Another Indian, who had been con-
spicuous during the fight, now fell, bad
ly wounded. One of the rangers raised
his gun to finish the work, when, barring
her breast, she disclosed the fact that
she was squaw. The Ranger lowered
his gun, and was III the act of receiving
her surrender, when bullet from an
other part of 'the field relieved him of
the disagreeable necessity, and she lay
corpse at his feet. About one mile
further on another Indian was killed,
and the few remaining scattered and be-
where it was next to impossible to follow
UlIcIu lAO lelA SOht1lIliCA lOA
about twelve miles, and both men and
horses were pretty well exhausted, SO we
returned slowly along the trail to secure
trophies.
Five scalps, several guns, pistols,
bows, and arrows, shields, etc. were the
fruits of our victory. One of the shields
was ornamented with woman's scalp
of long, rich auburn hair, slightly in
terSDerSed with cray
Our loss was one man slightly
wounded. one horse killed, and two
others wounded.
The day following the fight, the post
surgeon at Jacksboro sent out the hospi-
tai steward to secure the heads of the
fallen Indians. Our gentlemanly Major,
ever willing to conduce to the advance
ment of the healing art, kindly permit
ted them to amputate the well-peeled
heads.