Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-10-01
-LO: THE POOH INDIAN.


in New Mexico-Waikins Into Vlctoris's
Ambush-Letter from alr. James
e. Cunningham.
The Harrisburg Patriot publishes the
private letter from Mr.. James
E. Cunningham to a friend in that city.
Mr.. Cunningham is q native of Harrisburg,
and as he has many friends in Lancaster
as well, the letter will be read with great
deal of interest here. Mr.. Cunningham is
now employed in the engineering depart
ment Of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe railroad and has for some time been
engaged with corps of engineers in max
ing surveys for the road in the wilds Of
New Mexico. He writes as follows:
CAMP NEAR CUMMINGS, NEW MEXICO,
September 20, 1ssO-Dear jim: Since
last writing you, our camp has been wit
ness Of tragedy, Of which I have made no
mention before, in any Of my letters, not
caring to cause any alarm at home, but as
We are now pretty well removed from the
scene of danger, guess there will be no
harm in relating the circumstances. Our
camp, until the past few days, was pitched
right upon the site of all of VictOria's
depredations last winter, which fact was
attested by the numerous graves fortifica-
tions, old trails, ETC., that we discovered
in our neighborhood. but as Gen. Buell's
company was at Fort Cummings, only
fourteen miles from us. and our party,
escort and all, numbered seventy men,
while Victoria was reported to be over in
Mexico; VIC were lulled into feeling Of
security from which wo were rudely
awakened just two weeks ago to-day, in
the manner will attempt to describe.
On the afternoon of that day, the 9th of
September, was lying down in the shade
of my tent. taking a nap, when one Of the
boys, who had been making stakes near
by, called me and said that he had seen
vehicle come over hill about mile from
camp at a furious gallop, with six horse
afterward, just when the whole party had
disappeared below another slight hill be-
tween them and us, he had heard several
shots and the sound of human voice. He
said, however, that Mexican train had
to them, thinking that they were herding
pOrtance to the report until some time had
rive OH time aroused my suspicious, and
taking nv rife and one of our men, who
was also armed, and = soldier who had no
investigate tho matter. We crossed over
the first hill and down to the bottom of the
hollow, when just OH the slope of the next
rise. we found tracks of wagon which had
been turned short around and just along
side the track the body of an old stage
driver by the name of "Alcck, with whom
VIC had all become pretty we'll acquainted
as he frequently brought our mail out to
us. We Immediately hurried back to camp
with tho intelligence and the captain in
command Of our escort sent 4 squad of
ten men, under the command of the lieu-
tenant to investigate the matter. accom-
panied them out and We went about two
miles and half before we found the
coach, beside which VIC found tho body of
another man, still warm, and around it for
a space of fifty feet were scattered the
contents of the six mail bags, the letters
torn and thrown about in all sorts of
shapes. The mules had been taken of, but
the stage was uninjured, SO we hitched it
on to the wagon which accompanied us,
and putting the body and all the mail we
could get together in it, struck back to
camp, picking up the body of the driver on
the way back and getting into camp about
dark. Our live boys were all out of camp
and our water wagon over at the fort, so a
courier was sent to notify them and to
carry the news of the occurrence to Gen.
Buell.. He fulfilled his mission safely and
our boys all got iato camp. The next
morning about 2 o'clock Captain Parker,
with company of the Fourth cavalry.
came into our camp, where they staid
until daybreak, when they moved out for
the scene of the murder. When they
got there they found the body of an
other man, who proved to be the son Of
Captain Madder, Of the Sixth cavalry, at
Camp Bowie, and whose body we had
missed the night before. He was found
much nearer our camp than the others,
and had evidently been killed while try
ing to get to our camp. They also sent in
the balance of the mail matter, which We
assorted, and most all Of the boys, myself
among the number, found letters for us
among it. The scouts had trouble in
getting on the trail of the Indians, and it
was followed by the company on a trot,
the scouts in front, the men entirely un-
suspicious of the close ncishborhood of the
enemy, when right out of the ground in
front Of them came volley, which killed
two scouts, one soldier, and wounded sew
eral men and horses. They had walked
right into an ambush and were compelled
to fall back to keep from being destroyed.
Parker made good fight under the Cir
cumstances, his officers and men behaving
very bravcly but they were outnumbered,
and after several efforts to dislodge the In
dians were obliged to fall back to a point
near our camp and send to Cummings for
reinforcements. These arrived about 5
o'clock in the afternoon, but as soon as the
Indians saw the column come up they
broke camp and ran, taking with them all
their stock, squaws and Everything. When
the soldiers got to the scene of the morn
ing's fight they found only the bodies Of
the two scouts, which had been burned,
and the dead soldier, whose body, however,
had not been mutilated in the least. The
trail was followed for about mile further
into canon where the remains Of large
camp were found, beside big tank of
water, which the Indians had filled with
the entrails of animals. so that the water
was utterly unfit for use. The enemy got |
away without the loss Of stock or anything
else. The only thing the soldiers had to
show for their fight was few head of
stock which had been abandoned OH the |
trail, being unable to keep up with tho
rapid fight. The soldiers said that the In
Ilians went back to Mexico; but rs several |
parties have been seen lurking around here |
since, it is safe to conclude that they do not |
know as much about it rs they would like
to have us believe. However, we have |
moved our camp from that neighborhood
and We are in such a position now as to |
be able to give them a pretty good stand |
off, even if they should attack us in force,
which I do not believe they will ever do,
for, if they had not been afraid of us, they |