The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-04-25
CAPT, JUNE PEAK.
HIS VIEWS ON FRONTIER MATTERS,
Service Of the BOrder battalion
nov the state Service 'an lie im'
proved Indian ana meHinan
Troubies stock and Mining
Interests Compiimen'
tnry Revolutions,

turn Of Captain June Peak 10 lhe city no nav
Ing resigned ~ commander Of Company "li'
of tho Frontier Battalion, A reporter yes
lerdsy sought the Captain out for m inter
view on general frontier matters and sue
eseded In olollIng tho followlngi
Ny command has been known NJ Company
u. Frontier battalion, II has thirty men on
the rolls and full number Ia now on duty
and has been MI the Iimo since entered the
service, was sworn into tho Stats service
April 10, 1873, Ms Lieutenant Of dctach
ment Of company D. Tho following May Nil
but sixteen Of tho company were dsbanded
Then tho other detachment OF the company
under Sergeant Van Ripper, nj For
Griffin, numbering eight men, was
turned over 10 me and | recruited
IL enough 10 make II full company
thirty slrong, sworn In for twelve months.
/ was then given n commission M Captain
and had command until tho 10th Of April,
1890, when | roslgnod-haying been
lust two yaars In tho service.
Tho command was engaged until August
1878, endeaSorlng 10 capture sam Bass and
Wv sn"B w s",i ''pvu'' p"''' ~ W. 49, 49,
Wo hand was brokcn nm md scatterod' Then
wo were ordered west for general frontier
protection duty, and have since beon hunting
fugitive criminals from all sections Of tho
world who have sought refuge on the Texas
frontier. Fugitive hunting was special
service OF tho command until September
1879, thon We were moved west 10 the head
Lao. aula.
river to protect that portion of
tho border from Indian depredntions. ] loft
tho company In this section In the northwest
portion of Tom Green county 800 miles
southwest of Dallas. The company Is still
thirty strong aud Is now under command Of
Captain Ira Loug, of Wise county. | mp.
provo of tho State frontier service. The
frontier settlements, were II not for the State
service, would DO loft entirely unprotected,
AS Federal troops have proved failure Ia
hunting maraudng Indians They aro not,
AS a general thing, under command cf OIL
GERS acquainted in tho frontier service--tbey
AFRO generally West Pointers, not sufficiently
experienced in border warfare
and Indian nature and have to
become acquainted byactual experience after
arrival. The Federal troops In is section,
except commissioned officers, are all negroes
how TO IMPROVE THE STATE SERVICE.
In the first place the number of mon is too
small, There nte but one hundred and
thirty men, all told, and they have one thou
sand miles of exposed frontier to look after,
from The mouth of tho Rio Grande TO Red
River. in the Panhandle of Northwest
Toxins. NV idea of the manner of the
nroper proteetion of this exposed frontier is
his. That the United States government
autborize the government of Texas to enlist
for frontier service from five hundred to six
hundred experiencee frontersmen-men
identified with the country and experienced
in that narticular service. and appoint such
nGicors ms could he found in tho State and that
the necessities would require. Divide this force
into comnanies of GCly ren each, stationed nj
tbo most ellig,ble points ON the lrortier for
GOOD and eficient dutv 10 nut the service
IN that shane would protec, tho puople ON
the horder Who aro now so badly exposed. by
man tboro,cblv eyneriepced and eonpenial
10 the neonle IL would be- much
sreoter economy. and, better service
would be rendereI ,han il now attained nv
tbe amnlovment Of the Federal forces. The
chan,ra u,nnld moi boar comnarison in point
Of I ncon" "yN ' 49,
u.s
* INDIAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
1t is fact that within the Time l have
been in the State service numerous bands of
Indians have raided West and Northwest
Texas, principally from the Fort Sill and
Fort Stanton reservations. There have been
no killings in my particular territory, but
thousands of hoad OF stock have been stolen
and but small portion recovered. The In
dians generally enter the settlements, either
on foot or riding their poorest horses, hiding
as much rs possible until welI-mounted on
stolen animals. The great difficulty IN sue
cessfully following the Indians and
eifecting their capture arises from the fact
that with their stolen horses they have many
relays of fresh animals and can be freshly
mounted, Unnecessary, every hour in the day,
while the State troops, by the rules and regu'
ations Of the State service, are confined to
only ono horse. They are not allowed to
have more even though the men purchase
them themselves. And again, in the event a
man rides his horse to death in the persuit
of Indians the loss is his, rs the State makes
no allowances except tor horses killed in ac-
ton. The rules and regulations Of the ser
vice should be so modified as to give
to each man at least three horses,
and the State to pay all legitimate losses.
Very often these Indians come into Texas
with permits to hunt granted
them by United States reservation
n A l. ca.