The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-07-27

beautiful twenty thousand acre
rancho is out toward the Rio Graiidc,
near Laredo, has been the Peter the
Hermit OF the Texans for yeas.
He has believed that he held a Dl-
vine commission to kill Apache In
tlians.
Colonel Pelton came to Texas in
1914, common soldier. BY talent
and courage he rose to the rank OF
colonel, and finally, in 1856, conn.,
manded Fort Macrae. That year he
fell in love with beautiful Spanish
girl at Abequin, New Mexico. The
admiration Of the young people was
mutual and parental objections only
intensified The affection of the lovers.
Finally, after tUo years of entreaty
and devotion, Colonel Pelton won
the consent of the parents of the
beautiful Spanis girl and they were
married.
One day, when the love of the sol
dier and his lovely wife was at its
severest, the two, accompanied by
the Young wife's mother and twenty
soldiers, rode out to the hot springs,
six miles from the fort, to take a
bath. While in the bath, which is
near the Rio Grande, an Indians
arrow passed over their heads. Then
a shower Of arrows fell around them
and band OF wild Apache Indians
rushed down upon them, whooping
and yelling like a band of demons.
Several Of the soldiers fell dead,
pierced with poisoned arrows. This
frightened the rest, who fed. An
other shower Of arrows and the
beautiful bride and her mother
dropped into the water, pierced by
the cruel weapons of the Apaches.
With his wife dying before his eyes,
Colonel Pelton leaped up the bank,
grasped his rifle and killed the lead
er of the savage fiends. But the
Apaches were too much for the col
onel. Pierced with two poisoned
arrows, he SWAN into the river and
hid under ain overhanging rock.
After the savages had left, the colon
el swan the river and made his way
back to Fort Macrae. Here his
wounds were dressed and he finally
recovered, btt only to live blasted
without love, without hope
with vision of his beautiful wife,
pierced with poisoned arrows, dying,
perpetually before his eyes.
After the death Of his wife a
change came to Colonel Pelton. He
seemed to think that he had n sacred
mission iiom heaven to ayenge his
young wife's death. lie secured the
most unerring rifles, surrounding
himself with brave companions, and
himself to the work of
revenge. He was always anxious to
lead any and all expeditions against
the Apaches. Whenever any of the
other Indians were at war with the
Apaches, Colonel Pelton would soon
be at the head of the former. One
day he would be at the head of his
own soldiers and the next day he
would be at the head of a band of
Mexicans. He deiied Indian arrows
and courted death. Once, with a
band of the widest desperadoes, he
penetrated a hundred miles into the
Apache country. The Apaches
never dreamed that anything but an
entire regiment would dare to follow
them to their camp in the noun
tains. So when Colonel Pelton
swooped down into their camp with
ten trusty followers, firing their
Henry rifles at the rate of twenty
times a minute, the Apaches fled in
CONSERVATION, leaving their women
and children behind. 1t was then
that there darted out of q lodge a
white woman.
Spare the women" !" she cried,
and then she tainted to the ground.
When the colonel jumped from
his saddle to lift up the woman he
found she was blind.
How came you here, woman,
with these Apaches ?" he asked.
Il was wounded and captured"
she said, ten years ago. Take, oh,
take me back again J"
Have youany relatives in Texas?"
asked the colonel.
"No. My fatherliyes in Albequin.
My husband, Colonel Pelton, and
my mother were killed by the In
dians."
Great God, Bella Is it you-my
wife ?"
"Oh, Albert, l knew you would
come" exclaimed the poor wife,
blindly reaching her hands to clasp
her husband.
OF course there was JOY in the old
rancho when Colonel Pelton got
back vita his wife.
The Apaches had carried the
wounted woman away with them.
The poisoned arrow caused inham-
nation which finally destroyed her
eyesight.
When I saw the colonel he was
reading a newspaper TO his blind
wife, while in her hand she held a
bouquet Of fragrant cape jessamines
which he had gathered for her. 1t
was indeed a picture of absolute
happiness.