Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-08-11
A Narrow Escape.

A Narrow Escape.
A prospector, Ambrose Samprax,
just arrived from Mexico, was inter-
viewed by the San Francisco Cali re-
porter Samprax was in the Upham
party when they were massacred by
Apaches near Ell Paso. The morning
of the fight he was behind the party
waiting for Mexican boy who had
Jagged from camp, and had gone three
miles from the camping place when ne
heard the Apache war-whoop. 4
knew at once," said he, eve We're in for
it, for l have been on the frontier ten
or fifteen years, and had many a brush
with the red devils. I was probably
half mile behind at the time the
fighting began, and was cut off before
| could reach the boys. ! believe, if
could have been with themithings would
have gone differently, for they were
well armed and all brave fellows, but
had no leader, and understood nothing
about Indian fighting. In making the
effort to get to my friends | was cap
tured, and would have been murdered,
but my Mexican boy put in an appear
ance and told the Indians was wealthy
and would be ransomed by friends. |
was then bound hand and foot, and
left where l could see the fight going
on. The surveyors fought like blood
hounds, but without system. / don't
think it lasted over ten minutes. There
were forty-fve or forty-six Indians. Six
were killed and nine wounded, as near
as could be judged. After all the
whites were killed the Indians plum
dered the baggage. l have had
great deal to do with Indians, but never
saw them under better discipline, or so
we'll armed as this band was. 1t made
my blood run cold to see the heartless
wretches butcher the wounded after
the fight was over. think there were
five or SIX of the surveyors who were
not fatally wounded, but The devils
seemed to take delight in killing them.
| was strapped to mustang and start
ed for the mountains. The Indians
then moved towards the mountains to
the old camp. Here they left the
wounded in charge of few of their
number and moved west about ten
miles to another camp, where they
staid a week. | was well treated but
closely guarded. After committing a
number of murders and robberies, they
moved down the coast to within about
seventy miles of Guaymas, and crossed
to an island in the gulf think it is
Angel island. The passage was made
during dark night and in the excite
ment | made my escape, tramped it |
down to Guaymas, undergoing many
hardships and living on shell-fisn and
almost perishing for water. Several
times the weather was so hot that had
to travel at night and lay over during
the day. was five days and nights
making the trip. | stayed in Guaymas
two days, and crossed the gulf in a
schooner to lower California, where
got in with party of prospectors, and
made my way up to San Diego. | am
now on my way to Washington. That
the Indians were a portion of Nictoria's
band is true, but that they We're COM
manded by one of his men in mistake.
They were under that william Victoria
| had seen him number of times in |
New Mexico, and knew him at once.
| know 1t was reported he lad been |
killed, but we who are acquairt ted with |
the Apache Mexican fighting did not
believe it. Victoria is alive, and under
stands the lay of the country too well
to be captured by soldiers
The aesthetic craze which is so much
talked about of late must have reached
Danbury, for we notice that all our
vacant lots are adorned with patriarch
al shoes, ancestral tomato cans and
sarcophagusal sardine boxes. Danb,Hy
NetrS