San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-07-24
Written for The FACE PREssl.
"reminiscences Of q Texas Veteran-..Tht
Santa Fe Expedition, etc.
BY O. ERHARD
coPYRIonrED.
LXXVII.


LXXvI.
The early hours of the morning
were colder than any that proceeded
them, as the biting wind from tn
mountains had full sweep over tn,
plains.
The first streak of daylight hat
had just appeared in the eastern
horizon when man named Griffith
declared his inability to proceed any
farther. He had ridden a mule unit
his faculties were nearly paralyzed by
cold, ween he jumped off and agair
undertook to walk. Too weak, how
ever, and too lame to travel, he sanl
to the ground. A soldier told him
to rise, or he would obey his order
given by Salezar, to put all to death
who could not keep up, Griffith made
one feeble, but Intellectual attempt
The effort was too much, he cast an
imploring look on the soldier, while
doing so the brutal miscreant knocked
his brains out with musket. His
blanket was then stripped from him.
as a reward for his murderer, his ears
were cut of, and his body left by the
road side.
And how, it will be asked, did we
feel while such acts like these were
enacted in our midst? We could not
tell who of our companions might
next be also so cruelty murdered.
It was about 8 o'clock in the morn
ing that the waters of the Rio Grande
could be descerned, which in its
course had swept around the bend
(the desert) a distance of more than
one hundred and sixty miles. With
hurried and eager steps we all pressed
forward, for we knew that now, at
least, we were to have food, water
and sleep. He had now been forty
on the march; in this time, although
we had travelled ninety miles, we had
not full five hours sleep.
AS we arrived at the camp ground
I shed the first tears, tears of Joy
that 1 had been enabled to endure that
trip, land also tears, because we had no
means to revenge ourselves on our
cruel captors. Salezar ordered an
OK to be killed, this beast had to
travel with us the whole route through
the desert, the readers can imagine
what miserable beef he furnished. I
snapped my ration with a..soldier for
a pint of meal, stirred it up with cold
water and drank it down. 1 was to
tired to wait till the beef could be
broiled on Goals.
As 1 lay there tired unto death and
oblivious to all surroundings, why
did not death embrace me in its cold
folds and waftsm to happier realms ?
1t would have been mercy to me, for
I afterwards suffered for five months
of pain and sickness, as the reader
will learn hereafter.
1t astonishes me even now, that I,
was so young, small of stature, deli
cately raised and of slender form, who
could endure all these great suffer
ings.
1 am sure that / slept about Twenty
four hours, till awakened next morn
ing 10 resume our march.
Some of the prisoners had worn
put their shoes, some had given their
shirts or blankets away to get few
hours ride, now the reader can imag-
me what these poor men suffered,
the intense cold they
lad to endure.
1t was pitch dark when we reached
,ur halting place this night, a grove
# cotton woods within thirty miles Of
e. Paso del Norte and to tired were
he men that the majority Of them
Junk supperless upon the ground,
90 weak TO cook the scAnty ration Of
neal which was distributed among
hem.
Resuning our march next morning
We arrived about sunset atan encamp-
nent directly in the mouth Of the
zOrge through which the Rio Grznde
ores it, passage this passage was
-ithin eizht m.ies Of the large town
4 z Paso.
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