The Penn's Grove record., 1885-01-24

Gen. Ross, who rescued Cynthia Ann
Parker from the COmanche Indians,
says that an oil painting Of the famous
woman will be exhibited at the New
Orleans exposition. Cynthia was cap
tured when about ~ years old, and,
when taken from the indians and
placed in the household OF her uncle,
Col Parker, near WeatherfOrd, She was
the squaw Of the Chief. Gen. Ross
writes: In the campaign against the
Commences, as | could take but 40 OF
IN men from my post, [ roquesed
Capt. \ G Evans, in command OF the
United States troops at Camp Cooper,
TO send me a detachment of I'd cavalry.
lie promptly sent me a sergeant and 20
~well-m0unted men. My force was still
augmented by some 70 volunteer cIti~
zens, under command of the brave old
frOntiersman, Captain Jack CureJon,
of BO5que county.
On one of the Pease River sand
hills | found four fresh pony tracks,
and being satisfied that Indian videttes
had just gone | galloped forward about
a mile to a higher point, and riding to
the top, to my ineXpresSibie surprise
found myself within 200 yards of a
Comanche village, located OF a small
stream winding around the base OF the
hill. 1t was a most happy circumstance
that a piercing north wind was blow
ing, bearing with it clouds of sand,
and my presence was unObseryed and
the surprise complete. By signalling
my men as ] stood concealed, they
reached me without being discovered
by the Indians, who were busy packing
up preparatory to a move. By this
time the Indians mounted and moved
off north across the level plain. My
command, with the detachment of the
BUD cavalry, had outmarched and be-
come separated from the citizen COM
mand which left me but 90 men. In
making disposition for attack the ser
geant and his 20 men we're sent at a
gallop, behind a chain of sand hills, to
compass them in and cut off their re-
treat, while with 40 men | charged
them. The attack was so sudden that
a considerable number were killed be-
fore they could prepare for defence.
They fled precipitately right into the
presence of the sergeant and his men.
Here they met with a warm reception,
and finding themselves completely en-
comprised every one fed his own way,
and was hotly pursued andhard pressed.
The chef of the party, a noted war
rlor of great repute, with a young girl
about Is years Of age, mounted on his
horse behind him and Cynthia Ann
Parker, with a girl child about two
years of age in her arms and mounted
on IA fleet pony, fled together, while
Lieutenant Tom Kelliher and l pur-
sued them. After running about a
mile kelliher ran up by the side Of
Cynthia horse and ! was III the act of
shooting, when she held up her child
and stopped. | kept on after the chief,
and about half a mile further, when in
about 20 yards of him, | fired my pistol,
striking the girl (whom l supposed to
be a man, rs She rode like one, and only
her head wa visible above the buffalo
robe with which she was wrapped) neal
the heart, killing her instantly, and the
same ball would have killed both but
for the shield of the chief, which hung
down, covering his back. When the
girl fell from the horse she pulled him
off also, but he caught on his feet, and
before steadying himself, my horse,
running at full speed, wa very nearly
on top of him, when he YVES struck
with an arrow, which caused him to
fall to pitching or backing, and it was
with great difficulty that | kept my
saddle, and In the mean time narrowly
escaped several arrows coming in quick
succession from the chiefs bow. Being
at such disadvantage, he would have
killed me in a few minutes but for a
random shot from my pistol (while |
was clinging with my left hand to the
pommel of my saddle) which broke his
right arm at the elbow, completely
disabling him. My horse then became
the body, w%hereupon he deliberately
walked to a small tree, the only one in
sight, and, leaning against it, began to
sing a wild, weird song.
Riding back to the squaw as 0 o as
| looked ON her face | said: "Why,
Tom, this is a white woman; Indians
do not have blue eyes, She said two
of her boys we're with her when the
fight had began and she was distressed
by the fear that they had been killed. 1t
50 happened, however, that both es-
capped, and one Of them, Guiana, is now
a chief. The other died some years ago
on the plains. l then asked her to give
me the history of her life with the In
dams and the circumstances attending
her capture by them, which she promptly
did in a very sensible manner, and as
the facts detailed correspondent with the
massacre at Parker's fort, / vas inn
pressed with the belief that she was
Cynthia Ann Parker. Subsequent
events proved the truth of my SUPPOSE
ton.