Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-03-19
Experiences Of q Mexican Guide.

s Here is acurious thing that may.
be OF interest to you, = said a GENTLE
man as he laid a formidable weapon
on a desk. It was an old colts Do
caliber army revolver, and on the butt
were numerous notches, which had
evidently been cut with sharp knife.
THAT six-shooter belonged to q man
with a history" continued the visitor.
He was an old friend of mine, and he
always said should have that pistol
when he died. It was received by me
a short time ago, and with it came q
letter telling me Of my friends death
recently near Laredo, Tex. His name
was Jesus Sandobal, and he was per.
haps the most noted Mexican guide
ever on the southern Texas frontier
After many years OF strange adven-
lures and hair-breadth escapes he
passed away at last quietly enough.
"Sandobal was fullblooded Next
can, and until he was about forty
years old, lived quietly on his little
ranch near Ringgold Barracks, on this
side OF the Rio Grande. He had wife
and daughter, the latter a pretty girl
OF about Is years, and he spent most
of his time with them on the ranch,
only going off every now and then to
sell some cattle or trade horses. He
was always considered 81 quiet sort of
fellow at that time.
Zone day he went off on horse
trading expedition, and when he came
back he found his housein ruins, his
horses and cattle driven off and his
wife and daughter shamefully treated
by a party of marauding Mexicans.
He tracked these men to the Rio
Grande, and some distance into Mexi-
co, but could not catch them. Then
he rode back again, sold what wasleft
OF his property land started out deter
mined to be revenged. He went into
Northern Mexico and poisoned the
wells and springs where the cattle and
horses drank. He burned ranch
es and barns and destroyed
everything he could Every now
and then a Mexican would be found
dead on the road, with bullet in his
brain or his heart. Parties were Or
gained to hunt him down, traps were
laid for him. and every endeavor was
made to either kill or capture him;
but with no success. He never tired
of his work, and for months he terror
lied the country.
cat last it grew too hot for him
and he was forced to spend much OF
his time in Texas. In 1874, when
Captain L. H. McNelly went down to
the Rio Grande with his company of
Texas rangers to try to stop the cat
tie stealing, Sandobal Was chosen as
guide, and better one could not have
been selected The rangers were most
ly young fellows about Is or ~ years
OF age, and the Mexican cattle thieves
and white desperadoes who had Sue
cessfu!ly eluded the United States cav
airy Tor years laughed at the company
OF beardless boys, and said they would
be sent home to their mothers within
a month McNelly went into camp
about three miles above Brownsville
and waited for chance to show what
he could do.
zone day word was brought down
the river from a place called Los
Cuevas, about sixty miles above, that
large number of Mexicans were taking
a big herd OF stolen cattle from Texas
into Mexico. The news reached the
ranger camp at noon, and thirty of
the men started for the place immedl-.
ately, guided by Sandobal. They
made the sixty miles in a little more
than six hours, and over bad road
at that wonderful feat, even for those
reckless frontier riders. Seven OF the
horses died afterward from the over
exertion. In spite OF thesplendld time,
however, the rangers arrived at Los
Cuevas just as the last OF the cattle
had been taken across in a large fat
boat and the boat turned adrift. Aft
er long search a little rowboat was
found. and as soon as it was dark Nc
Nelly, Sandobal and Sergeant Hall OF
the rangers crossed over in it, The
captain gave orders when he went for
the boys to fire at the flash if there
should be any shooting when he
reached the other side.
''The boat disappeared in the gloom
and the men knelt on the river bank
and waited. In about ten minutes
the sharp report of q carbine came
from the opposite bank. Immediately
volley flashed from the rangers Win
chesters.' The captain shouted across
to stop firing, and when Sandobal re-
turned with the boat for more men it
was learned that McNelly had acct.
IDENTIFY discharged his carbine as he
was jumping from the boat.
By midnight all the men had crossed.
They waited until just before dawn,
when, under Sandobal's guidance,
they marched five miles into the in
terror, and at sunrise were within
sight OF a large ranch. At this ranch
were the cattle thieves and large
force OF Mexicans who had come from
the surrounding country during the
night. They were evidently expecting
an attack. When McNelly saw how
matters stood he turned to his men
and looked them quietly over. He
held an unlighted cigar between his
teeth, and although he was pale he
was as cool as an icicle.
"'Boys, told you I might take you
into he'll when we started he said,
but also promised I would get you
out again. We came over here to get
those cattle, and we're not going back
without them. Now get about ten
feet apart and give these Greasers q
volley"
'The order was instantly obeyed,
and from the yeils and choice Mexican
oaths which came from the corrals
some OF the shots must have done
good work. There was a little firing
from the corrals at the rangers; but be-
fore any one was hurt, the order was
given to circle around to the other
side of the ranch and give the thieves
another volley. These tactics were
kept up for about an hour and might
have lasted al. day had not Sandob
who had gone off on an expedition Of
his own, suddenly turned up with the
cheering information that 200 Of the