The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-08-18

u 10 run. Shoot him, padre, shOute
d the Colonel to his father-in-law bu
g when he saw that the old man wa
g shaking as with the "buck fever,
: he said, wait Don't shoot p Has
! tily ramming home a ball in hi
!. own rifle, he threw it to level ant
4 the second Apache fell with RET
r hole in the back of his neck. Col
: Chaves had tied his two fine horse
} to tree and put two of his bes
men behind other trees twenty fee
J away, to lay out the Indians wht
should rush for the horses. To hi!
| disgust two Apaches took the horse:
without shot. The explanation
, of this is interesting. Conception
"Baca" NOW an interpreter for Ge
ronimo in Florida) had been cap
tured from his Sonora home in boy.
hood by the Apaches, and had beer
raised by them until recaptured by
New Mexicans and adopted by one
of the Baca family. He had lain
behind his tree awaiting a chance
to pot the two Indians who were
coming for the horses; but when he
recognized in one of them that same
cruel old Apache who had raised
him, with frequent barbarous beat
ings, the inbred boyhood terror
came back to him, and he could
not pull trigger to save his life.
Conception is very interesting lit
tie old fellow, with whom I have
passed many pleasant hours. The
two Apaches who took the horses
were killed by Col. Chayes, who
had their scalps taken and cured.
A few years later, when Amado was
sent to Washington to be educated,
he carried the scalps, bows, shields
and lances of those two Apaches to
Col. Frank Chaves, who gave one
of these interesting outfits to Rev.
erdy Johnson.
All Col. Chavcs' brothers and
half-brothers were brave men. In
deed, they could not well have been
otherwise. He frequently said that
he would kill any brother of his
who should play the coward, and
all who knew him knew he meant
what he said. It is related that, on
one occasion, when, with only eight
men he was in desperate fight with
scores of Navajoes, some of his men
wanted to run. Col. Chaves quietly
counted out eight of his twenty
bullets and put them in a separate
pocket. These" said he, "are for
those who turn coward" Knowing
his iron resolution and his marvel
Gus aim, no one cared to desert,
and the Indians were stood off till
reinforcements arrived.
When Roman A. Bacca, the bril-
liant young half-brother whom Col.
Chaves had reared, was eighteen
years old he accompanied the
Colonel in an Indian campaign as
a common volunteer. He was am
bilious to be a captain, but did not
wish it to be said that he was pro-
noted because of his relationship.
Just at the opening of a fierce fight
he said to Col. Chaves:
"Tell me something to do to earn
a captaincy."
A big Navajo was riding just
ahead of his fellows, waving a red
blanket and defying the New Mex
leans.
"Do you see that indiana said
Colonel Chaves. "Bring me his
scalp and l will make you a Cap
tain. Come back without it and I |
will kill you"
Roman leaped upon his fine horse
he was then the finest rider in all |
New Mexico-and dashed out to !
meet the big Indian, who also spur
red up to the charge. AS they drew
close the Indian fired, but missed,
and Roman put bullet through
his heart. Tearing the bleeding
scalp from its place, he rode back
amid rain of bullets and arrows,
and was appointed a Captain on
the spot.
In that 1859 campaign against
the Navajoes the U. S. regulars un-
der Gen. Candy and the New Mex
lean volunteers under Col. Chaves
met at Cienega, Amarillo. Roman
Baca was in command of twenty
New Mexican trailers and. guides
with Candy, and at this point cap
tured a Navajo and took him to his
tent. Candy heard of this and or
lered that the prisoner be sent to
his tent.
Tell Gen. Candy for me-" said
young Baca, "that if he wants
Navajo he had better go and catch
one as l did"
And forthwith he hung the Nav
ajo to a tree in front of his camp.
Candy sent a lieutenant and squad
20 arrest the audacious chief of
scouts; but Roman picked up his
life and made a pointed remark
about sowing that portion of the
prairie with brains if they came any
nearer