San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-27
THE RED MANS REVENGE.
AN ACCOUNT OF TWO MASSAcRES
IN WESTERN COLORADO.
Sixteen Indians Killed for Stealing Cattle.
A Survivor Tells the Story to the Tribe
and 1t Takes an Awful Revenge-A
Frightened Census TaSer.

OF enumefaJlnS lne settlers OuJSlue VI Tue
town. arrived at Thompson's milk ranch,
on Beaver creek. Climbing up steep
mountain side, it was late in the afternoon
when halted my weary horse at the ranch,
which found to consist of log cabin, milk
house, a corral and a stable. Strange as 1t
seemed to me, the door of the cabin was nailed
up, and pigs, dogs and chickens roamed about
and approached me as if glad of human COM
pany. The usual utensils and fixtures of a
ranch, such as wagons and other appliances,
stood about, but no human being was to be
seen. The day being exceedingly hot, sat
in the door step, wondering when my i'll
tended host would appear. saw a number
of cattle, mile or two off, and supposed that
the inhabitants of the ranch were there brand
ing or rounding up their stock for milking
purposes.
WHAT ATTRACTED THE BUzzARDs.
, While waiting | noticed some half dozen
buzzards circling slowly above some tall
trees a couple hundred yards from the house,
darling earthward and then reappearing
above, only to repeat the same maneuver
again. My prairie experience led me to be-
lieve that some carrion was the objective
point beneath those trees so when the sun
was finally going down and no one had yet
appeared | was led to suspect that some
catastrophe might have occurred, and, con-
Meeting the buzzards with this thought,
mounted my horse aud rode over to the trees,
and, approaching them, found the bodies of
sixteen Indians, one of which was that of
woman examined them, and found that
they had been shot
did not wonder at the nailed up ranch
7 70 md
offer Inc entertainment. The ranchman must
have removed himself and family to some
place of safety in fear of retaliatory meas
ures by the Indians. | therefore pulled down
the door and examined the interior. found
some dry biscuits, coffee and coffee pot and
sheet iron stove; an empty bedstead stood in
one corner, on which were piled number of
magazines, while skins covered the floor. Of
course, my first thought was for the inner
man, and sailed forth to the chicken house
to look for eggs found an abundant sup
ply. Returning to the house, started fire
and became cook.
In leaving the house to replenish the fire
happened to glance up to the roof of the
house and, to my dismay, discovered the
smok, passing through a stOvepipe project
ing from the roof, which sent the smoke in
a straight line hundred feet or more up in
the air As such volume of smoke is used
~ some of the Plain Indians rs a signal to
rendezvous, | was apprehensive that this
smoke would call to the ranch any band of
Indians which might be prowling in that
country Remember, / knew of no Indian
disturbances, but still found so many dead
Indians. However, after supper l found a
more clear spot in the sage brush for my
horse, slowed my saddle in another place,
then retired to the house, lit a candle, and
examined the magazines. / soon eXtinguished
the light and went to sleep on the floor.
Awakened suddenly by some slight noise,
had some serious reflections. | thought Of
home and friends and of the likelihood of my
being scalped in the night. had no weap-
ons, and therefore could have offered but
slight resistance to any ones attack. Re-
lighting the candle, inscribed the follow
ing in my note book, with my name, occu-
patton and date:
81 am tonight at ThompSou's milk ranch.
Have discovered some dead Indians near
here May be murdered by any live one
who may be i'll the vicinity. Whoever finds
this will please send it to given address of
brother in New York city"
THE TERRIBLE SEQ Ell
Stepping to the door threw this book far
out into the brush, and fine time | had the
next morning, on awakening to find it.
Holding a council of war with myself in the
morning, changed my course and struck
out for the nearest large settlement, which
presumed to De some forty miles distant,
called the Big Bend Of the Dolores, which is
almost at the head of the famous Montezuma
valley. There being no road, travelled
over woods and mountains, and after dark
arrived at my destination found the
people of the settlement III a state of great
alarm. On the previous night the house of
Mr. Genthner had been attacked by a band
of Indians, himself killed, his wife shot, and
lIs house burned. 1t was a horrible story.
The man had discovered his house on fire
while in the bed had seized couple of pals
and run TO the we'll. In returning he was
shot
His wife in her night robe hearing his
cries and seeing him fall, ran to his assist
ance He begged her to gather the children
and flee and leave him to his fate. While
handing him drink of water, lOath to leave
him, she herself was shot, receiving terrible
wound through the right shoulder. Terrified,
she fed to the house, aroused her three chill
dren and ran out into the road, Justify
screaming for help. Running into an arroyo
Ia gulchJ, and there hiding in the sage brush
with her small children about her, the poor
woman sat all night partly nude, shivering
with cold and fevered from her wound, until
found on the following morning by some
neighbors. All this happened some eight
miles from the Big Bend. A physician who
r. cd baan from, VananUp fn or
the woman pressed me into service, and to-
gether we dressed the wounA, and, at the
doctors suggestion, took her ante-mortem