Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-04-10

Odlne Uhe laos rebellion" small
but fierce uprising Of Apaches and
Pueblos in the most northern OF the
Pueblo towns, and Manuel played an
important part in suppressing it. Ir
a fierce hand-to-hand struggle, too, he
saved the life OF his commander
Captain Ceran st. Vrain afterward
owner of the 1000, OO0-acre st. Vrain
grant in Colorado A gigantic
Apache had his knife at the heart OF
the prostrate st. Yrain when Don
Manuel, shooting foe who was al
most upon him, wheeled and crushed
the skull Of st. Vrain's assailant with
the barrel of his pondrous rifle.
In 1855 he led a regiment OF volun-
teers on six months campaign
against Cuchillo Negro BLACK Knife)
the most redoubtable of all Apache
warriors. He captured the savage
chief with his own hand in a
desperate night attack in a gloomy
canyon whore his scouts had found the
camp of the hostiles. Gen Loring
was greatly elated over his capture,
but the prisoner was murdered by
the officer left to guard him-a tur-
bulent man who afterward met a
violent death.
In 1850 when large band of Naya-
jos made one of their characteristic
raids on the Rio Graude settlements
and drove off $4,000 sheep, Colonel
Chaves pursued them with fourteen
men. He overlook the hostiles at
nightfall at Ojo de la Moncia, and
routed them; but in the morning found
his camp surrounded by several hun
dred Nayajos. From dawn till dark
of that desperate day the fifteen
heroes withstood the wild charges of
the swarming savages, each fighting
from behing his tree. One by one
the brave New Mexicans sank back on
the red-soaked earth, bristling with
arrows: and at nightfall only two OF
them were left Colonel ChaYes and
Roman Sanches. Ut was not Roman
he was killed. The survivors
were three: Colonel Manuel Chayes
and Hon. Matias Contreras, OF Socorro
county, still alive and a member of
the council of the 90 Legislature, and |
Tomas Baca, who lost a leg in the |
light and still lives in Socorro county. |
hale old man. Editor New Mexican |
All fearfully wounded. A company of
soldiers from Fort Craig arrived lust
IN time to save them. In that ghast-
" struggle Colonel ChaYes had fred
his clumsy muzzle-loader eighty times,
and for every shot an Indian or a
horse had fallen. He had two bullets
left when the arrival of the troops
ended the fightl That was the kind Of
war they had on the early frontier.
In dozen other Indian outbreaks,
before and after those to which l have /
50 briefly alluded, Colonel Chaves dis
himself by the same cool
bravery the same daamtless win and
lhe same matchless skill as a marks
nan.
When the war Of the rebellion broke
)ut Col. Chaves took command of the
I'd regiment New Mexico volunteers,
md did most brilliant service in this
'ut-of-the-way corner of the union.
70 no other man was due so much
'redit for the decisive union victory at
which drove out the in
'aders, as to Col Chayes, whose
brilliant and reckless dash captured
,he rebel artillery and destroyed their
whole wagon train. The eyes and
hearts Of the east were on greater
'attle-felds nearer home, and to this
lay few realize how much was meant
'Y that ''little" fight, which drove
'ibley and his guerrillas back to Tex
IS, and saved New Mexico, Colorado, |,
Utah, Arizona and California to the
Inion.
When Col Chaves returned to his
onely home at Ojuelos it was only to
Ind that the Indians had despoiled
lin Of eyerything-his horses and cat
lie, his $4,000 sheep, crops and all
nd left him penniless, a blow from
which he never fully rallied his affairs,
hough his industry never left him in
want
After New Mexicos share in the
var Of the rebellion war over, there
vas still more than two decades Of fre-
uent Indian outbreaks within her
road borders, in most OF which
]Ol. Chayes was a prominent figure.
IN one occasion his lamblng camp at
ialada was dumped" by a large force
4 raiding Apaches. The few shep-
Ierds were too badly frightened to
Ight much, and all would have been
.illed but for the GOODNESS of Don
danuel. Posting each man behind a
tree, with promise that he himself
Tould shoot the first who dared run
nd they dreaded his matchless aim
ven more than they did the Indians
ie took his lOyear old boy by the hand
this boy is Hon. Amado Chayes, at
resent superintendent OF public in