The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-12-12
GAVE THEM HIS EYE.
A Prospeotor Saved His life from Indians
by Ills RamarIkabIe Nerve.

by His RemarkabIe Nerve.
During 1912 Mr.. Rowe resided In
the Black Range country, New Mexico,
and while there had about as close
call from death at the hands of Apache
Indians as any man who ever entered
the domain of the savage and then came
forth with scalp intact
Like all others who went to that To-
cality while the mineral excitement
there was going on, Mr.. Rowe was
prospecting and made his headquarters
in the little gully leading up from Wild
Horse canyon. One bright morning in
June of 1882, he threw pick over one
shoulder and gun over the other and
left camp in search of the golden treas
ure, little suspecting that behind cliff
of rocks almost directly in his path
lurked the Victoria Mana combination
of Apache cutthroats. With the excep-
ton of the late Geronimo, who is now
sojourning at Fort Marion, Fla, for
acts of deviltry committed while on the
warpath in Arizona and New Mexico,
| Victoria and Mana were the most noted
Apache chiefs that ever murdered a
sheep-herder or set a prairie FIRE, and to
fall into their clutches was supposed to
be sure death.
As Rowe sauntered down the gully,
picking float rock as he went, the In
dians lay low, and before he was aware
of their presence he was right among
them. OF course he was astonished-
any one would be under the circum-
stances-yet he neither dropped dead
nor attempted to fight He stood like
statue, and the Indians with guns
leveled, moved up and disarmed him
without saying word. There were
about twenty in the band, which, under
their existing conditions, was sufficient
to whip the whole United States gov
ernment and Mexico thrown in. Rowe
acted in such a meek manner with
them and seemed to resign himself to
his fate in such an Indifferent way that
the red devils arrived at the conclusion
that it would be no fun to kill him out
right; that the cravings of their devil
ish nature would be better satisfied If
they tied him to tree and tortured
him.
With this amiable design Rowe was
tied mp with his face toward the Indi-
ans, For the purpose of giving him a
chance to tear his hair, however, while
the torture was in progress, his arms
were not tied. When all was in readi-
ness to begin operations, a dispute arose
among the savages as to which part OF
the body would first be dissected, but at
the expiration of a ten-minute debate
the deadlock was broken by Chief Mana
remarking in his native tongue, which
Rowe understands quite WELL that one
eye should first be gouged out, then the
ears cut off, the nose split, and the teeth
knocked out one by one. Each Indian
was in turn to perform some cruel part
but Chief Geronimo was to have the
pleasure of gouging out the first eye
Jerking long, ugly-looking knife from
hic belt he advanced toward the cap
tive, but when within two feet of him
Rowe reached up with one hand ant
yanked out one of his eyes and tossed
it to the chief with the remark: Don
put yourself to so much trouble, ole
man. Here is an eye for you and wher
you want the other just let me know. ;
The action of Rowe in taking out the
eye was a paralyzer on the whole band
anu Uhc ChlCl, WIZ ldu TcCClNcu Ulls
token, dropped his knife and made 1
critical examination of the optic Others
gathering about him in an eager en-
deavor to get a glimpse of the eye tina
could be lifted out in such manner.
was passed from one to the other anC
commented on, some of the remarks be
ing funny in the extreme. Finally tn,
chief took the eye back to Rowe anC
informed him that if he could put i
back again and make it see he woult
not molest him further With this prop
osition Rowe gently lifted the eye il
plain sight of all and replaced it, where
upon he was liberated and told to g
his way, the Indians believing that h,
was something more than human be
ing. The eye, however, was glass, ant
is still being carried by Mr.. Rowe
Butte Miner.
Pussy Among Glassware.