Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-05
OF THEIR SURPRISE

the camp they rallied and under the leader
ship of Il Young chief, made q determined
stand, forcing US 10 use the steel as we re-
turned. AS we cut our way back l saw
this chief run toward the woods, throw up
his hands and fall TO the ground The war
liors when their leader fell, took 10 the
hills, and, crOuching behind the rocks, COM
meuced damaging fire Our fellows took
10 the woods and made preparations 10 re-
treat upon the main column, when we were
startled ut & shot thai was fired almost in
our faces Lieut.. Curtis cap was seut fly
ing into the air cut in two pieces
A. / sPRANG FROM MY HORSE
! saw girl standing aStrlde the bodyof the
dead chief, armed with a Winchester which
she was in the act OF firing again. l threw
the rifle aside and grappled the girl who
fought with great fury, uttering strange
cry. Finally she was bound and taken up
by one of the men and carried to the rear
Ne were successful in rejoining the main
body, ana in the great struggle of the lava
beds ! lost sight OF our prisoner. After the
conclusion OF the campaign ! was sent to
Fort Yuma, where the concluding incidents
of my story tool, place. The strange his
tory and still stranger end Of the beautiful
COchita, for that was the name she was
known by, lends 3 very romantic cOlorilap
To the desperate fight she made over the re-
mains of the dead chief 1T the battle at the
foot of the laTa beds.
.Cochita was not an Indian girl, but was
the child OF a Spanish family of Sinaloa,
the northwestcstern state Of Mexico. She
was exceptionally pretty, of small but
very trim and graceful form, clear olive
complexion and bright black eyes that had
the soft AndaluSian loneliness in them.
When captured she was only about seven
teen years old, and her native beauty was
but little diminished by her enforced aSso-
~, with no An9rhaS Sha had
been taken by the Indians when baby of
three and all her family had been killed.
Her life was saved b. Squaw of the chief
who took fancy to her and kept her as her
own child.
she was given the
NAME OF cocHITA,
the diminutive of ChochiSe, the most
famous of the Apache chieftains. She was
tutored in the ways of the savage people,
and when taken by us combined the wild
ness of the antelope with the ferocity of
tiger cat. After she was taken to Yuma
the wife OF our post surgeon took charge OF
her and did everything 10 induce her 20 re-
turn 10 civilization. but with indifferent
success. The girl was quiet enough, but
seemed to be victim Of settled melancholy
She soon remembered enough Spanish. in
which language her mistress was very pro-
ficieut, 20 tell all she could recollect of her
early life. but as she was not more than
three years old when taken from home, her
mind refused 10 recall the details of the
massacre and her abduction.
Enough was CLEANED TO indicate the
truth of the sorry as l have given it and
the additional fact that she was in love with
the chief. over whose body she made such
q desperate fight. She never gave Us any
trouble. yet never appeared at ease. She
was given
THE FREEDOM OF THE POST,
and would wander restlessly about, eying
the men with 3 startled and oftentines
wonderfully intent glance. She would go
to the bank of the Colorado and sit for
hours gazing towards the north as if pining
foy her lost freedom, but making no effort
to regain it.
ITO tho north Of Fort Yuma tho hill
ersws Erxs imposing until the grand canyon