Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-12-02
DRUGGED THE APACHES.
HOW SOME MURDEEOUS IN
DAMS WERE LAID OUT.
A Prospcctor's Thought Saves the Lives
of Seven Men Searching for tho
Mythical Madre D'Oro In
the Southwest

jim Dun iudp uuu Jlu DUH clO-
luence and a nugget about the size Of
an acorn that Sandy had given him
led Colonel Martin TO organize the
party. This was in Mineral park. in
1876 where l had gone to relocate "a
mine owned by some gentleman in San
Francisco. when the present mining
law came into force on January OF
that year. Having seen the re-loca-
ton recorded and the record mailed.
| was fOot-l OF course jim Bull
was Of the party and altogether there
were seven of us mounted and armed
with Winchesters revolver and knife.
Then we had three pa * animals
loaded with grub bacon and beans
for the most part with five gallon
keg of whisky. some sugar and coffee.
Having a smattering of medicine |
was the surgeon of the party and |
took with me the medicine chest |
had brought with me f"on Frisco.
We struck for the Colorado river at
Mojave City. boarded the Cocopah.
whereof Captain Jack Bourke was mas
ter and made our way to Yuma. Up
the ella to Phi nnix, where we laid in
stores and thence eastward until we
left the bank of Salt river. and struck
into the mountains. Practically after
leaving TT. Mcdonald we were in the
Apache country.
Each one of u3 knew what Indian
were. and we knew we were going
into the most dangerous part of the
Ind an country. Naturally we tray.
eled only at night and when we made
fire to cook by did that in the dark.
ness and II deep hole. During the
day we slept or prospected little.
Picture to yourself a little gulch or
valley perhaps a quarter Of IA mile
across. 1t is covered with sand ami
stones with here and there u ball
cactus To ono side there are some
high rocks and along the edge there
are lunches or tufts Of that curious
mesquite grass which horses and
mules prefer to good barley straw. in
spite of the fact that many of the
stems are as thick as slate pencils.
| In the shadow OF the rocks there were
seven men. dressed simply. sitting OF
lying on their blankets about 1 :3(
| o clock on February 3. 1876
suddenly there fled around the BIG
rock above twenty-seven Indians.
dressed in breech clouts or .G
strings as they call them in Arizona.
OF these twenty-four had Winchester
! rifles in their hands; the others ha(
bows from which they shoot those
terrible arrows with tiny tips made
of sponge wood hardened in the fire
and soaked in putrid livers of cattle
or deer These tips break off in tn,
wound result blood poisoning ant
certain death.
We all sprang TO our feet and The
Apaches stopped short 1t is II ques
tior which was the more surprised
1t is certain that if they had known
we were there the fist signal we wonlt
have got would have been vollev
Fortunately Martin kept his head
and singing ont TO them in Apache
welcomed them. For n moment the,
hesitated. and then walked toward us
but noticed they held their rifle
mighty loose.
They came up and sat down. ac
cepting the pipe offered TO them
which they passed around. Ca
| Martin stood there talking to them
for it is curious fact that Indians
unless they have some plot arran 70 ed
will never do anything SO long as yol
talk. The other men in the party sa
behind Cal with their Winchester
across their laps each one full cooke,
and ready We were not going t
die if we could help 1t.
As Cal talked and the Apache
kept glaacing around out of thei
snaky black and bead-like eyes
struck me science might help us.
went to my pack. and gett ng out ,h
laudanum and morphine both I'm
touched empted about two Quart
and II half OF whisky all we had lei,
into a bucket turned in all the sugar
i poured in the laudanum aud shoe
the crystals OF morphine into Tn
mixture. Then | stirred it vigorously
added some water. and tin cup i
hand, made the round of those twenty
seven Indians. There was a goo
cupful for each. and about five Gun
more for the most wicked looking te
of them. Then | whispered to Cal:
Keep up your talk I've drugge
EN-" Cal winled and kept on.
At last after time that fairl
seemed 10 be years. one OF the II
dians nodded slightly. l jumped 8
though a pin had been stuck into m,
Still Cal went on in his talk. an
gradually one after the other tn
/. Apaches felt the drugs They fe
sideways or back or forward. an
: those that were still awake tried
vain 10 arouse them selves. One ,
them got up and tried to stagger o,
Z but six rifles covered him and he $,
down again, Finally they were a
. asleep
. All talk of the Madre d Orc was
: an end then and our only though
i was to get ont
l. Again we Travelled at night but +,
ton days we did not durs 10 make