The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-06-15
FIGHTING Z Il B / N D IA.N MS.
HOW THE FINAL voLLEY FIN
ISHED THE WORK. B.
Citizen White Men Put Seventy-F Five Red
Skins to Fliyht-Captain Gilles-
pies Telling Shot With a
Spear in His Body.

The plowman on the banks Of the
river Pierdenales, flowing eighty
miles north of San Antonio, Texas,
occasionally turns up a lance head Of
sharpened flint or. finds bullet in
the light loan he throws aside, says
the Philadelphia Times. These are
relics Of the great fight in 1874, when
Colonel John Hays, who earned in
Texas history the title of The Texas
Ranger" encountered with fourteen
companions a band Of Comanche war
riors numbering some thing over sew
enty five and after a desperate bat
tie OF nearly an hour, succeeded in
routing the redskins, >
1t was during the latter part of the
month of July that Hays, with his
little company, was dispatched to the
Pierdenales to ascertain the position,
| movements and disposition of the
| Indians. They had nearly reached
the river when a band of ten or fif-
teen Comanches bore down upon
them from a small clump of timber
They were we'll mounted on wiry
little prairie ponies, and carrying a
full complement Of weapons, showed
a desire to fight. The challenge was
Immediately answered by the whites
riding toward them, when the In
dians' began slow retreat toward
ridge on the right which was covered
with dense underground. b..
From this maueuver Hays con-
cluded that the visible company Of
Indians were designed to lure them
into an ambuscade formed under the
shelter of the bushes and high grass
OF the little rise, and after some diff
Guilty checked the impetuosity of his
men so as to test his conviction.
Marching around the ridge he as
cended another elevation separated
from the first by a deep and very
rugged raviae. But he had scarcely
taken up his position here when the
redskins gave up the idea of entrsp.
pang him by strategem, and, coming
1ont of their hiding place, exhibited
their full strength of numbers, and,
yelling defiance to the foe.
Hays then signaled them that he
4 accepted the challenge, and immedi.
! ESely rushed down the hill, followed
10Y his brave men, until reaching the
side of the ravine tine party dis
4 mounted and leading their horses
\ Through the gully came out at the
! other end, where, remounting, he
Came up in tho rear of the hill
] whereon waited the Indians. all O.
1 whose eyes were directed toward the
4 hilA in front, up which they looked
for him to ride. 49,,
| Eaken entirely by surprise, Hay.
first fire with short rifles created con
fnSaon among the Indians, who flleC
the air with hldeous yells and impre:
CATIONS as they broke and ran dowr
the hill, leaving the whites in pos
session. The Indians, recollectine
their superiority in numbers, re:
turned to the assault and were met bv
the enemy, who, having discarded
their rifles, used their fve-sh ooters
to repulse the charge. The redskins
now surrounded the hill and began
the ascent from all sides, seeing
which Hays arranged his men in a
circle, fronting outward, and stood
motionless on their horses backs nm.
til the Indians came within a lance
length Of them.
Then aiming with the deadly pre-
clslon OF men whose life on the plains
had taught them that life often hung
on bullets accuracy, they fired,
bringing down with each shot a
painted, screeching warrior And
tWenty-one of the Indians fell head .
long before the advancing body gave
back, when, at their, first movement
o. retreat, the rangers were after
them, driving them down with their
rifles BY this time the ANN uni zion
OF the white men was well nigh ex-
hausted, and the Indian chief, on the
alert for the first sign of weakening
on the part of the enemy, rallied his
warriors for final struggle. -. 3D.
E, The crisis had now come. Havs'
little band had lost two by death,
SIX were wounded, two with Indian
lances through their bodies, but all
determined not to let the victory
slip through their fingers after their
long and desperate struggle for the
mastery. =. i. -. RI: .s<~3
Their one chance was to slay the
chief, whose remonstrances and en-
treaties alone, We're keeping up the
falling courage of his warriors, SO
Hays, turning to the rangers asked
If any of them retained a. Single
charge of ammunition. Captain Gil
| lespie, one of these with a speer
through his body replied that he
had reserved his rifle. ss
'|Dismount, then,'' cried HAYS.
s'Aim for your own life and ours and.
in the name of God kill that. chief!'
The rifle rang out, and there was
a moments suspense, during which
every white man held his breath with
paling cheek while his heart beat
in quick, heavy throb which he felt
must be heard by the redskins and
lend them courage. Then the tall.
majestic figure of the gaudily paint
ed chief seemed to totter, and the
next instant there was a tremendous
crash as he fell forward on his face.