Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-02
WHITES FIGHT INDIANS.
THE LAST CHARGE THEY MADE
DID THE WORK.
How Fifteen While Men Put ssvcls-FNs Red.
skins to flight-capl. Gillespie Fired The
Telling shoiwIih Spear in His Body.

The plowman on the banks OF the River
P1erdennles, flowing eighty miles north Of
sun Antonio Tex. occasionally turns up u
bullet in the light loan he throws aside
These are the relies OF the great firht IN
is44. when Colonel John Hays who earned
~ ~ Texas history the title Of THE 1exas
Ranger, encountered with fourteen com.
panions band Of Comanche warriors mum.
berlng something over seventy-nye, ani
after desperate battle Of nearly an hour,
succeeded Ia routing the redskins.
II was during the after part Of the month
OF July that Hays, with his little company
was dispatched TO the Herdenales 10 as.
certain the position. movements and dis.
position OF the Indians. They had nearly
reached the river when a band OF ten or
S nIteen Soi l bore down upon them
well mounted on wiry little prairie ponies
and, carrying full compliment OF weapons
showed desire to light. THE challenge was
immediately answered by the whites riding
toward them, when the Indians began n
SLOW retreat toward a ridge on the right
winch was covered with dense underground
FROM TINS meneuver Hays concluded that
the visible company OF Indians were de-
signed to lure min into an ambuscnde
formed by the shelter Of The bushes aud
high grass Of the little rise and inter some
difficulty he checked the linpetuosity Of his
men so as 10 test his conviction March,
Ing around the ridge he assembled another
elevation separated from the FIRST by deep
aud very rugged ravne But he hnd scarce.
" taken up his new position here when the
REDSKINS gave up the Idea OF entrapplng
him by strategem. aud. coming out of their
hiding place, exhibited their full strength
Of numbers and yelling defiance to the Zoe
Hays then tignaled them that he ac-
rushed down the hill, followed by his brave
men, until reaching the side Of tile ravinc
the party dismounted and leading their
horses through the gully came Out at the
up In the rear Of the hill whereon waited
The Indians 9li Of whose eyes Were directed
i Toward the MI IN front up which they
Taken entirely by surprise, Hays first
fire with short rifles created confusion
among the Indians; who filled the air with
hldeous yells aud lmprecauons rs they
broke and ran down the Hill, leaving the
whites IN possession. The Indians recnl-
Letting Their superiority In numbers, re-
turned to the nssnuh, ana We're met by the
enemy who having discarded their rides
used their nye-shOoters to repulse The
cmrge., The redskins now surrounded the
seeing which lays arranged his men in a
circle fronting outward, and stood motion
less on their horses backs until the Indians
came within lance length OF them.
Then aiming with the deadly precision
OF men whose life on the plains had taught
them that life often hung on a bullets ac-
cfacy' they Hired, bringing down with each
shot painted screechlng warrior And
twenty-Onc OF the Indians fell headlonr he.
fore, the advancing body gave back. when,
at their FIRST movement OF retreat the rang.
ers were after them, driving them down
with their rifles. by this time the anmuni.
non of the white men was well nigh ex-
hnuslcd' ana tile lndinn chief, on the alert
for the hrst sign Of weakening on the part
OF the enemy, rallied his Wurriors for a
fnal struggle.
The crisis had now come. Hays little
band had lost two by death, six were
wounded, two with Indian lanccs through
t ,helr bodies but all determined not to let
the victory slip through their fingers after
their long and desperate struggle for the
mastery.
Their one chance was to say the chief.
whose reinonstrnnces and entreaties alone
were keeping up the failing courage OF his
warriors. 80 Hays, turning to the rangers
asked II any one OF them retained q single
charge OF ammunition. Captain Gillespie
one OF those with spear through his body,
replied that he had reserved his rifle.
"Dismcunt, then" cried Hays. "AIm for
your life and FOR ours, and, in the name Of
Tile rifle rang out, and there was a mo.
ment's suspense; during which every white
while his heart beat In quick. heavy throbs,
which he felt must be heard by the red.
skins aud lend them courage Then the
tall, majestic figure Of the gaudlly painted
chief seemed TO totter, and the next in.
slant there was tremendous crash as he
feA forward on his face. pald even under
quick squirt of crimson blood from his breast
and lips that dyed the grass and pehhly
sand. The Indians lied with terrified
shrleks amt walls OF lamentations ard dis
may
over twenty Of the redskins fell on the
Held of the battle, several more ms they at
tempted TO ford the little river, whose
waters rose as high as their chlDs. but the
greatest achievement of the whites wns the
death Of the chief who had proven himself
all along the inveterate and lloo1thirsty
enemy Of the settlers In that part.-Phlla-
delphia Times.
Blotches. Old Sores. Ulcers aud all
skin eruptions cured by p. +. p, the
greatest blood purifier Of the age.