The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-11-23
tiles, Apachss and reserved for hslli.h

Wine digging graves IN order TO give
the pitiiul fragments decent burial none
Of us could refrain from shuddcring as
we thought Of the cruel fate which had
overtaken the hapless travellers, and re-
Hecting how easily that fate might have
been our own we bitterly regretted that
we had left single savage alive.
Charlie Blake exactly voiced the gen.
eral sentiment when he said: 81 only
hope those hellhounds may pitch into
us again. If they do, not mothers son
of them shall escape this time
"And remember, boys" added Dick
Harding, "those innocent women are In
the power of just such scoundrels."
"It's an awful business" put in Hugh
Elliot. eff Kit Carson fails to rescue
the girls, all the gold in California won't
comfort Secord; no. nor Frank Austin
either"
"He won't fall" confidently rejoined
Blake. Hell bring them back all right
see If he don't. Why, I've read some
where that Kit, single handed, once fol
lowed a squad Of six Indians for five
days, killed every man of them and saved
q white woman and her baby"
"Yes, Charlie" said Elliot, "but or
another occasion when he and his party
had wiped out all but one of band Of
Apaches that one, the instant before he
was himself shot down, cut the throat OF
a woman prisoner, whom the villains
had tied and hidden behind bush be-
fore the whites overlook Them"
While thus conversing we reverently
smoothed the earth over the humble
graves of our murdered countrymen, fo1
tidings of whom relatives and friends,
perhaps wives and sweethearts, would
long wait in vain-no book, paper, SCRAP
of writing by which the bodies might
have been identified having been found
by our men. All had been consumed OF
carried away, and who and whence were
the victims of this one among scores OF
similar wayside tragedies might never
be known-yet, over all, in the azure
vault of heavenly sky, the sun shone
as brightly, wandering birds scared as
joyously as if the demoniacal passions Of
men had never stained with the blood OF
their fellows the rolling surface of this
vast solitude.
Wishing to economize our dry feed as
much as possible, we led the horses
about the middle of the afternoon lit.
tie way out on the plain to graze II
was very pleasant to see how greatly the
animals enjoyed the sweet buffalo grass
after their "a hours deprivation. They
had fed for some minutes, and we were
interestedly watching them and the
mouth of the pass by turns, when we
saw single mounted warrior ride out
of the latter and speed away northward,
parallel to the course Of the canyon.
1t needed but this to convince us that,
so far from having been REINFORCED, the
savages were only now dispatching an
envoy to summon help. and we instantly
party depended upon the arrest of this
messenger.
Among our stock there was 3-year.
old thoroughbred mare, exceedingly feet
Of foot. but not taken by Carson ON his
presumably hard ride because of her ten.
der age. At the moment we caught sight
of the flying Indian Hugh Elliot was
holding the rein of this beautiful crea.
ture. Quick as flash he put the tenn.
porarily displaced bit in her mouth,
snatched up his rife, sprang to her back
and was off like the wind.
When the warrior first emerged from
the pass, he vas of course 800 yards
from US, and although riding furiously
he was not much farther away now, as
his route lay alongside the canyon, which
might be said to form the base of right
angled triangle of which the line from
the wagons to the pass was the perpen-
dicular and that between him and us the
hypothenuse. Along this latter Hugh
Elliot was now racing at flight of speed
so much greater than that of his enemy
that it became at once evident the chase
would not be a long one. Probably nc
other horse in our outfit could have out.
run that swift pony, but it was no match
for the blooded mare, each one of whose
sweeping strides lessened the distance be.
tween them.
Before pursuer and pursued had gone
half mile the former had gained quite
$50 yards and was then within possible
rifle shot.
In that highly rarefied atmosphere ev.
cry motion of both men was distinctly
visible to us, and as Elliot drew still
nearer we saw him raise his gun, but
while studying his aim the quick eyed saw
age threw himself fiat along the off side
of his pony, and Hugh lowered his weap-
on again. Looking ON then with breath.
less interest, we saw him press the little
mare to fresh burst of speed, and when
within 100 yards of his quarry the piece
was once more brought to his shoulder
This time he pulled the trigger. A flash,
puff of smoke, and before the report
reached our ears the pony fell to the
ground, rolling over and over by its own
impetus and hurling sis rider 80 feet
away.
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