The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-05-17
a MoMENTous HORSE RACE.
The Civilized Steed Won, Precipitating q
Bloody Fight and Indian War.

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Bloody Fight and Indian War.
Don Amado Chavez. the eldest sonfof
the late Col. Manuel Chavez, New
Mexico's most noted Indian fighter,
tells an interesting story OF the big
fight with the Navajos at Fort Win
gate in 1861, which was the cause OF
the turbulence of that tribe during
the rebellion, AMI which he witnessed
as boy. Don Amado was about IL
years old then. His father was com
handing at Fort Wingate, where New
Mexican volunteer troops were sta
toned to watch the Navajos and keep
them quiet. The tribe was supposed
TO be peaceable and friendly, but it
was deemed wise to keep an eye on
them and prevent them from stealing
, stock, in which art the Navajos are
past masters.
The Navajos had pony that they
F.. believed able to outrun anything on
four legs, and they were anxious to get
up match race at the fort. The sur
geon Of the post owneda thorough bred
race horse, and u match was made be-
tween the two. There was general
gathering of the tribe around the fort
for several days before the race, ana
the Indians and soldiers were on the
best of terms. One of the chiefs took
fancy to the colonel's son, and made
| a present to little Amaslo of pretty
| buckskin pony with white tail and
name Amado was very proud OF ms
pony, and rode him about the Indian
camp and made friends of the NavaJos'
| On the day of the race the Indians
and soldiers bet all of their portable
property on the result According TO
| the Indian custom, the things wagered
were tied together and piled up in q
general heap. If soldier bet s.
against a Navajo blanket the coins
were tied up in a fold of the blanket
tag attached showing who were the
parties to the transaction, and the
blanket cast upon the pile. II two
horses were the stakes, they were hall
tered together and driven into the cor
| raj. The corral was stakeholder FOR
everybody and for oil bets, and het-
erogeneous mass OF personal property
| was dumped therein.
A shrewd Navajo rode the Indian
pony and a Mexican of the name OF
Ortiz rode the thoroughbred horse. The
| thousand-yard stretch across the>pral-
ric was hemmed in on both sides by
| mixed crowd of Indians and Mexican
soldiers A fair start was made, ana
the pony got away little in the lead:
lie was only sprintcr. however amt
was no match for the horse whe2 the
! latter got fairly into his stride. The
Indian soon saw that the pony was out
cIassed and that he could not win by
| fair running, and SO he resorted to
tricks to prevent tho horse from pass
| ing. Whenever the horse attempted
to pass, the Indian pulled the pony
over to that side just enough to get in
| the way, and Ortiz was compelled to
pull up to avoid collision. The Indian
worked the trick with SO many varia-
tions that the horse was fairly pocketed
all the time by that lone pony, AMI
Ortiz became furious. At last Ortiz
| lost patience and when only few
| wards from the finish the Indian tried
| the trick again, Ortiz gave the horse
his spurs and plunged ahead The big
American horse rolled the pony over
and over, but kept his own feet and
bounded across the line. Fac pony's
neck was broken and his rider was
crushed to death in the fall.
AS soon as the Navajos understood
what had happened they made a rush
for Ortiz. Soldiers rallied around the
rider to protect him, and in half
minute free fight was in full blast.
The soldiers got together quickly, and
their fire was more effective than the
scattering fire of the Navajos, but the
Indians were numerous and made on
ugly fight.
Young Amado saw his friend, the
old chief, lying on the ground wound
ed, and he went to him, The old man
was mortally hurt. but he tneW the
bow and asked him for water. Amado
got the water. sat down by the Indian,
raised his head, and gave him drink.
The surgeon came riding by, looking
for the boy, and saw him sitting beside
O wounded Indian. He snatchcd Amado
ND by the collar, placed him behind on
the horse. galloped back into the fort,
and handed him over to the colonel,
who had just been aroused by the
firing and was getting out of a sick
bed to take charge Of things. The
colonel told the boy to stay in quarters
and net venture out again, and then
he went to the walls and got the can
non into action. But the boy could
think of nothing but his Navajo friend
lying out there on the plain with q,
CHASTITY wound in the breast and long,
ing in vain for water So he filed his
fathers cantecn and stole out through
the gate, and found the old chiefagain.
The old man was dying fast, and did
not recognize the boy. Amatlo sat down
by him, raised his head upon his own
knee, and held the cantcen to the blue
lips. And so he sat and ministered to
the Indian until the life had gone from
the body, and then he cried because
the old man @hQ gave him the buck
skin pony was dead.
The thunder of the cannon, the SHOUT
ing Of the captains, and the yells Of
the Nayajos had ceased, and only the
occasional crack Of rifle told that
some skirmisher out on the prairie was
trying long parting shot at the
enemy. Not until the next day, when
he saw scores of dead Indians gathered
up along the race course and on the
prairie and buried in a long trench,
did the boy understand that he had
been In battle, and that all the.
tnmHlt that ragged around him when