Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-04-21
rHs SAND OF AN OLD TIMER.
Fatal bravery That Won Rare Tribute
From Band of ApacIlcs.

Gatal bravery That Won Rare Tribute
From Band of Apachcs.
A company of ranchmen sat about the
railroad station in Pomona the other aft
eenoon waiting for the belated overland
train for Les Angeles. Every man in
the par y l.new the others, and there be-
ing IN kovr or two to wait story telling
of tie carly days on tho border and in
arizona and California came natural.
gtories Of cid times, when Indians were
bad and the wlSte pioneers knew what
bravery meant, were related. John Viii
son Of El MoHte told the most absorbing
story Of the hour:
Talk about sand in q man, gentle
men! am telling you that it takes sand
OF the genuine article in any man to try
and stand off single handed 10 or 90
Apaches when he knows just how the
scrap win end. and that the end will be
Iis own death. But that was just the
lndof sand that was in Felix Knox
when he was killed by the Apaches.
\ on see Knox was an all round gambler,
such as the tenderfoot from the east
scoTrs so much and knows 30 little
about, but he had heart in him bigger
than any tenderfoot's head. Well, it
was in the spring Of 1870 Knox, with his
wife and baby and Mexican driver,
was coming from Silver City to Clifton,
down in Arizona. They got to York's
ranch, which is on the ella river, about
so miles from Clifton, all right, but
were told there that signs of Apaches
had been seen, and that they had better
30 in camp there for few days, but
Knox-who had fought the Apaches
dozens Of times and didn't know what
fear was-said he wanted to make Cliff
ten that day, Indians or no Indians.
We'll, the Knoxes drove on. When
they were about two miles from York's
ranch, sure enough a big buck Indian
came from behind low, round top
mesa. Knox knew there were plenty
more of the red devils hid there and
that it meant fight to death for him.
He. was as cool rs a cucumber. He
jumped out Of the wagon, filed his peck
cts with two boxes of cartridges, and
then kissed his wife and baby for the
last time, but saying that he would have
the redskins quoted in few minutes.
He ordered the Mexican driver to lash
the team for all he was worth and to
drive back to York's ranch as fast as the
horses could jump. Then Knox waved
his hand to his wife and said he was go
lag to stand of few Apaches, although
he was sure there was a big band Of
them. As the team and wagon flew back
IN, 4la ~ q. 1,o,nI ~ .Eo1
toward the hill for his last fight. He
turned once and waved his sombrero to
his wife and child and then strobe on to
his certain death.
The Apaches a second later rushed
out from behind the hill where they
were secretcd. Knox faced his foes, and
standing stock still pumped lead at
them unfit he fell down dead. The
next day Il party of us was made up,
and we went out where the fight took
place. Knox's body lay there amid the
cactus in the sun. The Apaches, con-
tTary to their usual custom, had not mu-
tilated the fellows body in the least.
They had taken clean pocket handker-
chief out Of Knocks pocket and carefully
spread it over his face and had fastened
it there by putting a small stone on each
corner of it to hold it in its place and
keep the hot sun from the dead mans
face. That was their tribute to the
sand in Knox. Seventy empty shells
were found that had been emptied from
Knox's winchester, and one of the raid
ing Indians afterward said that their
party numbered e and that Knox had
killed seven Of them. Pomona Prog,