The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-07

III convened at Fort
S| Marcy. It had
convened. PR
Thomas wilkins of Company D, -th
Infantry, had been tried for being on
duty without leave, the papers had
been signed and sent to Washington by
the afternoon mail, and Col. john
Briefly. who had acted as judge advo-
cate. and Major Thompson, the sur
geon, who had appeared as witness
against Wilkins, were striding along
the board walks towards the colonel s
quarters when met them, and was in
vited in to have a glass Of something
hot.
After the something hot had been de-
c1ared excellent by all the persons IN
terested. the talk naturally was Of the
cOurt-martial.
by the way, colonel" said Major
wilkins, 'if you will pardon my saying
SO, thought you very lenient toward
Wilkins in your examination
Yes said the colonel II generally
am in such cases. You know" he said,
turning to me, wilkins left his quar-
ters to go and see his sweetheart. He
is engaged to the girl"
But it was a clear case OF neglect
of duty" remarked the surgeon.
II know it, replied the colonel. "but
well, I sympathized with him.
The major said nothing more. The
colonel regarded his glass for few
moments, tested the punch, and then,
looking up suddenly, he said:
'TI tell you what will do. If you
men will give me your word OF honor
never to reveal to a soul what have
to tell until am dead and gone, will
give you my reasons for sympathizing
with this man.
We gave him our word Of honor and
we kept our word. The colonel has now
been dead for many years; the major,
1 believe, is on the retired list, and hv-
ing somewhere up in Maine. and so !
do not feel that I am wronging any
man in writing down the story told
US that winter afternoon. some ten or
fifteen years ago.
In the little old churchyard just out
side of the Mexican village of San Fell
ipe, in Arizona" the colonel said. sis
grave off by itself in one corner. On
the modest headstone is the inscription:
Sacred to the memory Of the Wood
Dove, received into the church as Mer-
cedes Briefly, wife of Col John Briefly,
U. s. A., died March 10, 1877, aged rs
years
Mercedes Briefly was my wife. I
am the John Briefly referred to. She
was an Apache Indian, and when you
have heard what did to win her hand,
knowing her heart was mine. you will
understand why I did not put many
severe questions to the poor young man
today.
II first met the girl who was destined
to be my wife in the spring Of 1856,
when I was stationed on the frontier.
The civil war, in which I had won my
colOnelS commission, was just over,
and the Apache and other Indians were
constantly on the war path. was at
the time in command of the til Cav
airy, and had about 800 men with me.
I'VE were encamped near a little
Mexican village, San something or
other, in the northwestern part of New
Mexico. We had had no work to do
for about a month, but the air of my
tent was heavy with reports brought to
me of a large body of Apaches said TO
be on the war path and rapidly ap-
preaching our neighborhood.
zone afternoon-I remember the day
well-the reports were verified by the
capture Of an Apache girl by some of
my men. The girl was brought to my
tent by her captors. They had found
her riding by herself In the hills. and
had only succeeded In making her pris-
oneF after she had severely wounded
one of them.
ct will not attempt to describe the
beauty of this girl. She was then about
! 10 years Of age, of sublime figure. with
| the most wonderfully beautiful eyes
I will only say that I fell in love with
her the very moment saw her.
1--WE held the girl a prisoner. She
| refused to tell us anything about her
self or to betray the whereabouts OF
her people. That they were near we
knew, however, and daily and nightly
we expected an attack. But for one
month they remained under cover. We
! did not go out and look for them, as 1t
was my policy always to let them fire
| the first shot.
THAT month was in many respects
| the happiest month of my life. Love
was new to me. / hadn't known ii
! since my days at West Point. I loved
| the girl with all my heart, and, what
was sweeter, she soon grew to love me
| in return.
| Zone afternoon told her Of my love
| and asked her to marry me. She told
me then that she loved me, and told
me that she would marry me. left
her, and that night the Apaches at
| tackled US. Their victory was complete
They found US unprepared. Our loss
was something fearful and my loss
was greater still, for when the morning
/ came the girl was missing. Her people
| had recaptured her.
1.-THE morning found US in a desperate
mood. The men were mad and I was
| mad. We were all In a humor for z
| first-class massacre. and 1 laid mJ
plans accordingly. Our scouts located
| the enemy and that afternoon ws
| penned them in and had them at oul
| mercy. Our numbers were about even
but our men were all old soldiers thor
| oughly disciplined, and SO they Eel
easy victims to our superiority.
TT was about o'clock when thu
fighting was at its worst, I showed {
flag of truce. and a few minutes latel
an Indian Of commanding nature rod,
out from the little fort they had bull
on the top of the hill and advanced
to the center of the diminutive plair
which stretched between where tn
two armies were posted. I rode on
| alone to meet him, for I could guess
that he was the chief OF the tribe.
I'VE saluted.