Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-12-10
AN APACHE PERIL.

| DSll oil ttQFCutuiC NHiNi' ''f-lv 4 ~ = =.
me long ago in Arizona. 4 recall 1t
as one Of the closest sbaves OF my
life, 1t will serve to exhibit, how
ever, a side to the Indian character
not readily to be explained.
"This was the winter of 1871. ]
was paymaster for the troops just
then en- gagged in fighting the Apaches
lin the far southwest, One morn
| ing, I left Fort Apache on a pay
trip. My outfit was made up of
three wagons, an ambulance for my
self, with an escort of 20 men.
"There was plenty of snow on the
mountain; still for all, that the re-
gion was thick with hostile Apaches,
and no mans life was safe a moment
40 rods from the command / knew
all this, and for that very reason
kept my wagons, ambulance and es-
cort well together, and did not per-
NIT the outfit to string out or break
into pieces as we climbed the noun
tain trail. 1t was strongly within
the range of the probable that we
were haunted by Indians, who only
awaited some careless separation OF
our little force, or some two or three
to lag behind, to make a swoop.
Getting out from Fort Apache
we had to cross range of noun
tains. 1t was my purpose to make
the summit Of the range the first day
out. We were making slow work.,
however, Of our push up the noun
tain. The trail was narrow and
bad, after the fashion of mountain
trails. Then, again, when we got
well along up the ascent, the SHOWS
became deeper, fairly up to the
wagon beds, in fact. AS result,
we were making snail's journey
of 1t.
ut was about three o'clock In the
afternoon and we still had a long,
bad pull before us to make the sum-
nit. Trouble broke out up at the
lead wagon; strained an axle or some
thing. The train came to a halt,
and ! got out of my ambulance,
which was in the rear, and went for
ward to aid in putting matters to
rights. After bit we again started.
ri walked leisurely back to my
ambulance as the three wagons and
the escort went on AS came up
told the driver to hold up his mules
while / lighted my pipe. I got my
tobacco bag out Of my ambulance
and filled up, seating myself mean
while at the foot of pine tree.
IT took my time about it, and
pending the filling and lighting of
my pipe, the three wagons and the
escort turned a corner of the noun
tain, and were out Of sight. My
ambulance and l were left alone, at
though the balance of the outfit
wasn't ten minutes ahead.
| SIT struck me at the time that ]
might better close up with my PEG.
pie; that there was danger in falling
behind even this slight distance.
IT had just started up to get into
the ambulance and go forward to
overtake the others, when a slight
noise below us on the trail attracted
my attention. / looked back over
the road, and there, not 30 yards
away, were coming some IL Apaches.
"They were afoot, for the Apache
is not horseback Indian, and charg-
ing for me on the dead run, hostile
to the eyes. Icould see they meant
blood, and realized In an instant how
| thoroughly they had me freed. l
was unarmed, for my pistols were in
the ambulance, and there stood,
unable to fight fly, and too far from
my escort for them to even be aware
of what was going on, let alone re-
turn to my aid. There was no way
out; ] saw that in an instant, and I
inwardly said 'Good-by' to my wife
and babies 1000 miles away. l had
had many Craze before, but this
was the first time / had been really
convinced that had arrived at the
end Of my trail.
"Unarmed and unable to avert my
fate, made q virtue of what ! could
fnot help and stood facing the IL
Apaches as they came running up.
"The leader, seemingly the chief,
held lance, whereof the government
had complacently furnished him on
some former day the blade, at arms
length above his head ready to hurl
it through me. AS he charged on
lfull tilt he vibrated 1t from blade to
butt as If storing with angry en-
ergy for its flight. While 1 stood
there watching them come on / could
already in authorization feel the panp