Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-10-17

III brief com ercl.e tletsI.els .'et.!ei'
what sli,ulJ then b. doas. Tanner 81 Z
his lieutenant vi. i ssoat and tNr.. s
men down along the north face G! t-ie
Socoro to lad Foster and follos fun
speed any Of the struggling Apae,es
whose trails they might dis .over, hop
ing even yet to recapture Leon. Then
the pack train came up and presently
cook fires were blazing in the timber
and from the Camp Sandy supplies a
hearty dinner was served out to Thorn
tons men while Tanner proposed his
plan My instructions said he,
were to leave an escort OF twenty
men here at the ford for the generals
ambulance. He Is hurrying down from
Prescott and should be here by sunset,
We have a little party to meet him at
the ranch over toward Willow creek.
Now, you and your men and horses
need few hours rest. Suppose you
stay here with your detachment and
III take my men and see what we can
find up yonder in the hills, and Tan
ner pointed to the Socorro. Icons
captors may be waiting there for dark
ness before attempting to cross the
open country toward the Mogollon-
You can have four hours sleep and be
ready to ride on to Retribntion with
the general tonight.
So said, SO done Capt. Tanner
called up his men, saddled and rode
away, Thornton's horses were given a
good feed Of barley from the pack train.
and, with n small herd guard on duty.
the rest of the command sprawled any
where they could find shade and were
snoring In ten minutes time
The sun went down red in the west
ern sky The smoldering fires IN the
Sandy bottom begant, glow with the
deepening twilight. One after another
the troopers began to awaken, stretch
and yawn and ask if further news had
come, and just at nightfall one Of Tan
ner's sergeants brought in three jaded
civilians Ferguson and his friends
All night they had hunted Muncey
without. success. All day they had
hidden from Apaches, who at dawn,
said they, were thick as leaves in
Socorro, and Ferguson was loud in dis
gust at the escape Of two arch thieves
And not ten minutes after they came in
from the south, covered with dust and
drawn by six spanking mules, with n
dozen grimy troopers as escort. the
generals big black ambulance drove In
from the north.
First to emerge from the interior was
o snappy aid-de.camp, followed quickly
by the grave, quiet hammered chief
himself.
whats the truth about Muncey's
party9" asked the aid in Il gasp 81 lie
and a Mexican rcde b Us Ike mad
said they'd been eleRaclout completely
and were SO delnoralized they couldn't
stop"
"Only case of diamond cut dia-
mond,' answered Thornton, briefly
"They had been running of horses,
mules and boys f3r v'a.a know. and
the Apachcs caught Then red handed
These gentlemen sail he, inda Sing
Ferguson and his rarity. "waht them
for horse stealing, Kelly for murder
and mule stealing, and all of us, |
fancy, for boy stealing
Atall man in scouting dress was back
ing out of the ambulance at the mo-
ment, helping a bright blue-eyed lad to
alight, lie turned in quick anxiety as
the general asked: "What boy?"
Leon, sir. Little AlacDuif. II he
wasn't with Muncey I'm sorely afraid
the Apaches have got him"
Whereupon the blue-eyed boy burst
into tears. "0h, father he cried;
"have we come too late, after all?'