The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-09
WILLIAMS DARING ESCAPE.
One of the Few White Men Who
Ever Got Away From the Fiendish
Annchea


He is altogether a most singular and in
'eresting character He is 81 years old.
he lives in log cabin perched at the base
OF Cave mountains. in the northwest por-
ton Of Arkansas. II is lonely spot
The mountains tower above the house
shutting out the light Of day.On one
side is forest Of pine so thick and dense
that it can scarcely be penetrated; on the
other side there is a wall of solid rock
nearly sixty feet high A bridal path
leads away from the main road on the
mountains down the to the rustic abode
Williams himself is as strange looking
as his history is wonderful In appear
ance he resembles an Indian. He is
straight and 1.-the. with the agility of a
cat and sprintng qualities of a hare.
His eyes are black, deep set in the head.
and seem to look through one His locks
are snowy white and fall down about
his shoulders. Aside from the pension
which he draws for services as federal
soldier. he has no means Of sustenance
except such as his rifle and hunting knife
AFFORD. He lives alone but his cabin is
the stopping place from time to time OF
these
mountain Businesses. ma under the hum
bic roof of this mountain hermit shelter
and food and welcome.
Williams was born on farm near
Springfield, III. When the war broke out
he entered the federal army with his two
brothers, Thomas and Jonathan. The trio
served until the close of hostilties, and in
1910 diifted westward. They followed min
ing and quickly became experts in that
line, and were known in all the mining
camps from Colorado to Nevada. In the
spring OF 1872, while camped in the Sweet
water country of Wyoming, two miners
came TO their camp. bringing a quantity OF
gold dust and rela ting a wonderful story
Eight or ten months before they hau
secretly penetrated into the interior OF
Arizona and had discovered a gold mine
on the Colorado river, near the mouth OF
a canon, where they had remained for
months taking out the dust The country
swarmed with Apache Indians There was
not single white settlement within 200
miles of the mines. The two miners
worked much of the time at night To
reach the mines they had walked hun
dreds of miles, carrying supplies on their
backs. Although the supply Of gold was
still plentiful, the dread of the Indians
caused them TO abandon the mines. travel
speedily and secretly across country, and
put themselves again in touch with civili-
cation. They had been virtual prisoners
for nearly eight months.
In April, 1872, the Williamses started for
the abandoned mines. They travelled over
land hundreds of miles through an $50
lated country. 1t was a terrible journey.
but the brothers made II In safety and
actually succeeded in finding the mines
The diggings were located along the mouth
OF magnificent canon, which opened into
Colorado river, and at a spot where the
NEFaNr Tan 4 -
roundings seem strange and weirdlike
Less than three weeks after their arrival
the three brothers were surprised one
morning at daybreak by the Apaches aui
taken prisoners. Tom and Jonathan wore
both fatally wounded. That day TomaWsls
burned at he stake al a point sixty miles
north of the scene of the capture His
unfortunate brothers were witnesses of
his execution. 1t was this and subse.
quent events that turned Archibald WI
liams' hair from black to white inside Of
forty-eight hours. Jonathan was burn cd
on the following evening at the Indian viii
lage, still further north, amid scenes of
shocking cruelty. That night Archibald
made his escape. The squaW who had heaD
placed to guard him while the popuia-
ton of the village assisted at the living
cremation of his brother stole away TO
take part in the jollihcation, and in her
absence he succeeded in freeing himsaif
from the thongs which bound him. he
crawled for mile, then ran like a NAL
man across the sterile plains. not know
ing where he was going. He had a long
slariat about his waist and a knife whieo
he had picked up when he crept out of
the tent in which he had been put by the
Indians The poor fellow was nearly crazy
The awful scenes he had witnessed had
Well-nigh dethroned his reason He de-
termined to kill himself rather than Fall
int ftA hGW
time.
When daylight broke he found himself
on the top of a cliff fifty feet high. with
the river beneath and with the Wells
of the pursuing Apaches coming nearer
and nearer. Frantic with despera ton. ne
performed feat seldom, if ever. euualled
i'm the record of daring adventures Ha
fastened the rope or lariat to a tree at
the top of the precipice, let himself down
to a projecting rock twenty feet below
and, drawing the rope down again. doub-
led ii around the bowlder and swung him
self off, loosening his hold when he got
to the end and falling some ten or fr-
teen feet. 1t was the deed of a maniac
yet he escaped unhrrt.
Once on the river edge he looked about
him like beast at bay, and, discovering
several trees which had been cut down
by beavers, he dashed them together with
part of his rope, forming a rude raft He
had decided to attempt an escape in this
way. In any event death in the Colora 4 o
river was preferable to falling into the
hands of the Indians.
When his craft was ready he dashed
himself to IT with the remainder of the
rope, and. without a moments hesita-
ton, pushed out into the river He was
just drifting into the current when the
Indians appeared on the cliff above.
They yelled like fiends when they saw
their prey escaping, and sent after the
half-crazed fugitive a volley of arrows
and bullets. none of which, however did
him injury.
Williams shot down the river with
frightful speed. He was carried over the
rapids. making a fall of sixteen or twen-
ty feet and borne along on the current,
mile after mile. senseless and bleeding.
He was picked up some 100 miles below
the spot where he began his awful voy-
age by a squad of federal soldiers from
Prescott and carried TO that place, where
he lay in the hospital for more than a
year. For long time ii was thought he
would lose his reason, II not life, but he
recovered and afterward became a noted
scout for the federal army on the frontier
He never spared the life of an Apache,
shooting every member of the tribe that
came within range of his rifle. He soon
a fbaan