Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-03

colony of San Bernnrdlno, where we
found sam Henderson, the sole survivor
az the detachment, who thus related
Ills RcmnriSnbic Experiences.
"The Indians left me for dead. and
when my thoughts came TO me | felt |
that | was in deluge of blood I
merely had strength enough TO drink |
some water from my canteen, and then
/ partly raised myself 70 examine me
surroundings and see II l could dis |
cover anything Of my comrades. for |
now the bloody fight required to me !
like half-forgotten dream, yet my !
wounds convinced me OF its reality. |
FIFTY yards from where ] totteringly
stood I saw the sickenlng. horrible
spertacle of my comrades, stark, mutt
lated and scalped. The savases were
then dividing the valuables taken from
The bodies of the murdered men. l
must have gazed upon this bloody
scene for fully five minutes before
realized my perllous position. ] turned
to move away and at the first step fell
to the ground powerless, almost help
less.
Il took another refreshing drink of
water and crawled through the woods
about 100 yards, when | stopped to rest
and concluded to make further obserNa-
lions. | raised myself upright by cling
ing to a bush and looked back into the
bloody camp, where lay nay dead com
~,
direction, and, to my almost unspealS-
able 10Y, there was my mule not thirty
wards distant saddled and brldled, jus,
As he was when we were attacked. My
first thought was-could ! go that far
| and my next was that my bloody ana
| frightful-looking condition might scare
/ the animal But no time was TO be
| lost. and 50 / called the mule by name
In a voice Just loud enough to be heard
that distance. To my utter surprise
| ana 10y. the animal, wl.n low bray OF
seeming delight, came directly up ana
| stood beside me. 4 was not sAnng
cnou,- to mount, After another
canteen, | succeeded in mounting, and
| the faithful and Intelligent animal,
| without any urging or guidance, moved
hastily
over the ChnpnrrnI Plain.
"In a short while my little light
| footed animal brought me to beauti-
full cienaga (oasis), fringed with will
lows. / dismounted, drank of the cool
ing water In the pretty little brook,
and then slept for about two hours. |
awoke and found the faithful little ami
| NAL grazing on the luNuriant grass
that abounded IN profusion. II vas
| now nearly sunset and began TO
think what ! should do. | stripped the
saddle aud bride from the mule ana
then tied her with a picket rope which
had been cOiled on the back OF the
saddle, and left her TO Craze at VIII
while ,eXaminP and washed my
wounds. My face and nose We're
slashed horizontally across, as you
will see, which evidently was done by Il
lance thrust and / think there We're
some Mexicans in that Indian camp
There are three lance thrusts in my
body. and l fear one has pierced my
lungs.
Fortunately had a change Of cloth
ing rolled up in my blankets behind
my saddle, and / removed my bloody
clothes and bandaged my wounds.
When morning came | felt the gnaw-
ings Of hunger and went to preparing
breakfast. had no arms only knife.
l only recollect shooting Off my rifle,
and know not what became of my re-
volvers. with a flint, which | always
carried, | made a fire, and with my
knife dug some tute roots, roasted and
ate them. l then took some prickly
pears burned the thorns off, carefully
scraped them, split them in half and
bound them to my wounds l devoted
the entire day to roasting tute roots
and after breakfast next morning
filled my cnnteen with water and start
ed over the plains, as | thought. in tho
direction of Los Angeles. Before IN,
lay long stretch Of sandy plain
rocky and as
Barre ns the Desert Itself.
II Travelled in the burning heat al
day, and at night camped In the miis
of some rocks and shrubs-the nearest
approach to an oasis that / had seer
since morning. BY daylight next morn
ing / started while 1t was cool; my
provisions (Of tute roots Were ex
hausted, and my cantern nearly empty
In few hours | shall have crossed tn,
plain, | thought, and reached the greer
woods on the other side. But nigh
came and | was far out into the desert
The green woods that I took to be tn
other side of the plain was a mirage
How strange that such scene shpul'
be reflected upon a desert, devoid o
either vegetation or water. | passet
the night in a half-delirous state. an,
my condition seemed hopeless.
without food or water | s.lrtel
next morning; becoming crazed 70
thirst l saw that my only hope was I
sacrifice my faithful friend--the mul
that had saved my life ! alighted
The little animal, as If divining my in
4 tention, turned and looked at me wit
It's great eyes, as II in sympathy an
In reproach. | turned my head, feelin
guilty OF ingratitude, even though
were to an animal | seized my knit,
but had not strength to use 1t. FINAL
] nerved myself to despere tion-.it wa
a case Of life or death with MEAN
@. by strong effort drove the knife int
- its neck vein. / placed my lips to III
AT gushing stream and satisfied bot
u thirst and hunger. The poor little an
w NAL again turned Its head and locke
Gu at me with wistful, half-cosed eye
or meelly bowed its head sank to II
IN knees and died. filled my cantee
with its blood. and, after severi
.os draughts, was enabled to continI
Id walking, and ! wandered around unit
or some sheep herders found me an
en-, brought me here"
es, The captain sent his brother to Sa
Id Francisco, where he could receive Il
icy best medical aid.
Id About one month after this / M
nd the captain In Los Angeles. our Wig
US lantes having been disbanded. and n,
lily turally asked him about his brother.
ost The captains face was pale, and
md sorrow too deep for tears overspree
nal "
'ict
the