Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-06-25
SAVED BY A BURRO'S FANCY.
A Miners Story Of Escape from
an Indian Massacre.

sintago Carried the Richest Pack In thu
Train, and When He Took short
Cut the Tainmaster and
Trailer Followed.
Mexican burIOs as rule are sociable
creatures, and will keep together in a
herd or pack train so closely that you
have hard work to separate one from
the rest" said Washington Himrod, a
mining man from Arizona. "Sintago,
the one am going to tell you about,
seemed no exception. lie was plain
everyday donkey with the regulation
ears, drab skin, and black mark Of the
cross between his shoulders. He had
behaved SO well before that itsurprised
us all when he gave us the slip one day,
and, what was worse, took his pack
load along with him. 1t looked like
misfortune when It happened, but It
proved good luck for me in the end.
Sntago was in the burro train which
packed ore from the Buena Cincha
mine, in the Burro mountains, down to
Cavallo station on the wagon trail.
! But none Of us knew then that his first
master had been gambrusno who had
driven him, packed with stolen ore, In
and out Of these mountains so many
times that Slntago knew all the trails
and short cuts us well as the Apaches
did.
AT the time | wns tlainmaster, In
charge Of all freighting for the Buena
Cincha, and had started from the mine
with a train Of 20 burros loaded with
ore in sacks. At Cavallo station four
wagons were waiting for me to arrive.
There was to complete their loads
with the ore | brought md 60 on with
the wagons to Silver City. This was in
the 70's. when the Apaches were very
troublesome, for the Chiricahua rene
eides, Inc remnant OF Cochlses paho'
were hiding in the Sierra Madre, down
across the Mexican oorder' ana tney
r"'oeo up 'h'o new MEXICO ana Ar'1oha
every lit'ie wh'le'
"for my train OF ~ ourros tnere
were 'nree Mexican packers. lrode my
4
morse IN advance 70 sec that tine way
was clear anead. ohe OF tne MeSicahs
came next heading the .raln' ana the
otler TWO Drought up the rear where
they could watch inc purros ana ihe'r
packs oln'ago was III inc mlooie u
the traln. ana ne carried TWO SACKS
hlled Win choice specimen orc 10 u
shown IN helping through mine deai
That was on NJ silver olty. Inc NINE
owners ana the representatives Oh "syn-
dica'e lnat pioposeu 10 ioa' our svocA
were 'herc walt'ng ior me-
IRON 'ne NINE 70 'he STATION was
long Gay UP IL was some time near
the midole OF lhe AFTERNOON wheh OH
lueo ieit inc train' though hop"y saw
am Co. lie inahaseu u'ie liu,'er very
neatly' IL was ~ q canyon az u place
where the trail made q sharp turn' 80
that AFTER passing IL oihtago was oue
OF sight from tne Mexlcans pen'hu TOT
y minute or two' ne turned snor' On
the tran, TOOK hVe or SIX steps lh'o tne
Dushes' ana soppeu pehinu u Dig TUCK
ne Durros oehinu hih' ioiiow'nB tne
sounW OF inc peii aheau, KEPT 10 bhe
trail ana had closed up the gap peiore
the TWO Mex'cans got round the Turn.
ihey did nov hot'cc uhat one was gone
ana ~ was not uh',' we gov near 'ne
station az nVe O'CLOCK tnat iouhd OUT
mat olntago' WIN the specimens was
missing.
AT the station the wagons were WIFI
ing VI course couid not go win theu
and leave those specimens pehlnd. ~
took but rev minutes 10 ioad on phe
ore sacks ana start the wagon on. linen
went back on the mountain trall' TAX
ing along with me Antonio Vailez' one
u the packers u reilaoie nun anu goou
trailer. mad found q bronco ior MN
At the station ana ode my own norse'
The bronco would serve as a pack morse
i necessary TO BRING the ore out OF inc
mountains We rode not 1901 ana, be-
fore darkness ieil' we ma iouno where
Inc purro had turned OH blie 'ra'' anu
waited oehlhd the rock' , we 'r ',, INA
course up the mountain a ''t.le dis'ance
md then came Dack 10 inc cahyon'
'ound grassy place where our HORSES
,ould reed ana plcke''hg 'ncn'' 'ay
Town to sleep until morning.
with The frst gleam OF gay we were
III uD the mountain size. none DuJ I'LL