Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-03-13
A HUNT FoR= CoMANCHEs.
The Jumping os r!,air Camp by Soldiers
NO: a LNng Clnse.

A HUNT FOR= COMANCHE0'
The Jumping of T!iair Camp by Soldiers
.lrtc- Long Chase.
cit was II little pirty, these renegade
Comanclics f:om the rcscrvation-they
numbered only five bucks and three
sauaws-but theye;id:; heap Of doviltry
before they were brought to book, said
the regular army otliccr telling Of CAM
paigns III Texas. Two wagon outfits
they had destroyed and left no one alive
TO tell the t;lic-only the bodies OF mon
and children and outraged women.
Ranch after ranch they had jumped,
killing everybody they found at thon
anG burning the buildings. There Were
sfllcr murders of cowboys, shepherds and
traveiorswl,ich did not come to light SC
soon. and which 10 doubt they commit.
.el. 1t was lot easy 10 believe that SC
sualla band could do somuch mischief,
and it was generally Thought that there
was Il large party of Indians ON the
warpath. When the troops and the
rangers turned out TO hunt them down
and could find oDly the trail of few
Indians. it WAS still taken for granted
that the party had separated into sew
eral small bands for the purpose of COW
ering more country and making pursuit
more difficult.
.'There were two separate detachments
of cavalry sent out against them, halt
COMPANY each. The Indians gave the
troops long chase, doubling and turn-
ing and making night and day marches
10 throw us off their trail. They were SO
few III number and travelled so light
that tlicv were hard to follow. and al
the time we were chasing them reports
of their dcpredations were coming Ill &c
us from every quarter. 1t began 10 look
rs if they would round out their career
of rapine by getting safe back ON tho
reservation IN spite of us, when the de-
tachnantI commanded struck their trall
hot. By marching Ill might've came UP
with them 1T the breaking Of morning
While they We're still asleep i'll camp.
They were lying on the ground in the
open ar. with the plundcr they had
taken heaped up around them. A little
distance Away the horses they had
stolen. about 20 in number, were pick
eted out to feed, and one horse WIS tied
close to the camp
Il knew, of course. that the Indians
must be jumped very suddenly and short
work made Of them, else they would get
TO their horses and scatter, i'll which
case they would give us another lons
chase. with almost the certainty that
some OF them would set away At Il
quarter of y mile from the camp dis
mounted half my command, and, order
ING that the men With the horses should
come up at the first firing, crcpt with
the others upon the indians and took up
g position between them and their
horses. The surprise was complete. At
the click OF our carbinc locks III Indian
lifted his head and sprang up with Il
veil. He fell, shot through and through,
and we got most of the others before
they could grab their guns. We made
10 prisoners, aud it was only after The
business was over that we discovered
thar three of the Indians were squaws
There is so little difference i'll dress and
general appearance between tie sexes
among Indians that III battle the squaws
cannot lie distinguished from the bucks
except by the greater ferocity they dis
play.
AN bur TWO of the band fell on tho
spot where they had slept. These two
were bucks wholeaped upon the back OF
the horse tethered 1T the camp and
started him out on the prairie. There
was no saddle or bride on the horse,
and the way yhey swung their arms and
lees aud coutorted their bodies in the
effort 70 make him go faster WAS one OF
the most ridiculous sights imaginable.
I told one CT my troopers to go after the
two Indians. He gallopea down upon
them, and when at tie right distance
away dropped them both to the prairie
with one shot from his revolver. He
kept or until he caught the horse, and
then. as he rode back. halted by the two
NOlllCl-C>, KY Z tttS-l " t-4Siii - 1-AOe ~
make sure that be would remain good
Indian and then rode back to the com
mand
"There were all sorts of plumber in
the Comanches' camp trophies of their
depredat;ons. But the sight that made
my men wild with rage WIS the fresh
scalps thatwe found-scalps Of men and
women and children. After seeing these
think tho soldiers would have liked to
kill the Indians over again. But they
were already dead--we had made quick
and clean work-and there was nothing
further to be done but return to quar-
tiers, bringing the rccaptured horses and
the report: Engaged the Indians at
daybreak and killed eight, fighting. No
prisoners taken. New York Sun.