San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-08-29
EARLY TEXAS.
a CITIZEN TELLS OF SOME INDIAN
SOhIMMAGES.
Howard Springs Massacre kot.ld Correct
ly-An Insight Iuto Ine hangers
Encountered West Of san Antonio.

10 tie l isnt.
In the Express of August "a, 1897,
appeared an article headed "Gruesome
Relies Of Fort Concho," which needs
a few corrections.
The road from Concho TO Stockton
Davis and FL Paso was travelled by
the'Ficklin stage line, but very seldom
by a freight train, as there was dis
lance from the head of the Concho to
the Pecos river of about so miles with
out water. /, myself, in my 80 years
travel through that country made the
| trip with my train by Concho but
once, and the reason was that went
that road to load my train with buff
falo hides at Concho. All the Indian
attacks, mentioned in said article, hap
Ipened on the Fort Clark-Stockton road
and this road was under the protection
of the 9th Cavalry, while the Concho
road was protected by the 10th caval-
ry in those dangerous days.
One of the trains of Adams and
Wickes and Mr.. Guerguin's train lost
their mules at place called Santo
Nino, about II miles beyond the Beav-
|er lake on Devils river. Sometimes
after heavy rains we used to find
water at this place, but most of the
time of the year it was dry. 1t is sit
uated right at the foot of little hill,
and after the Indians had stampeded
and run off the mules, the transfers
fortified themselves ON top of this lit
tie hill and the ramparts made out of
large rocks, could be seen long after
wards and may be there yet.
Anastacio Gonzales train was burn
ed and every person killed at Howard
spring on the same road, and not the
Concho road. Gonzales was encamped
about one half mile beyond Howard
spring on a very ugly. place, surround
ed on two sides by high bluff and
one side by hill. When he was attack
ed there were some eight or ten SOL
diers in camp at Howard spring,
guarding some forage and provisions
for Gen. w. Merritt, who was travel
ing with two companies of the 9th
forts on the lower Rio Grande, where
he was ordered to take up his station.
This forage was sent ahead of Mer-
rit's command and the escort with it.
On the day that Gonzales was attack
| ed, Gen. Merritt arrived and saw TIE
wagons burning yet As soon as Mer-
rit had made his camp at Howard
spring, with the soldiers that he had
sent ahead to guard the forage, he or
dered one company under ST. Vincent
mot VintOn) to follow the Indians in
the mountains. 1t seems, however,
that the Indians got the best of him,
when he overlook them, as they drove
him back, wounded him and some of
his soldiers. Vincent died afterward
in camp at Howard spring, the sur,
geOn not being able to stop the bleed
ing of the wound. A Mexican woman
who was travelling with Gonzales and
who was taken prisoner by the In
dams when they burned the train, and
who escaped from the Indians while
they were fighting the soldiers, says
that the Indians did not lose man,
as she could observe from her hiding
place, while the fight was in progress
and that they drove the soldiers back,
when they charged the Indians. This
poor woman kept herself in hiding un-
til the red devils left and then came
at night to Gen. Merritt's camp. Vim
cents soldiers must have been pretty
well scared and must have beaten a
| hasty retreat, because about ten days
after this happened l encamped with
my train at Howard spring in the
AFTERNOON, myself and my corporal, An
dres Calderon, went to the mountain
where the soldiers overlook the In
dams, about three miles off from the
road, and we found on the side of that
mountain two of the soldiers six,
shooters, which they must have drop,
ped in the run, and a whole lot of
harness, which the Indians had stolen
from Gonzales train and left here,
when the soldiers overlook them. The
escort of soldiers who guarded Mer.
ritt's forage before the Generals ar
rival did not fire one shot in poor Con
zale's defense. Vincent was never
buried at Fort Concho, but was bur
led right at Towards spring and after
wards taken to San Antonio and his
remains shipped to his home.
This is the true story of the Howard
spring massacre and for confirmation
of same refer anybody to my old
friend Mr.. L. Sargent, now living al