Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-08-30


her suffering terribly and in dire need,
as did all who heard her, perhaps, but
Kelly's. girls and her own Mexican
maid of all work-and so, just as he
thought Randy would have done had
he been there, he determined to go
and went withouta word to Crane, who
might have stopped him, as, indeed.
Mrs. Downey was shrewd enough to
declare he would if he happened to hear
of it.
And now Crane and his party were
well away into the Socorro in pursuit.
and Kelly, returning wrathful to his
home, was anticipated in his search for
Leon by the coming Of Turner's troop,
followed within moment or two by
Charlton's dramatic announcement of
the discovery of the slaughtered pony.
Half an hour later while the old SER
geant was bending over and examining
the stiffened carcass of his pet broncho,
Turner's best scouts, afoot, were scour-
ing every square yard of those jagged,
bowlder strewn tanks of the butte in
search Of Icons trail or that of his In
dian foes. Others were examining the
signs in the timber and along the Sandy,
and the more they found the more they
were mystifed. Apaches, as a rule, in
those days were foot warriors. The
Tontos, Sierra Blancas, Hualpais,
Apache Mohaves and Apache Yumas
had small use for horse or mule, yet
there were more hoof than moccasin
prints in the timber and around Kelly's
l.
and horses were shod. That meant
that they had run off good deal of
stock and were riding instead of walk
ing, said Turner's men, but Kelly,
growing graver and less disposed to
talk with everya moment, continued
searching on his own account, and
neglecting many chance to snub
some callow young trooper hazarding
theories as to the numbers and move
ments Of the Indians.
Maj. Thornton contenting himself
with sending a platoon on the trail of
Cranes party, had ridden up to Kellys
ranch to pencil some instructions for
Raymond. 1t was now seven o'clock,
and neither he nor his men had seen
single Indian; neither had he news of.
Foster, nor tidings of any kind, yet
with the events of the night still fresh
in his mind, with the death of Ruckel
and, Rafferty, and Kelly's Mexican as
sfstant and the loss Of Leon to mourn,
the major felt convinced the Indians
had swooped in force upon the valley,
and would have killed, burned and de-
stroyed everything in sight but for his
prompt answer to the signal which his
forethought had caused to be provided
at the top of the butte. The Apaches
had desisted from their attempt only at
his approach, and had fed into the
suing. Such, at least, was his theory.
This, too, was to be the tenor of his re-
port to department headquarters, to be
sent forward by detachment that
day Already he was framing his die
ton, and after a few penciled words to
Raymond, bidding him hold the fort,
as he wasn't coming-for the present,
at least, the major had borrowed big
sheet of the ordnance sergeant's official
paper, and began:
''KELLY's RANCH, South of Apache
Canyon, June 2, 1877. Assistant Ad-
jutant General, Headquarters Depart
ment of Arizona:
''Sir-1 have the honor to report that
on receipt of your dispatch notifying
me of the Apache outbreak, and direct
ing me to guard well my working par
ties at old Fort Retribution and the
road connecting 1t with the new post,
I detached Lieut.. Crane with twenty
of Capt. Raymond's troop, and sent him
to camp temporarily at the abandoned
corral, and also took steps to notify the
settlers north and south of the post Of
the new danger. Deeming it possible
that the Indians might attempt to pass
around us and raid the ranches, had
caused beacon to be built on the sum-
nit of Signal Butte, and instructed
Lieut.. Crane to fire it if he learned the
Apaches were ir the valley.
Last evening my sentr1es reported
firing on the Prescott road, north Of
the new post, and Capt Foster, with
his troop, was sent to investigate. He
reported by courier that he had come
upon two MeXicans, who claimed that
the Apaches had attacked them and
run off their mules, they themselves
escaping by hiding in a dark ravine.
They also reported large party Of
prospectors, etc, at Ration Springs, and
represented them as being in peril Of
similar attack, SO Foster pushed on at
once to their succor, expecting to reach
them at midnight. At two-thirty a. m.
Trooper Ruckel, a sentry on post No. S
in the low ground to the north of the
post, was found dead, pierced by sew
eral Apache arrows, and Capt. Ray
mond with his men made a search
through the chapparal as far as the
foothills without discovering anything
of the enemy. A few minutes later a
horse recognized AS Private Rafferty's,
of c troop, came riderless and wounded
into the post. and l had just dispatched
Capt. Turner with his troop at day
break to scout the country along the
Prescott road, when the flaming signal
at the butte told that the Indians had
worked around to the valley to the west