The Delta independent., 1898-12-16
ClIAFFEa Z.

co telegraph wire thcn to counCc: II
with the distant headquarters ot she
department Ii there had been. II would
have been cot six tiuae7 week There
was no way Of waving back the coming
convoy or Of signaling danger. Crockett
Springs lay a long days ride to ths
southeast, aud tho little tCIaP q cav
airy there in camp was booking for the
coming O: no call upon it tor duty un
I'll early ON the morrow il SHOULD sep.
ply the paymaster and his p"rsy WIKI
breakfast, the ambulance with trgsL
mules aud driver, and the night riders
OF the escort with their r,!icf. Forty
troopers from Crockett Springs would
take the place Of those who had come
from the san Saba and trct along with
the plymaster until somUw hero about
midway TO Worth they shoalj meet
the 40 sent out the previous night to
bivouao or tho prairie nnd to ready to
take up the gait and keep /. uutl tie
man Of money and his safe were well
within the limits OF the reservation.
But the % mile stage from Crockett
20 the southeast was the worst on the
long line The road wound over the di-
FAAs ~ i4t sttfFN VI th' l-stl- t2sibi ttAAi
on the way had % twist and tuTu
through dehles Of tho range Of hills
where more than dozen riAcs Indiana
aud outlaws bad deiiod yt,e little dctF,ch-
Iuents OF cavalry SCOUTING after them.
Tho worst part Of tho pass lay some 20
miles beyond the stage station At Crock
ett SuringA Neither Indians nor out
laws. to be sure had beon heard Of i.
that neigbbOrdpod for SuyeEol nloutis.
bul that proved nothing, l. was easy
for tine latter 20 swecp from their sup
posed businesses in the Apache range 10
the west and, issuing from the Wild
Rose pass, to water miles below the
springs and then limo the rocks in the
heart Of the San Satin pass without q
trooper being the wiser, rcrty cavalry
men. as Lawrence knew, would be TIE
majors escort from the camp on the
Rio San Saba beyond the range. Forty
men disciplined and organized ought
ordinarily to be able to cope with any
band Of outlaws TO be found in Texas
Bot when, as was now reasonably Ger
tain, this far famed Friday gang had
received accessiops from the troops
then selves and had welcomed the de-
slougbed Of from the soldier skin of
Uncle Sam in the days close following
the great war, there was grave reason
70. precaution and grayer sill fuE anx
isty. Question as no might fra2ie.
could not shake an atJn; of the original
statement Il Fuller's men. Fifty
mounted outlaws o, least count with
s dozen led horses, they had seen
through their feidgsnss far over the
prairie. pushing s3uth-astvar,i from
the direction OF Wild Rose pass Of Ito
Apaohs ranra. straight for the lower
valley through which ran the littlo
stream that lad It's source at Crock.tF
sprIroz
So thara -ers anxinus henrts az
Vartb. f,r white i, vus feis tfat
Rrooks vyrrid I7ss no r,o,-,Fr.t. and tg,q
well on his way ., O'Clock If shis
h-izht Sandy morning he had fuIl
some so u4llo. 70 t.avsr.r bcfor. he
eould se. e., trocEttt r.st aud bai- ..tz
men and horr.s nick NJ, C.,tn,.r's trcon
sha-e carnr ana tlar f.,sh 4.t.,sd fer
ehs San Ss,rs e.ht.r.. i,, IS -p...te.i 70, fit,t
che st1.lays gang if..--,s,.4 +, s-,,i,as.-.,.ie
oaaadaftiy- su,it,,,r the -.as5,,r, ~
THAR .rey
Nov gr,nza hai tu,a enough 2,
thrs4h sherr s,rudly. has nui,,ss b.
caught ti.sr,i in tA. scs cf A,oi5ttig,j hs,
iaoLed s,,bo-t.. Inst a. sur, a. ne
r,.tchsd INTO a f6r,,. II armed fraptfers.
Tuau thsv v.spl- app.-sl Ia tto sc.r.s
md ruhli- s.fitir,srt would D., sala
,zsin-s bifn. us oov,4 eeYt.Ll.ss aa.h
shssd shrough tr, raUye -srriess q
iursirr sc,pr, o. tan ,rs,,ll >. robbers.
r,--s Hasor Psuu.,- ig.a n,l bir urotc-s
orr and ..s1rs them t,rI tr affsfs
1aat rrosl.rr. s-.s.r,ol y... zrnst Gitii
cnlrr but what Fr...sr wanted aga