The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-11

SeHlleinen, who have served
III southwestern Texas" began a.
Jolly West Point captain. while
sitting before the campfire with
the volunteers recently, have
seen the Seminole negro-Indian scouts
In the early eighties, when I was a
lieutenant, my regiment was stationed
at OLD Fort Clark, and was assigned to
command these same scouts.
southwestern Texas at that time
was pretty wild stretch of country.
ClVll1zatlon stopped at San Antoine. and
the duty OF these negro Indians was to
Keep that border free from smugglers.
maraud1ng parties and hostile Indians.
once every four months they came to
clark for their money, and then, you
will pardon the expression, gentlemen,
there was hell to pay.
The men ma had a god many sharp
brushes with the redskins and when
they were warmed up with liquor they
liked to tell of these affairs. The COM
mander at Fort Clark was a little skep-
tlcal about these Indian stories and one
Gay ne said to me in a joking way: I
oont believe there is an Indian in West
Texas, and I'll give $50 to any man in
your command who will bring in dead
redskin.' =
There was on Mexican in the COM
mand, Julian Longonio by name. and
ne was one of the best trailers the
southwest ever saw. Longonio heard
the colonel's remark and his beadlike
eyes snapped as he turned away. For
myself thought no more of it until it
was forcibly recalled to my mind some
time later
The next day we left Fort Clark for
a scouting trip. At Newtown, where
the Las Moras empties into the Rio
Grande, Longonio rode. up and asked
permission to cross the river. Fancy
ing that he wanted to visit some
friends, and knowing that there was no
immediate need of his services, read
lily gave my consent. The greaser swan
his pony across the river and disap-
peared in the chapparal
The next l saw of him was two days
later, when / rode into Fort Clark for
my mail In the afternoon Longonio
rode down to the officers line and
stopped in front of the adjutant's office.
Several officers were standing around
and gazed in open-mouthed astonish-
ment at sight of the Mexican with a
dead Indian behind him. He refused to
answer any of their queries and asked
for 'El Colonel Hearing the commo-
ton, the colonel came out. and before
he could say anything Julian cut the
rope that bound the Indian to his sad
die, threw the corpse on the porch at
the colonePs feet, and in that soft.
drawing voice so peculiar to the Mex
leans. said:
'Cincuenta pesos, senior ell colonel
We'll, gentlemen, the colonel was so
thunderstruck at first that he was
speeches., but recovering Limself pres
emily he gave Longorio such cussing
out as 1 never heard before or since.
The Mexican sat like a sphinx on his
horse, pretending not to understand
English, and when the colonel was
through he simply pointed to the dead
Indian and again said:
Cincuenta pesos, senior ell colonel
He got his 'cincuenta pesos finally,
but the colonel intimated that if he
ever caught him around there again
he'd have him shot. Longorio pocketed
the money and rode away with broad
grin on his face, to rejoin the scouts.
1t seems he had lassoed the Indian
first and started 10 bring him in alive,
but after dragging him a mile over the
cactus plain, poor Los spirit fed and
another bad Indian was made good
one via the Paradise Valley route"