The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-01-09

How Texas scout Convinced a
skepticai Colonel About
Indians.

"You, gentlemen, who have served IN
southwestern Texas" began jolly
West Point captain, while sitting be-
fore the campfire with the volunteers
recently, "have seen the Seminole
negro-Indian scouts. In the early SOS,
when | 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
a pretty wild stretch of country. Civ
ilization stopped at San Antonio, and
the duty of these negro-1ndians was to
keep that border free from smugglers,
marauding 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 HI to pay.
The men had had a good many
sharp brushes with the redskins and
when they were warmed up with liquor
they liked to tell of these affairs. The
commander at Fort Clark was little
skeptcal about these Indian stories.
and one day he said to me in joking
way: 4 don't 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 one Mexican in the COM
mand Julian Longonio by name, and he
was one OF the best trailers the south
west ever saw. Longonio heard the col
onel's remark and his beadlike eyes
snapped as he turned away. For my
self, | 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 Newton, where the
Las Moras empties into the Rio Grande,
Longonio rode up and asked permission
/ to cross the river. Fancying that he
wanted to visit some friends and know
ing that there was no immediate need
of his services. readily gave my con-
sent. The greaser swan his pony across
the river and disappeared in the chap
arral.
'The next I saw of him was two days
after. when I rode into Fort Clark for
nv 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-
mept 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 CON-
motion the colonel came out, and be-
fore he could say anything Julian cut
the rope that bound the Indian to his
saddle, threw the corpse on the porch
at the colonel's feet. and in that soft.
drawing voice so peculiar TO the Mexi-
car. said:
Cincuenta pesos. senor ell colonel
"Well, gentlemen. the colonel was so
| thunderstruck at first that he was
speechle.s. but. recovering himself pres
emily. he gave Longonio such cussing
! out as | never heard before nor since
The Mexican sat like a sphinx on his
horse. pretending not to understand
English. and when the colonel was
| through he simply pointed 10 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. Longonio pocketed the
money and rode away with a broad
| grin on his face to rejoin the scouts. 1t
seems he had lassoed the Indian first
and started to bring him in alive. but
after dragging him mile over the cac-
tus plain poor Los spirit fled and an
other bad Indian was made a good one
via the Paradise Valley route. ."-San
| Francisco Call.