El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-15
Price Cooper Often Heard the
Frenzied Apache's
War Whoop.
AN OLD CITIZEN
He Came To This Section In
the Forties and Had
Many Thrilling
Adventures.

The death of Price Cooper at fsieta
last Sunday recalls to the memory of
our Oldest citizens some of the excIt-
ing times and frontier conditions that
existed in this section when he and
a few others first came here.
AS stated in The Herald Monday Mr.
Cooper died at the age of SO and most
of those many years were spent in the
west. the greater part in or near Ell
Paso. He came to this country about
1S45 with General Sterling Price. who
commanded the American forces that
captured Juarez, then Paso del Norte.
during the Mexican war. He was
teamster with Prices army and re-
mained with it until after the war
| closed.
| While camped in Ell Paso he became
attached to a Mexican girl and liking
the country remained here when the
army started back east. AT this time
there were very few Americans in this
section; probably not more than half
dozen, none of whom are now liv-
ing Judge Crosby, J. E Terry, Park
er Burnham and Isaac Weston. now
living here all knew him in the ffties.
but came after Mr.. Cooper had settled
at Ysleta and had reared a family.
| Price Cooper was one of the best
men | ever knew" said ]. f. Terry
last night land l suppose he died with
out an enemy. He was an unasSum-
| ing man. always at work at some legi-
innate business and attending to his
own business. He was not adventur-
Gus but has had his troubles with the
Indians Many times after settling
here he was captured by them and Of
ten barely escaped with his life.
Mr. Terry says Mr.. Cooper was en-
ployed by the Overland Stage company
for many years and he used to work
under his directions. Mr.. Cooper was
road agent for the company and WOULD
have to go up and down the lines to
look after the stock and equipments.
Indians were thick and hostile then.
but Cooper never faltered. He was al
ways ready to go and would strike out
over the mountains when he knew that
the Indians were looking for him. He
was an old associate of Tom Rife who
was keeper of the Alamo at San An
tonic long before it's fall in 1896.
The particulars concerning his ex-
perienceS with the hostile Indians are
hard to obtain since nothing has ever
been written of him. He was usually
on friendly terms with the different
tribes but when one tribe would have
differences with another one would
take vengeane on him for his friendly
attitude toward .he other
Papoose Saved Him.
One of the most exciting stories i'm
aginable is told of Mr. Cooper story
that possibly has no paralel in Ameri-
can history.
In 1S4S Mr.. Cooper was captured by
a band of Indians twenty miles north
of FL Paso. They had repeatedly
threatened his life for assisting an
other band or tribe with which they
had been unfriendIy for some time
When once they had him they deter
mined to end his career and the chief
sentenced him to death in that most
horrible of all ways. roasting on the
altar. An altar of stone was construct
ed and fire placed under il which burn
ed for several days. His position. as
he sat tied to a ner-by tree Watching
,le stones burn to Il white heat where
ms body would soon be laid. can be
imagined better than told. When
white with neat the fire was taken
from the altar and the pale face
brought forward amid the savage wells
of the red brutes. 1t looked as if
Coopers time had come but he never
lost his wits, which saved him at the
last. He was stripped o. all clothing
and led to the furnace. An Indian
woman stood by with her papoose in
her arms to see the operation Cooper
Continued on Fourth Page