El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-17


the United States soldiers aud COW
BOYS, came down into Mexico to rest
For at that time the United States ha
no agreement with Mexico ALLOWING
troops to cross the boundary betwee
the two republics in pursuit of host 4
Indians. Thus all the blood-thirst
thieving A paches had to do when tn
United States soldiers got after then
was to cross into Mexico; aud when th'
Mexicsns got after them they woul'
go back into Texas, New Mexico o.
Arizona. This was most uufortunat'
state of affairs, for many of the bes
aud brSvest men of each country los
their lives before an agreement wa
reached allowing the troops OF eacf
country to cross the boU ndary at will
This agreement finally resulted II
the destruction Of Victories band by
Col. Joaquin Terrasas at Tres Cas-
tiIlos. 10 southeastern Chihus hua. and
in the capture of Geronimo afterwards
ia Arizona by the United States
troops.
Victorio knew every foot OF the
country and W here to ind wood, water
grass aud abundance of game. So be
took his time and came from New
Mexico down ;nto chihuahua, stopping
first at the Santa Maria, a good sized
stream furnishing plenty of water and
L
south of it, near Santa Maria lake,
where be could take refuge in case OF
an attack from the MeXicans. OF this,
however, there was not much danger
at that time, the country being thinly
settled, aud farming and stock ranch
ing being confined to th e neigh Dor hood
of the small towns.
Gradually VIctorio moved down to the
Csndelaria mountains, to get new range
and to be nearer to the settlement of
San Jose owed by Don Mariana Sama-
niego, and also to watch the public
road between the city of chihuahua
Jnarez.
One of the sad dest and myst heart
rending TRACED les resulted from this
move. VictoriO was at the large tan K
on the north side of the Candelaria
mountains, where he had fine range
for his stock, plenty of wood aud game,
and could see every movement made by
travellers or bodies of men. He could
see from these almost Inaccessible
rectiOn every thing being in
plain view. Reports coming in
of Indian sign having been seen south
OF the Candelarias, company of the
prtocipal MeXicsus OF CarriZal, 10 In
number, under the command of Don
Jose Rodriguez. left to locate the In
dians. The following is the list Of
brave men who took their lines in their
hands and went on a perilous expedi-
torrance of duty: Jose Rodriguez,
commander; Antonio HERNIA 1dez, Mau-
ricio Soils, Inez Ortega, Bias Villa
nueva, Florencio Villanuevs, RosaliO
Jaramilla, Jose M. Hernandez, Guada-
lupe Grijalba. Eulalio Villanuevs,
Hermenejfldo Ruiz. Santos Contreras,
Serapio Irujillo, Braulio Perea, and
Cayetano Garcia.
The little band of brave men wentto
the north side of Candelaria mountain
and struck the trail of Victories band,
on an old beaten route used by the In
dians passing from the Santa Maria
river to the big tank on the northern
slope of the Caudelsria. The trail led
up q canyon in large hill north of
Caudelaria noun tain, and passed be-
tween two rocky peaks, and then down
the side of thu hills to the plain be-
tween this hill, or rather series of
hills, and the Candelaria, making for
the big tank. Old Victorio. who was a
natural soldier, knew thai the Mexi-
cans would never come up on the Can
delaria after seeing the size of his trail.
From his position on the tall peaks
he had seen the little body of Next
cans long before they struck his trail,
and had sent forty or fifty of his war
riors dowp'to form an am buscade where
the trail crossed the cresta between the
two peaks. He must have been with
the men himself, for the thing was
most skilllfnlly planned and executed.
On the north side of the trail there
were ouly few boulders, but on the
south side it was rough, rising in
rough tiers of boulders. The Apaches
hid in these rocks, and when the Next
cans got between them, those 90 the
north fired voiley, and naturally the
Mexicans made for the cover of the
their horses, and these were shot and
killed. Those that we're turned loose
Il ust have stampsded.
The Indians on the south side we're
in. the cliffs above the devoted little
band and opened fire On them. 1t was
q real death trap, with no hope OF
escape or rescue. L saw where one
Mexican had got into a crevice, and
from his position could have shot any
He was hidden also from the Indians
in the cliffs above rim, hut his legs
we're exposed to the ire of the warriors
on the north side. and they had liter
ally shot them off up to the knees.
The horses, only a few that had been
tied, in their struggles after being
shot had rolled down the deep canyon
On the east, breaking their lariats and
not stopping until they had reached
the bottom of what we named Canada
del Muerte, canyon of death). This
massacre occurred on the It'll of Nov
ember.
When the company did not return,
there was great sorrow and alarm in
Carrfzal, for it was supposed that only
q small band of Apaches, bent on horse
stealing, was in the Candelsrias.- So
another company of IA men volunteer
ed to go and see what had become of
heir friends and kindred.
Don Jose Mario Rodriguez was ep- |
tod xadax. md TIA l. tia /