The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-06-25
Trailed by
~ Indians.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
A STORY OF THE EARLY
DAYS IN NEVADA.

ened outbreak among the redskins the
GOODNESS with which they talk of such
and the sneaking sympathy they've got
with the devils. I'd just like to take such
and give them just a months residence
on the plains when the Indians are hold
ing councils and breathing out fire and
murder and worse. l tell you, I'd hear
mighty little talk of sympathy then and
see precious little GOODNESS. But it takes
us, who have gone through such, to know
the horrors of an Indian war, the terrors
threatening not men alone, but women
and children-aye, the very baby in the
cradle. l don't believe in peoples hair
turning white with trouble and anxiety,
for mine would be as white as cotton if
such would do it. Especially once did 1
have a fearful experience with redskins
Want to hear about it?
''Well, it was in 1913, and I'd been out
trading among the Flatheads and the
Nez Perces for nearly two years off and
on, when one day l caught on to scheme
the Flatheads had got up to raid little
settlement near to where Canton, New,
now stands. There were three families
living there, and the plan was to wait I'M
til the men went to Carson City for pro
visions, when the women and children
were to be killed and the cattle run off
by one party, while another waylaid the
men on the way back and murdered them.
l was up about Winnemucca when l got
hold of this, and l set off for Canton as
hard as could go, but the men were gone
by the time l reached the settlement.
- Iol 7 ba1
reason to fear the Indians were only a
few hours behind me, and we had to
move quickly. Our only chance was to
hide out in the mountains till they left
the neighborhood or to work our way as
best we could by night to Carson City.
at was useless to think of saving the
men, so l just kept that part of the bust
ness to myself. There were in all ID of
us, two women and their seven children,
and three little chaps, whose mother had
died the week before, and me. The first
thing did while the women were getting
ready was to stampede the cattle and
horses to keep the Indians from getting
them; then, as we started, | shut up the
houses to keep the redskins as long as
possible there before they found out the
people had run away.
1--WE made the little creek called Snake
river by daylight, and after reconnoiter-
ing l made the whole party wade out to
an island in the middle, which was about
20 by 80 feet and covered with flags and
rushes and some stunted willows. Here
we lay all day, for the most part down
on our stomachs under the brush. OF
course we could build no fire or move
about, so we ate the cold victuals the
women had brought along, and | dipped
I'D water in my cap. Twice parties of
Indians stopped not hundred yards be-
low where we were to water their horses,
but judging from their actions l knew
they did not suspect any one was near
them, but were probably on their way to
Ridley's. They did not linger, but rode
on at once, much to my relief, for all the
time they were within hearing l am sure
l did not draw a breath a minute for fear
one of the children would cry out, when
we would have all been massacred, but
the poor little things, with the exception
of child few weeks old, were too bad
ly scared to stir or speak unless hidden,
and, as for the women, they put any man
/ ever saw TO shame with their calmness
and cou age.
"When night came, we struck out for q
line of hills lying about FIVE miles away,
where I counted on finding a cave, or
at least a hiding place. OF course
and the women and the larger children
could have made it without difficulty, but
being obliged to wait on the little ones
and to carry them every half mile or so
we were nearly all night getting to the
nearest HILL We'd gone about mile
when low down on the horizon / saw
dull glow and knew the Indians were
burning the camp and that they'd be on
our trail in little while. When we got
to the hill, could see nothing like a cave,
and while it was pretty heavily wooded
there was no place to hide where the In
dams would not spy us directly. l was
looking about me when / caught
glimpse of black bear running around
a rocky spur about half way up the hill.
/ followed just in time to see her go
tumbling or climbing down a sort of cash
in the earth, which l knew must be her
den. Without stopping l jumped after
her and found myself in little cave
about 10 by 10 feet, but with another
larger one leading away toward the cen
fer of the hill
ne Dtdl pCSdh " SlONA WINCH SlS
saw me, and / saw, too. when my eyes
got accustomed to the dim light, that she
had two cubs in the den with her, which
she was going to defend. So, aiming as
carefully as could fired at her, break
ing her skull, after which killed the two
cubs and transferred my party to the
cave. The last of the cold meat and
bread was then eaten, and the women
and children, creeping into the larger di-
vision, which was, however, oIKy about
four feet in height went to rest. But |
was too anxious to rest, so | hoisted my
self out of the cavern and climbed to the
top of the hills to see if could see aught
of the Indians.
''Severa times it seemed to me that
Eaw band moving along the line of the
horizon, and, while the specks might have
been CATTLE, l thought it best to stay
where we were all that day, that night
and the next day. Our great trouble was
water, which had to be brought from a
spring on the other side of the hill, and
as only small quantity could be brought
at time, my cap being the only vessel
we had, the children especially suffered
great deal At last one of the women dis
covered a fat rock with a hollow dip in
the middle which would hold about two
quarts or so, and | kept this filled as
cistern. | ventured that night to roast
piece of the bear in hole in the ground
which change of diet was welcome one.
l never passed such a time since l was
born, for | dared not sleep an hour for
fear of a surprise, and the weight OF re-
sponsibility | felt, with those poor help
less creatures on my hands, was simply
awful.
"Late on the second day, when l climb
ed the hill for last look, l saw small
band of Indians not more than an eighth
Of mile away. They did not number
more than seven, but were armed and in
full war dress and were heading straight
for the hill. Dropping on all fours, ran
as fast as / could for the mouth of the
cavern and, scramblng down, soon had
the women and children crouched up in
the far end of the larger division. where
no shots fred into the smaller could reach
them, though | hoped the Indians would
either pass by altogether or fail to find us
If they halted Silence then was an abso-
lutte necessity. and the women impressed
this on the children. then went back and
by clnging to one Of the bushes swinging
across the entrance to the cave peered out
to see what the redskins meant to do. |
could see they had struck our trail and
suspected we were somewhere about, for
they dismounted and scattering, began to
search the woods.
"As they drew near our hiding place
dropped down into it and cooked the guns
the women had brought and my own
trusty rifle. suppose my frequent go