The copper era., 1902-06-12
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: OLD-TIME SKETCHES
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THEY now SLEEP SIDE BY SIDE.
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We were ordered from PInos Altos
10 Fort Stanton, New Mexico. On our
route up through the White Sands OF
/ San Agustino springs and Tularoso,
the sign OF Indians were seen. Our
orders were 70 keep close together and
never 70 20 alone away from this com
maud. but a. we camPed up in the
! timber. a dozen men went out to find
some game. They had not been gone
| long before we heard shots, and the
shooting was 50 fast that we sprang to
our guns. and ten or US were ordered
to the rescue. As We ran over little
raise 10 the ground, we were met by a
flock OF turkeys, there must have been
some eighty or hundred Of them run
ming in every direction. or course we
turned loose and in a few moments. ten
more OF our company came after u
50 the whole thirty-two men did some
shooting. our first Lieutenant, Thorn
Is Chapman. did sore OF the hardest
curseing / ever heard. He damned
the whole outfit for their false alarm,
and their turkey hunt, and while he
was relieving himself and his temper,
saw turkey going through the
grass about one hundred yards away.
With the speed OF a soldier | ran for
him and shot my best. II Chapman
was mad before, he was wild and crazy
now. He ordered file OF meE to take
me to camp under arrest: but when
brought before our captain, Joseph
Smith, he released me with this lee
ture, ~ don't blame you, or any one
for hunting, but | do blame you for
your poor shooting; over one hundred
shots fired at ten PAGES, at one hundred
wild turkeys, and not one turkey to be
seen wounded or dead. / am ashamed
Of YOU And so it was. Not bird OF
all that band graced our mess and it
was considered a good day for birds
too. But said | would tell YOU the
story OF Captain Graden and DR.. Whit
lock. Fort stanton had been burned
down by the Texas Rebels, and when
the California and New Mexican troops
occupied the place it was all in ruins.
Thorc were five or six cOmpa MES Of
New Mexico cavalry, two or three
companies of California cavalry. | can
not remember them all. Col. Kit Car
son, the great Indian fighter aud scout,
was in command. The suttler store
was the only quarters fixed up, most
all the rest were inside OF tents closed
in by old adobe walls. Dr. WhillOck
WAS IA contract doctor, Il kind old man.
He had been quite friendly with the
Indians before the NavajOsc went to
war Captain Graden had gone out to
the Captain mountain with his COM
pauy Of New Mexican soldiers, and on
his return it was said he had killed Il
lot OF Indians. There WAS Il sergeant
in his company by the name Of Kelley.
He wont to DR.. Whitlock and report
ed that Captain Graden got Il lot OF In
dians drunk and killed them. The
Doctor replied 81 don't believe that Of
Captain Gradon, but if it is as you say,
it is Il cowardlv trick"
Now this Kelley was Il mischief
maker and he went to Gradcn and told
him that DR.. Whitlocl said that Ora
den was Il coward for killing the In
diaus. BY this time Gradcn was drunk.
He went over to the suttlcr store
where tho officers and Colonel Carson
were playing cards, and the first thing
he did WAS to slap the old doctor in the
face and call hin Il cowardly abol
itiouist aud other rad names. Carson
ordered the captain under arrest in
his quarters. The old doctor said very
calmly Captain, | do not know why
you have made this assault on me; but
when you are sober you shall see that
| am not Il coward, although | may
be an abolitioniat.' The doctor got
up, went to his quarters and wrote the
captain letter and in it he stated tt at
As the Captain had a family, and he,
the doctor, had family, it was unjust
10 them to get into q killing. Then
he stated what he had said to Kelley.
The captain never opened the letter.
he wrote a letter to the doctor. and
the first words in the letter was, you
old abolition son of a gun, will you
tight me this morning. Colonel Car
son had his tent in the middle OF the
parade ground. He was talking with
the doctor when Gradcn came up and
handed the doctor tho letter. The
doctor opened it and read the first line,
then said to Gradcn, DO you mean it,
the captain said yes" aud drew his
navy pistol, but the doctor had drawn
small five shooter and the ball com
mcnced. Graden had shot twice but
missed; the doctor ha6 nit Graden
close to the heart. Graden had
cmptied his revolver and had drawn
another, when the doctor hit him
again close to the first wound. but
Gradcn had put ball in the Cylinder
of the little five shooter and the doctor
could not make it work. BY that time
Graden had fallen and as he fell he
called for his Lieutenant Morris to
turn out his company and revenge his
death, and before Colonel Carson
could stop it, the company of MeXicaus
had shot the brave old doctor down.
some one tried to get the doctor to
run for the California soldiers quar-
tiers. but he said He called me COW
ard. but don't run for any Of them"
He fell with over one hundred of bull
lets in his body. Had the captain
opened the letter he would have seen