Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-11-14
ON TORNADO
DEL MUERT0
Captain Pettis Relates interest
ing Episode In His New Mex
leo Army Service In 1863.
CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEER
United States Senator Stephen B. El-
kins and the Late }. 7. Bull
Figure In It.

Captain George H. Pettis of Provi-
dence, Rhode Island, who served dur
| ing the civil war as commanding Off
Ger of Company X, First California In
fantry and who passed through this
Territory recently on his way from the
national encampment of the Grand
Army of the Republic at San Francis
co, to his eastern home, stopping in
Santa Fe few days, sends the New
Mexican another interesting incident
of his service in the Territory
Among the many incidents which
occurred on the tornado del Muerto in
times past, allow me to offer another
which may not be uninteresting to
your readers.
'In January, 1863 was in command
OF Company X, First California Infan-
try, and was en- route from La Mesilla
to Fort Craig where | was to take up
permanent station with my company.
The Apaches were in force in that sec
! ton of New Mexico and much maraud-
ing and numbering by them was going
on. The tornado was an especially
mans life to travel on it. singly or in
small parties. | therefore kept a
sharp lookout for hostiles and was
continuously on the alert. The first
night on the tornado l made dry
camp near a locality known as the
Point of Rocks The next morning
we had to make an early start, and |,
being the only man in the outfit who
was mounted, was riding some dis
tance ahead of the command, when
discovered something, miles away up
on the trail, coming towards me.
soon had my command closed up in
order, and shortly afterwards we
made out buggy with two horses and
two persons in the buggy. and to my
surprise found the party to be Thomas
]. Bull, merchant of La Mesilla, and
Stephen B. Elkins, who came out to
New Mexico in 1862, as United States
district attorney, both of whom | was
well acquainted with. The two gentle
men were much disturbed, not to say
frightened, and begged of me to fur
nish them an escort to the town of
Dona Ana They wanted only one SOL
dier, who could ride in the buggy with
them. I explained to them that an
other man, with all his accoutrements
would, If they were attacked by the
Indians, only be detriment, as, with
their fine team, they could drive much
faster than they could be pursued,
and might thus escape, but with an
other man in their carriage they could
hardly get away. AS they insisted on
the one man escort l announced to
my company who were standing in or
der, that | wanted one man to volun-
teer to go with these gentlemen. and
as they all knew the chances they
were taking, | ordered that the per-
son who wished to go should bring his
rifle to a carry, when. much to my sur
prise, nearly every man in the COM
pany brought his rifle to his shoulder.
| finally selected Private Dickerson,
and, furnishing him with descriptive
list, we bade each other goodbye. |
never expected to see any of them
again, and each proceeded on his way.
They got through safely.
81 did not see either of the gentle
men again until October, 1886. when
was on my way home from San Fran
cisco, having been in attendance as a
delegate to the twentieth annual en-
campment of the Grand Army OF the
Republic, when l stopped over at Me-
silla. and encountered Thomas j. Bull.
Well, he could not do enough for me
during my stay with him. The other
gentleman, now Senator of West vir-
ginia, l have never seen since we bade
each other goodbye that morning, 40
years ago, on that terrible Tornado del
Muerto'"