CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-03-03
FRONTIER SKETCH.
How an Impending Battle With
the Indians was Averted by
Kit Carson.

Perhaps the most wonderful event in
the career OF Kit Carson, the famous
scout, was the winning Of great
Indian battle by the firing of a single
shot. While the shot was a phenome-
nal one it was no less remarkable than
Indians surrendered to the United
States army without further ceremony.
This incident occurred at the time of
the Navajo war in New Mexico during
1864.
The army was trying to move the
Navajo to new reservation on the
Pecos river but the bucks did not want
to go and retired to a rendezvous on a
high plateau called Lava mountain.
The great chief of the tribe, White
Beard, appeared daily on the edge OF
cliff, seated upon magnificent white
horse and went through category of
derisive and insulting movements. He
felt safe in this procedure as the cliff
was go yards in height and the whites
were incamped at some distance from
the base.
The chiefs taunts greatly disturbed
son of Kit who finally could no longer
repress his desire for vengeance. He
asked permission of his father to take
shot at the chief and it was granted.
Young Kit repaired to the open prairie
and for two days labored in the con-
struction of a stone breastwork. When
finished it contained n very small hole,
which barely admitted the end of n gun
barrel. He was armed with u globe
sight rifle previously used by his famous
parent. When all things were pre-
pared for the reception the kid took
his place behind the bulwarks and
awaited the daily visit of the white
horse rider. The old chief appeared
and began his program. Young Kit
sighted his rife at the figure. which
was fully $50 yards distant and at an
opportune moment fired. The body of
the chief, now good as well as great,
fell to the bottom OF the cliff
Never in all my experience have /
heard such screeching and wailing as
arose when the head chief fell'', said
Carson in relating the incident. "Ten
thousand warriors and half as many
squaws and children Joined the terrible
yelling and bowling. 1t was a great
period OF mourning for the Navajos. 1
made my way to the protected spot
where the chiefs body lay and began
removing the valuables which he no
longer needed. The body was literally
covered with jewelry and in the collec-
tion were gold watches, earrings.
bracelets, finger rings and other articles
while the trousers were lined with gold
and silver buttons. There were pack
ages OF letters also,
After 1 returned to camp the dead
chiefs squaw and child came in under
the flag OF truce. My man IL dead.
Ny man is dead, she mournfuily
murmured. She asked permission to
remove the body and informed her
that we would honor the corpse by
burying it under monument OF rocks,
but the tribe must attend the funeral.
We held the squaw prisoner while
the news was conveyed to the bucks.
Indians honor their dead and the pos
sible loss OF the great chiefs body was
not to be thought Of. That afternoon
the entire tribe came into camp and its
members were disarmed. Twelve chiefs
were captured at this time The other
Indians were removed to Fort Union
while Carson took the twelve chiefs to
Washington. On his return trip an old
wound in his left side, made by
poisoned lance OF Comanche began
to trouble him but he reached Fort
Union in New Mexico, where he died
in 1867 and was subsequently buried at
Fort Bent in this state, after which his
body was removed to Taos, New
Mexico.
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