The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-02-13
A RJSt 70 SAVE TIE FORT
tOriginal.l

you? Well. / can tell you since | was
there.
Forth. was a b~lockhouse, "a store and
IA few dwellings. The ApacLes caure
down so suddenly that we had no time
To prepare. We divided be1ween the
bio'hhouse and the store There We're
several thousand dollars worth Of
goods, including provisions. in the store,
besides ammunition, winch it wasn't
advisable to let the Indians have. The
building stood about 2OO yards from
the blockhouse, and q path had been
worn between the two. l was in the
Diockhouse with the eight men and the
women and children. There were seven
men in the store. This comprised all
the people in the place. Tn division
of force was all right, but the division
of mmunit was all wrong. That in
the fort had beer suffered to run low
There was plenty in the store, but no
time to move it. You see, a man came
galloping in to give warning, and ten
minutes later down came the Indians.
1t was about oon when the attack
began. and by 4 O'Clock there wasn't a
pound of powder left to us in the block
house. We had kept up our spirits till
We learned of the deficiency, several Of
the women doing good service ut the
loopholes and altogether making it SO
hot for the red devils that they didn't
dare make a rush across the open But
when the ammunition gave out we
were seized with a s:Iddcn fright. I'll
admit that my mind got on the butch
cry of the women and children that
was sure to come. M | couldn't get it
off There was but one thing to do
some one must make a ruu for the
store n a run back with ammunition.
OF course there wasn't one chance in ten
of his getting through either way, but
he might make the out trip ever if he
in him and tell them what we needed.
Signal? Great Scott! Don't you sup
pose the Indians would understand u
signal? And when they did that would
be the end of us.
Well, we had two brothers in the
place, the GOrdons. They kept the
store. jim Gordon was with us in the
b~lockhouse with the Gordon women
and children, and John WAS at the
store. John was the husband and fla
Their. Jim was a bachelor. John in
trusted Jim with his family While lie
looked otter the property. Jim Gordon
was a perfect deer at running and
had practiced a zigZag motion gu pur-
pose TO dodge Indians and their fire.
He volunteered to try a run for the
store He started just at dark, when a
mist was rising from the ground. There
was a rainfall of lead poured at him,
but he had made half the distance be-
fore he fell The darkness came on,
would steal up and get poo Jim.
During the night we were at the
mercy of the redskins If they had only
known it. | made up my mind to try
a skulk through to the store. for we
felt sure the attack would be renew
ed at daylight. Soon after midnight
crawled out and got over some twenty
yards when | saw the dark forms of
Indians keeping watch between the
wings of our little army. | crept
to the left to circumvent them and had
made a considerable distance when
down in a depression in the ground a
party of them suddenly lighted a fire.
and near by. bound to a tree, saw
poor Jim Gordon. He wasn't dead, but
was as white as a corpse. The Indians
blocked the way | was going, so / turn
ed, bat found them everywhere, and
finally. coming to a clump Of thick
| lay concealed. There wasn't
much chance of my getting through,
and | confess the sight of Jim Gordon
0 o the starch out of me.
| lay hidden till daylight. and the In
1ians then began To make preparations
a rush. 1t was plain they were go
to attack the ~blockhouse, possibly
because they had OWNED from Jim
iordon's attempt that the garrison was
IN need of something. Just as they
were about to start a figure came from
The store and walked very slowly to-
ward the Indians. who were MOSTLY
ocated near he tree to which jim
Iordon was + One or two shots
we're fired at the figure without ap-
parent effect. The chief then stopped
my more shooting. Perhaps he thought
messenger was coming to bring a sur
'ender. | was wondering at the slow.
movement of the advancing
igure when | noticed a commotion
lmong the Indians. Several OF them
an aud looked at Jim Gordon. Their
back to stare at the figure. which
could now see was white as ashes i'm
he face. Then one after another the
indians started back, apparently ter
or stricken. and by the time the spec
raj figure bad come near enough for
to distinguish who it was nearly all
t them had fed.
You may be sure ! wondered what 1t
vas that made them get away SO fast.
IN Indian isn't such a fool as to be
uped simply by a man playing ghost.
] saw that the figure was John
ordon 1t was all explained. I told
on that John and Jim Gordon were
didn't /? No? Only brothers? !.
Veil. they were twins. sure enough.