The Elbert County tribune., 1905-08-31


Stream:
Fortunately Fremont's party wa
ahead of the annual Santa Fe cara
vans, which insured them good crns
at the camping places. They had no
gone far before they met parties q
Mohave Indians. who seemed friendI,
enough. but on the day following tw,
Spaniards, man and lad. came int,
camp telling of their party of six hav
ing been attacked by Indians abou
eighty miles beyond the encampu.
They had with them about thirty
horses. and Nere suddenly attacked
by party of Indians. who had nre
viously been in camp and seemed
friendly. The horse guards-the +wo
who had just come into Fremont's
camp-drove their animals through the
attacking party and escaped with their
horses, which they had left about
twenty miles behind on coming to
Fremonts camp. When the white
men came to the place where the
horses had been left it appeared that
the animals had been driven off Inv
the Indians. Carson and Godet. with
the Mexican Fuentes, started after
them. but in the evening the Mexican
returned, his horse having given out.
In the afternoon of the next day n
war whoop was heard. such as Indians
make when returning from n victorious
enterprise, and soon Carson and Co
dey appeared, driving before them a
band of horses, recognized by Fuentes
to be part of those they had lost. Two
bloody scalps, dangling from the end
or Godey's gun, announced that they
had overtaken the Indians as well as
the horses. They informed us that af-
ter Fuentes left, from the failure of
his horse. they continued the pursuit
alone, and toward nightfall entered the
mountains. into which the trail led
After sunset the moon gave light. and
they followed the trail by moonshine
until late in the night, when it entered
a narrow defile and was difficult to
follow. Afraid of losing II in the
darkness of the defile they tied up
their horses, struck no fire and lay
down to sleep in silence and in dark
ness. Here they lay from midnight
till morning. At daylight they re-
sumed the pursuit, and about sunrise
discovered the horses, and immediate
ly dismounting and tying up their own
they crept cautiously to rising ground
which interviewed, from the crest of
which they perceived the encampment
Of four lodges close by. They pro-
ceeded quietly and had got within
thirty OF forty yards of their object
when movement among the horses
disclosed them to the Indians. Giving
the war shout they instantly charged
Into the camp, regardless of the num-
Der which the four lodges would imply
The Indians received them with
fight of arrows shot from their long
bows. one of which passed through
Godeys shirt collar, barely missing
The neck. Our men fred their rifles
upon a steady aim and rushed in.
Two Indians were stretched upon the
ground fatally pierced with bullets;
the rest fed, except a lad that was
captured. The scalps of the fallen
were instantly stripped off, but in the
process one of them, who had two
balls through his body, sprung to his
feet, the blood streaming from his
skinned head, and uttering hideous
howl. An old squaw, possibly his
mother, stopped and looked back from
the mountainside she was climbing
threatening and lamenting The
frightful spectacle appalled, the stout
hearts of our men, but they did what
humanity required, and quickly ter
minated the agonies of the CORY saw
age. They were now masters of the
camp, which was pretty little recess
in the mountain, with fine spring,
md apparently safe from invasion
Great preparations had been made to
FEAST large party, for it was a very
proper place for a rendezvous. and for
he celebration of such orgies as rob-
Ders of the desert would delight in
Several of the best horses had been
killed, skinned and cut up, for the In
lians, living in mountains and only
coming into the plains to rob and muir
Ter, make no other use of horses than
o eat them. Large earthen vessels
we're on the fire, boiling and stewing
he horse beef, and several baskets
fifty or sixty pairs of moe
,asins indicated the presence or expec-
alton of considerable party. Tney
'eleased the boy, who had given strong
evidence of the stoicism or something
Use of the savage character, in com
nencing his breakfast upon a horses |
lead as soon as he found he was not |
o be killed, but only tied as a~prison- |
r. Their object accomplished, our
men gathered nm all the survivino
lorses, fifteen in number. returned
lpon their trail, and rejoined us at our
amp in the afternoon of the same |
lay. They rode about 100 miles in the
pursuit and return, and all in thirty |
iours. The time. place. object and
numbers considered, this expedition of
Carson and Cooley may be considered
lmong the boldest and most disinter-
,sted which the annals of western ad-
-autnra co fut1 of dnriuo daadc oop