The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-12-15
Days in the Saddle.
Adventures with a Troop of Cavalry
After Indians.


number of troops of the Fourth
Cavalry were sent out to the different
posts on the Rio Grande. Their prin-
cipal business was to watch Indians,
who would cross over from Mexico to
steal horses The Indians seldom de-
stroyed ranches; that would not be
good business. The men living on the
ranches, If not driven off or killed,
would in the course of time gather up
another bunch of horses for the In
dams to steal. Our troop and one
other were sent to Camp Verde, Texas,
which was one of the frontier posts
then; about all the country west of
it was still out of doors. We began
hunting Indians as soon as we had
got here. There were good many
settlers east of us and several small
towns Kerrville and Banders were
the nearest ones. They are probably
larger towns now.
The citizens were continually losing
horses and we were kept busy hunting
them The greatest drawback to our
finding them was due to the fact that
these men did not report their losses
soon enough, and about the time we
would be told of it the Indians would
be safe in Mexico. There was an ar
rangement now under which we could
follow Indians to Mexico, and the
Mexican troops could follow them
across to our side of the line If they
wanted to do so. They ran them over
to us, then quit, while we have often
followed them $50 miles into Mexico.
them myself while in the Fourth Cav
airy. We had no such arrangement
when we first went across, and had
there been any civil government in
Mexico then our presence over there
would have been the cause of an x
tended diplomatic correspondence be-
tween Mexico and Washington to ex-
plain what we were doing over there,
but at this time there was no civil gov
eminent in Mexico, or rather there
were two so-called governments. Gen.
.,Juarez was at the head of one, the
Emperor Macmillan had the other
and they we're too busy just now try
ing to keep out of each others way to
pay any attention to u.s.
An old gentleman who had a ranch
near Kerrville lost bunch of horses
and told us about it. We followed up
the Indians, and crossing the Rio
Grande a few hours after them, ran
into their camp at night when they
thought they were safe at home. We
got back all the horses, the Indians
making their escape on foot, all ex-
cept few that came in contact with
our pistol balls; they stayed where
they were.
These Indians were Lipans and
Kickapoos. They had originally be-
ionged in Texas, but had emigrated
to Mexico and would now come over
on foot, then ride back on stolen
horses, sell them to the Mexicans and
come and get more. We returned the
horses to where they belonged and a
short time after Mr. Crawford, their
owner, paid us another visit. He had
found us more Indians. but they had
not taken his horses this time. He
had been west of this hunting up his
cattle and had seen bunch of In
dams, how many he did not know;
he had not stopped long enough to
count them.
About a dozen of us under command
of our First Lieutenant, Brevet Ma
jor, were sent out with Crawford to
help him count those Indians. He led
us up through Bandera Pass, few
miles south of the post, then turned
west. Had he kept on west far enough
we would not have needed him for g.
guide. Edwards county was out here
and we had been all over it lately
After going west a while he turned
north again and late In the afternoon
we rode past chain of hills. They
were off to our right, and I noticed
when passing one of them what looked
like a small cave UP in the side of the
hill, twenty feet above it's base. Craw-
ford saw it, and riding over got of
his horse and examined the ground
There certainly could not be Indians
In that cave, thought; not more than
q dozen, anyhow. 1t was about two
feet wide and hardly that high at the
entrance. After looking at the ground
or rocks that lay on the ground rather,
Crawford climbed up to. the cave
The Major had stopped the column.
and now called out:
What have you got there, Mr. Craw
ford?"
Il think there is bar in that cave,
SIR"
Let him stay in there then. and
come on. want to make camp as
soon as | can now"
Crawford mounted and came over to
us. and the major asked him If he
had meant to crawl into that cave
after bear?
''No. sir; not all the way in. I only
wanted to find out II he was thar or
not"
well, il he had been there, you
would have found it cut pretty -
quick"
nearly choked myself trying to