Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-02-22

seemed pleasant. Nv mother remark
ed We are on our road safe; there
is no sign of danger
She had hardly let the words fan
from her lips when ten or fifteen In.
dams suddenly appeared in the road
behind us. They asked for some to-
hacoo and other tribes. which my
father gave them.
suddenly they let out n wild war
whoop turned and saw one of
them knock my father down with a
club and tear his scalp from his head
Al the same instant several savages
ran with uplIfted clubs toward my
mother reached for my rife and
had 1t in my hands when everything
turned black. One of the savages iind
struck me from behind.
When recovered my senses
saw father, mother and the baby ".
ing on the trail stark dead. | looked
around me but could find no trace
OF my sisters. They had been car.
ried on captive by the Indians.
While crossing the desert between
ella Bend and Maricopa. almost per
ished for want of water and food
some friendly Indians overlook me.
They were Pimns. We went back and
buried the bodies at point ia the
trail later known as Oatman's Flat.
u went To Yuma and tho command
Ing officer of the post promised to do
all he could for me In the way of
finding my sisters. But he could do
nothing then, as he did not dare al.
low the soldiers to leave the fort,
Week after week passed and month
after month. hut could not get any
one to 60 with me In search OF my
sisters untll | finally reached Los An.
geles. We were ready to start after
them when we heard the Indians had
surrendered them"
At this point statement written
by Olive Oatman, one OF the girls
captured, was read as follows:
When ! saw the Indians IL seemed
as II they had come out of the ground
all of sudden. aud while father was
giving them some tobacco one OF the
Indians hit him with club, and as
| looked around | saw another one
strike my mother. The baby was
lanced while Lorenzo was dubbed
and thrown over some rocks. Some
Indians kept watch over Mary and
myself while others were ransacklng
the wagons. When they had taken
out all they wanted they unyulled the
oxen from the wagons and started to
cross the ella river, travelling very
fast for while. Then we camped
on top Of a hill overlooking the whole
country. We two girls were tied to-
gether with a rope so that we could
not escape. The first light we could
not sleep, but prayed all night Next
morning we started and travelled all
that day In the mountains or hills,
but there was no water and we came
near choking from thirst, and the In.
dians had to carry Mary. as she could
walk no further. They had driven
the oxen along all the time. and when
Mary could walk no further they
would at first put her on one of the
oxen, but the OK would throw her OFF.
and then all the Indians would laugh
and put her on again. TO be again
thrown off. She being barefooted and
with her feet all swollen she could
not walk. We begged the Indians to
XIII u.s. as we could not stand the ia
tigue and treatment They laughed at
MS and pricked us with their lances,
and so on.
"On the third day we reached the
rancheria. and there our torments be
gun In earnest. The squaws and chill
dren would beat us with rods and
get Goals of fire and make MS stand
on them. The children would take
long sticks, put one end into the fire
so they would get hot. and then prick
us with the frebrands. Torture was
no name for 1t. Death would nave
been sweet In comparison. For a
year we suffered all kinds of toriures.
such as no living being could tell or
describe
During the second year we we're
treated better, but we had to do all
kinds of work and drudgery for the
whole rancheria aud for all hands
Should We happen to stand idle
even for only a moment. we were sure
to get a good clubbing.
"The Indians lived on mesquite
beans, grass seed. roots. the bark Of
trees and on beef, horse and mule
meat without salt.
THE third year was the worst OF
all. The mesquite beans failed, and
but little grass seed was gathered.
Many of the Indians died, and little
Mary being weakly, could not with
stand the hunger and cold. One night
she called me into her wigwam. and
put her arms around my neck. and
whispered: Olive. am going TO
mamma and papa. ! had n dream and
| saw them, and they told me to come
to them. Goodbye. Something tells
me you will get back TO our people
The poor child died OF hunger and ex-
posure. She was buried on little
stream which enters a larger one that
flows In westerly course. which
think Is called Bill Williams Fork.
''In the fail Of the third year | was
traded on to another tribe of Indians