The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-02-03

posts on the Rio Grande. Ihelr piln-
cinal business was to watch lnaians'
who would cross over from Mexico TO
steal horses. The Indians SELDOM ue
stroyed ranches; that would no' po
good business. The men living OH ,ne
ranches, if not driven off or Killed.
would in the course Of time gatner up
another bunch of horses for the N
dams. to steal Our troop ana one
other were sent to Camp Verde, texas
which was one Of the frontier posts
then; about all the country west VI
1t was still out of doors. we pesah
hunting Indians as soon as we hdu
got here. There were sood MANY
settlers east of us and several Small
towns. Kerrville and Banders were
the nearest ones. They are prooapiy
larger towns now.
The citizens were continually losing
horses and we were kept busy hui'lhs
them. The greatest drawback 10 our
finding them was due to the TACT thal
these men did not report their losses
soon enough, and about the tlme we
would be told of it the Indians "ould
be safe in Mexico There was an ar
rangement now under which we couid
follow Indians to Mexico, and the
Mexican troops could follow them
across to our side of the line II they
wanted to do so. They ran them over
to us, then quit, while We have often
followed them $50 miles into Mexico
| have been as far down as that after
them myself while in the Fourth cav
airy. We had no such arrangement
when we first went across, and mad
there been any civil government IN
Mexico then our presence over there
would have been the cause or an X
tended diplomatic correspondence pc
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 were too busy just now try
Ing to keep out Of each others way to
pay any ATTENTION W US.
An old gentleman who had ranch
near Kerrville lost a 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 a few that came in contact with
our pistol balls; they stayed where
they were.
These Indians were Lipans and
Kickapoos. They had originally be-
longed 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
short time after Mr.. Crawford, their
owner, paid us another visit. He had
found us more Indians, but they mad
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
Tor. 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
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 l noticed
when passing one Of them what looked
like a small cave up in the side of the
hill, twenty feet above its 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
a 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 a bar in that cave,
sir"
LET him stay in there then, and
come on. I want to make camp as
soon as I 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?
mo, sir; not all the way in. l only
,rantod To And ont If he WAS thar Or