Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-28
PIONEER TELLS STORY
OF TRIP ACROSS PLAINS

the night he returned the stage came
through and the driver told OF battle
| twelve miles farther on where eleven
men had been killed by the Indians.
The guard was increas sed that night
but no attack was made on our camp
The next morning about o'clock we
reached the scene of the battle, and
/ there saw the dead men. with their
faces turned to the sun and poisoned
arrows sticking in their bodies.
"As we looked at them the soldiers
came up and dug shallow graves for
them. We we're warned that Indians
| might attack us at any time and that
we should at least double the night
watch
THAT same night two of our mules
broke their hobbies and my husband
set out to look for them. When he had
been gone a few minutes we heard two
shots and soon after his horse came
running into camp with blood on the
saddle and IL was believed he had been
Killed by the Indians. Our entire camp
was sympathizing with me when my
husband appeared, dragging q deer
which he shot and attempted TO place
on the horse when the animal pulled
away from him. That was the most
exciting moment | had on the trip
and the suspense, although only for a
few hours, was the most horrible one
1 have ever experienced.
Tales Of Kidnapping
"In this section we saw many Indians
many of them standing on the knolls
and looking at our outfit, but no at
tack was made on us. Some of the
people who were living in this settle
ment came to us, telling about the
children that the Indians had kid
naped and were holding in ransom.
This seemed to me one of the most
horrible things which a family could
possibly experience, but these primitive
people spoke of 1t in a matter of fact
way, saying they expected to be able
to buy them back when the crops
were harvested.
Soon after We left Jacksborough we
crossed a desert which took us three
days. We travelled at night on this
desert, carrying our water. One night
our camp was stampeded and in the
morning our horses gone and we were
beginning to think the situation hope
less when they comm enced to wander
in by twos and threes, coming for their
feed.
Six Horses Stolen
''At Fort Quitman six of our horses
were stolen by the Indians, and al
though we tried to find the thieves we
were not able to do so and had to leave
minus six of our best horses. AS we
left the fort our route was up the Rio
Grande, and here we saw some beaut-
full green country, the frontier of that
which we were soon to see. All along
there Mexicans lived, and their adobes
and tent-like houses were novelty to
me. They seemed to be most indolent
and I never saw them do anything but
smoke and watch cock fights.
Child Is Born
'"Ten miles from Fort Cummings
my daughter Kate was born, and the
next day we were travelling. We would
have stopped but the danger of being
alone In that country was more than
my condition or that of my child, so
we kept up with the others, grind
ing through the sand as they did
When we arrived in San Diego we
had two mules and twenty-five dollars
practically broke. l saw the first tel
egraph wire / had ever seen in my life,
then we came to Los Angeles.
I'VE lived in the outskirts, where the
Hotel Vendome is now. The town was
undeveloped. But the men were here
who had the right stuff in them. They
met desperadoss with force, quick and
eXpedient l remember Uncle Billy
Workman. He was running news
paper l believe, at that time, and I.
w. Hellnan was the banker of the
little town.
II have seen the frontier town grow
into a metropolitan city and l will live
to see it grow more. The opportunities
about which l dreamed before we came
west have come true. 1t was the place
for energy to brave the dangers of the
plains and deserts"