The Washington herald., 1909-02-21

A running fight was kept UP for several
miles on the open plains. where not
bush OF shrub was TO be seen.
The Indians were nearly all killed
Our men were weI-High worn out with
fatigue. and two OF them. Hardigree and
Weston. were badly wounded
T saw twO OF the Indians make OF by
themselves. and thought il strange Sam
Stills and I followed them. Our weapons
were empty. and by the time We had
loaded them we discovered that the two
Indians were making for the head OF the
canyon. fred al one OF them Just as he
went over the bluff into the head Of the
canyon. Stills ran about 80 yards below
for the purpose Of hiding himself in the
bushes ar the bottom and killing the other
Indian as ne passed he succeeded in
doing so. but The one I shot at could not
be found.
After the men who had fallen behind
in the chase came up We made a thor
Ough search for the Indian had shot az
and found ne had been wounded and had
SecreIed himself among the loose rocks
that had fallen OF the blur
while we were seated on the rocks
resting ourselves Aaron Burr Brown. a
youth Of eighteen. said 70 me that II I
would have him decently buried and rocks
put over him 90 prevent the wolves from
devouring his body should he be killed,
he would go down among the rocks and
( try to finish the Indian I had wounded.
Heard shots Fired.
soon after disappearing from sight we
heard him fire, and in a few moments We
saw him coming out backward from a
crevice, the report Of the pistol among
I the rocks having nearly stunned him He
waited until the smoke cleared away.
went in again and dragged out the dead
body OF the Indian.
"On returning 10 where We had left our
/ pack mules we came across a fine-lOoking
+ young Indian who had been slightly
wounded in the hips. His comrades.
I thinking, I suppose, that he was mOrtally
( hurt. had taken all weapons from him
except his butcher knife. but he fought
1 desperately with that. The men scalped
him before killing him, because the In
dians had scalped Mr.. Jackson alive q
short time previously The Indian CON-
planned greatly OF the manner in which
/ he was treated"
/ Having been transferred to the Cenfed-
crate service. Capt Barry was pro-
NOTED 10 the command OF the frontier
regiment after the death OF Col Open
chain. and the force was ordered 10 the
coast in 1SS2. leaving" In the words Ol
Capt Barry. the whole frontier west o.
the BrazOs River exposed. with no pro
lection save what little the COW hunters
could give"
During this period between 20 and Loo
Indians made appearance near Fort Muir
ray. where about thirty families were in
trenched inside a line % pickets driver
I =~-- ~ r,rr~ az r--rrr
Fort Belknap. These savages divided in
10 parties and attacked several houses
killing and capturing several persons
During this inCursiOn the Indians al
I tackled the Bragg ranch. OF fort. as ]
was called. and the gallant and success
I ful defense Of that place IS thus noted il
! The narrative OF Capt Barry.
There were twenty-seven women an,
children and but FIVE men in the house
, 70 Wit: George Bragg. Dr.. Wilson. Mr
Handy and his son. and a negro boz
about eighteen years old The rest OF n
p men we're OF on a coz hunt. 50 ther
- were but FIVE men 70 protect this hous
J filed with women and children aEains
Z hundreds o. Indians.
{ The women and children were directe-
. 10 lie down on the floor, so that the bul
lets and arrows might pass harmlessf
over them. George Bragg had Just bull
q small picket house. without any shel
. ter 10 the doors and windows Many o
the bullets and arrows shot BY the In
dians came through these open doors an
! windows ard DIT. Wilson was soon kille
and Bragg feI uortally wounded. Ieavin
only three men 20 contend against sue
fearful odds.
Indians Furious Charge.
The Indians made a furious chare
. before these men fell, but the defend
: ers and plenty OF guns and pistols we
e loaded, and they were used in such
Z manner as 70 Kill and wound a~nurnbe
s Of the assaiiants- The Indians. how
= ever. succeeded in wounding Handy SCI
e eral times. though not severely. an
e would have killed or carried into car
[ tivity the remaining men, together wit
= the women and children. but lust the
? another party Of about 800 Indians Ia
s attacked Lieut. Whiteside. Of the bord.
e regiment commanded by Col Jane
z BOurland who had only fOrty-seven me
under him and a few citizens. The Il
: disns engaged in the attack on Bragg
home, hearing the firing and not know
2 ing the cause. fed IN hot haste. lsavir
I their dead and the battle ground in Do
q session OF the twenty-seven women ar
Il children. the wounded 8fr Handy b
X son. and the negro boy
s The fight lasted over half an hou
{ II ever men were heroes and deserve
q the thanks Of their countrymen assure
" the few who fought so nObly that da
l. defending those helpless women az
2 children should not be forgotten.
II Lieut. Whiteside succeeded in maki7
L his escape from the horde Of savag
q surrounding him, and with his party al
n a few COW hunters crossed the Braz
near Fort Murray The inmates Of FO
Il Murray estimated the number Of the
n dams al from 600 TO LOCO They We
around the fort all day. and from the
J naneuvers il was thought they meant
attack il. There were about eighty M
s in the fort and perhaps 100 women al
! children.
n The next day these Indians drove {
II a large number Of cattle. estimated
: 5000 to 1900 head A party follow
far enough 10 satisfy themselves that {
ie cattle were being driven 10 Kansas I
( the use OF the Federal army
! This formidable raid Of Indians caus
l. general desertion OF the OTganiz
O. Northwestern frontier counties T
D counties OF Stephens. PalO Pinto. JAG
Z Wise. and Montague were almost entire
abandoned by the settlers. only few Co
boys remaining on the large ranches
= as they were called. forts Not a livi
= soul was left in Clay County The Il
scout I made through that section Z
x houses and yards were as silent as {
Is grave. all being deserted The 5000 he
s. Of cattle on which this county had De
e. taxes were all gone-gOne TO feed Q
Id enemies and 70 strengthen them for II
lp ther destruction Of our lives and pro
le ertv-
oil On December . and 3. 1855, lar