Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-27

u wrote her history in blood. The
pioneers who sought to redeem this
vast, bowling wilderness were closed in
on every side. In all that mighty ter
ritory south of San Antonio and on into
the land of the Mexicans the treacher-
Gus soldiery of Santa Ana bore down
upon them. From the eStacaddoes ami
all the regions of the north the Co
manches and their allied savages bui't
highways out of human bones and
smodering ruins.
It was the spring of 1886. The Texas
colonists-heroic. dauntless spirits that
they were-had beaten their retreat
from Santa Anas advancing Spaniards.
From then until 1889 the wild tribes OF
the north stole their horses, burned
their homes, killed their people and car
ried captive their children and women
into the far away Comanche land.
Many council fires were kindled-manv
peace nipes were smoked. But, with
the gifts made to them by their white
foes the chieftains turned their ponies
heads toward their wigwams only to
plot q more dastardly raid When the
moon shone out again.
The seat of government In the rail- or
go was moved from Houston to Austin
then an outside settlement on the
Colorado So remote was 1t that not
cabin stood west. north or east above
the falls of the Brazos. The Texas re-
and faithlessness of the savage tribes.
Hundreds mourned their wives and
children held captive by the Indians.
In the opening days of 1910. when AL
bert Sidney Johnson was secretary or
war. the pioneers determined on final
truce that should never be broken.
This-or war to the hilt of the sword
and to the arrows feather The cries
of the captives inspired them. The
faithess treachery of the saVages
stirred them. The edict of the settlers
meant final recovery of every captive
a final treaty that should stand un-
brol-en. That or death!
While the whites were thus in council
1t appears that the Indians. eighteen
days before. had anticipated the action
of the palefaces. About the time tne
secretary of war received the letter
from the government in Texas he got
one from Col. Karnes of San Antonio.
There had visited him three Comanche
chiefs who told him of their desire for
peace. The colonel. familiar with their
broken treaties. told the chieftains that
10 peace was possible unless 1t came
with the return of every captive ana
every piece of stolen property. This
Muk-war-rah declared, was the desire
of the tribes. Thev left under the
pronoise to return within thirty days.
Among all the Indians of the plains
the last three years. prior to the
famous council of 1910, were filled with
stirring events. In the winter of '35 the
Kiowas lost their famous chief. Big
Face was killed in a raid he led into
Mexico. The summer of '36 witnessed
the big sun dance on Wolfe river. After
the dance the Kiowas moved north Of
the Arkansas. and the Kineps made
visit TO the Crows to buy the teeth OF
ernoine and the elk for their squaws.
While they were gone the Cheyennes
laid their camp in ruins. When the
SHOWS of '36 began to fall one KloWa
band was raiding in upper Missouri:
another in old Mexico. Here they lost
their big chief, Man, who was killed by
a Timber Mexican beyond the Rio
Grande. In the summer of '37, because
Of their continued reVerses, the KiowaS,
Apaches and Comanches held the wall
ing sun dance" on the north fork of
Red river Moving southwark, they
encountered the bloody Comanches
whose medicine stick they captured
and whose big sachem they slaugh-
tered.
When the leaves began to fall in
'37 the Comanches fought their enemies
on the Brazos The year closed with the
memorable event of dragging through
their camps and at the end of their
riettas of the discovered heads OF the
Arapahoes 1t was a weird and ghostly
time. The outraged Arapahoes, aided
bv the Cheyennes, fought the combined
tribes of Apaches, Kiowas and Co
manches It was another year of disas-
ter for the Comanches. The ravages OF
war heaped upon them the death of
Hearteater in the winter of '9S. The