Cañon City record., 1910-06-16
rHE CANON CITY RECORD.
Children Cry
FOR FLETcHER'S
G a 3 O RIA

would soon be reduced to shapeless
and unsightly mass of rock. Out in
the field where the men of the
Seventh fell, there is no such protec-
ton however. At first the govern
ment had a marble cross erected on
the spot where General Custer fell,
but this was such mark for van
dalism that it had to be replaced
with a plain wooden affair. painted
white
Tom Custer's headstone is the most
popular mark for vandalism. This
monument is only few feet from the
Custer cross. showing that the broth
ers fell almost together. 1t has been
Clipped until it has lost all its origi-
nal form at the top and will soon
have to be replaced with new stone.
Another mark for vandalism is Cap
tain Keogh's headstone, far down In
little gully to the right of Custer
Hill. The brave Keogh was in charge
of the horse guard on that fatal day
in June. The little clump of white
headstones shows that his men all
fell while at their posts. Keogh's
monument is much chipped. A mar
BILE cross which marked the spot
where he fell has now been replaced
General Custer. Mrs. Custer is alive
and well and has a permanent home
at Bronxville, New York and we had
a nice letter from her only the other
day.
An Old-Time Siege:--In 1904 the
settlement of Cebolleta, what is now
Valencia county. New Mexico. was
founded by thirty families from the
valley of the Rio Grande. The land
taken up was very fertile and the
surrounding country was inviting for
sheep raising The Spanish colonists
were headed by Don Jose Manuel
Aragon. Don Domingo Baca. Don
Jose Saabedra and others. The new
settlers soon found that they had es-
tablished their home in the midst OF
the Navajo country and from the very
beginning they suffered attacks from
the Navajo and Apache indians and
the bravest OF the colonists remained.
1908. the Navajoes in great num-
bers invested the village which was
by high wall and laid
regular siege to the town, determined
to extermInate the settlers. The siege |
lasted a number of days. when the
indians made an effort TO set fire to |
the town. They had prepared hun
dreds of balls of pitch which they |
lighted and began In the night to
throw into the town. The Spaniards |
were hard pressed and the man at the
top OF the gate was finally shot by a
buck when the indians made a rush
for It,
To do this 1t was necessary to get
inside the town wall. When the SEN
tinel fell an indian climbed the wall
and was about to unbar the gate
when a woman by the name of Maria
Romero. the great grand
mother of the late Ramon A. Baca.
struck him on the head with a ma
chita and killed him. BY that time a
OF colonists had arrived at the
gate and drove the indians back. AZ
ter a great many hardships the set
lers succeeded In driving the indians
from that vicinity. The men who de-
Tended the town so CALAMITY against
such great odds. and who afterwards
fought the Apaches and Nayajoes for
many years in many hard battle and
bloody encounter, became known and
reknowned on account OF their sue
cess and courage as the Cebolleta
warriors and their name became IA
nous all over the territory.
One of the last OF these warriors
Manuel Saabedra died In Cubero
eighteen years ago. He was a very
old man and was one OF the faithful
lieutenants OF Ramon A. Baca. one
OF the most distinguished indian
fighters OF his day. This man was
commonly known in that section OF
the country as FL Manoshe. He ac-
companied Captain Baca In all of his
campaigns and was considered a
brave and trusty man. All the mem-
bers OF the Saabedra family dlstingu-
ished themselves for courage and
bravery in the indian wars. A BROTH
err Justo A. Saabedra, lived to be
ninety-five or more years old and
died only a few years ago Cubero
was settled in 1880 by colony from
the Rio Grande valley in the vicinity
of Ralnn the cnlnnisfs hninn Led hY