Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1913-07-17
scALPEp ALIvE sY INDIANS

scALPED ALIVE BY INDIANS
 (Taylor Thompson, Fit. Worth Record)
 There have not been many people who have lived after being scalped. but I have read of two or three, and have seen and known three men who survived after having been scalped by Indians. Probably the most noted Case of this kind on record is, that of Josiah Willbarger. MT. Willbarge1 came to Texas with Austin's second colony about the year 1928. He first located his headright certificate on the Colorado river, four or five miles from the present thriving town of Bastrop, where he built a cabin aand moved his family, cosisting of wife and one child, though usually there were three or four other men about the Willbarger home, which for some years was the outpost of the Texas settlement. A year or two later however, MT. Hornsby established a ranch at what is still known as Hornsby's bend, on the Colorado some twenty or twenty-five miles from Austin. In the autumn of 1S3% Mir. Willbarger with four companions left his home one morning, with the purpose of locating other land certi ficates still farther to the west.
 When the party reached point on Walnut creek few miles north west of Austin, they saw an IndiaI some half-mile from them, who ap peared to be watching their move ments. They tried to approach the Indian, who was we'll mounted, bul he retired as they approached, and after following him for several miles fearing that they were being drawn into an ambush, they desisted iron the pursuit. The party camped tha night to the west of Austin, and the following morning started pn theil return to the Willbarger rancf few miles east of Austin, where they stopped for the midday meal. MT. Willbarger and two of his compan ions. Strother and Standerfer, unsad- dled and hobbled their horses, while the other two men staked their horses without removing their saddles.
 Shortly after having finished their dinner, they were attacked by thirty or forty Indians who had approached them under cover of the brush, and a number of the Indians carried fire arms. which was something very un' usual at that time, and the rest of the red men were armed with bows and arrows and spears. There were only a few small trees where the white men had stopped, and these were not large enough to afford pro tection to the body of man. The white men however got behind these trees and opened fire on the advanc ing Indians, checking their advance for a time. The unequal battle ragged for half an hour or more, when Stro-
 
 sifer was mortally wounded. MT. Willbarger drew the latter to the foot of the tree at which he was standing, placed him in sitting DO sition and primed his gun for him, but while doing so he himself re ceived an arrow wound in the thigh
 lofn puOI1n6Q0 in the other leg. About this time the Indians charged the position of the white men and three or four war riors fell before their steady aim.
 The rest of the Indians withdrew some distance. A few minutes later Standifer also expired. Then the two young men who had staked their horses ran to them and mounted. MT. Willbarger called to them and asked one of them to let him mount behind him, but they paid no attention to the request and dashed away at full speed, leaving Mir. Willbarger alone with his two dead companions. About this time the Indians charged again and MT. Willbarger was shot through the neck by a rifle ball, which par tially paralyzed him, and he fell, ap- parently lifeless. The Indians then approached and scalped Standifer Strother and Willbarger, cutting the throats of the two former, but for