Weekly journal-miner., 1919-10-15
THE FIGHT AT THE BURNT
 RANCH.

RANCH.
 This occurred in 1867 at a small camp northwest of Prescott, estab- lished by Jake Miller-father of Sam Miller, now residing near Prescott, and the last surviving member of the ] famous Walker party. Miller was an old man who had pioneered and fought Indians from the Ohio river westward. With one companion he had built small cabin northwest of 1 Prescott and was engaged in making shakes out of the pine timber abund- ant in the section, shakes at that time being in great demand in Pres colt and selling for tidy sum per thousand.
 The little cabin was i'll one of the best grassed sections of the country, and this fact led E. w. Wells, who owned small band of cattle, to ar range with MT Miller to care for them, keeping more or less heard of them by day and corralling them ill pen of logs at night This corral was perhaps 500 feet long and the gate to 1t joined the cabin, so that the cattle could not be taken out un- ! observed Mir Miller and his friend were both armed with muzzle-loading rifles, and well supplied with am- munition. One afternoon MT. Miller went to drive up the cattle feeding in the valley just below him, it being his custom to bring them in early, there by avoiding the danger of an evening brush with prowling Indians. At this time the Apache-Mojaves, or Date Creek Indians, were very trouble some, and miners were killed and stock stolen almost within the limits of the town. As MT Miller neared the cattle and began to round them up he noticed a raven fit from one. clump of oak brush near him to an other A second and third raven fol- lowcd-hitting from point to point till an incautious movement revealed the head of an Indian instead of a bird. Mir. Miller had his gun, but he continued rounding up the cattle and hurried them toward the corral. When the Indians saw that they were discovered, they sprang out in open pursuit, and being armed only with bows and arrows, feared to close ill at once. Hurrying the cattle, MT Miller fired and brought down the foremost Indian. This stopped the the others for a moment, and MT. Miller had with him big brindle bull dog, which at once leaped on the dead Indian and began worrying the body. As the other Indians ran up the dog fought with them till he was killed, but he had created sufficient diversion to allow time for the cattle to be penned and the gate fastened securely. Inside the cabin the two men made ready for a siege, for the Indians were approaching ill large numbers, so sure and confident of success that they did not hurry. Had they rushed the attack, it is more than likely that they would have met with success, for with only two muzzleloading rifles, the defenders would have been at serious disad- vantage, but with their overwhelming numbers the Indians had decided to capture the white men alive, and they made their advance ill a leisurely manner unusual in savage warfare. They did not try to kill the cattle it being always their preference to drive off the stock for use as desired. Inside the cabin the two men watch ed, with loaded rifes,-passing from point to point they would remove a | bit of chinking from between the logs. fire, and then hastily replacing the block, be away in another part of the room as soon as possible-for ! whenever a puff of smoke came from Chink, that spot was immediately made target for Indian fire The white men wasted very few shots both were expert with the rife, and Miller particularly so. He kept cool and fought calmly-but his compan- ion. a young man, was excited and | often the first half hour made some mistake ill loading, by which a bullet was caught half way down the barrel of his rifle. He could neither draw it out nor ram fl home and the rifle was rendered useless The fight now de- veloped upon Miller, who continued | to pick off the Indians as they crawl ed along the log corral ill their efforts to get nearer the cabin. The unarmed ! man was stationed with the axe to fell any savage who might succeed ill rushing the door Slowly the battle progressed till Miller had just one