The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1920-10-28

and my horse which was the fastest
horse in the company had been given
to another man TO Use for the time
and | was using "a little chunky easy
riding but slow pony which ! had
found in our corral. Boy fashion !
did no. want to miss this chance for a
scrap so saddleG .ay pony and fell
in with the rest. Our horses was very
soft for we had been doing nothing
but q little escort duty for long time.
We rushed down TO the train which
WAS aluut two miles from the fort and
found the Indians circling round and
round the correllei mule train hanging
by one leg over on the off SIDE OF tnelr
ponies shooting under their necks al
the train. But as we began to c<ne IN
range they brake for the hills and we
after them up one hill and down
another until we were on the cfest OIL
one. and they were on the side OF
another and we began firing on them
! remember seeing our bullets tear
ing up the ground among them and
the rext thing | noticed it seemed as
though a great number OF Indlahs
had risen right up out OF the GROUND
and surrounded US on three sides.
O,t captain, n. J. O'Brien was in
command and ! was Just at his side
as this happened and / heard HIM or
der the bugler 10 blow rally and ne
gave a command to those who had the
fastest horses to get back to the Tort
as quick as possible and come down
with the artillery to meet 'us and
every body turned and started for the
fort but | was so dazed that i was
about the last to turn back but fin
nally did so and as | went down the
ravine between the bills and was
turned in my saddle with revolver in
hand to look back there went up
great whoop from the red skins and
the next thing | knew ] came to my
self in the bottom of a basin about b
or 7 feet deep on the up hill side
which had been caused by the water
running down and eddying around. J
had not seen the hole and was un-
horsed and knocked senseless for a
second or two. having been hit on the
head by a lance or arrow or graHcd
by n.aiu, but | was not left alone
for my faithful little pony stood there
waiting for me as demurely as could
be whereas if had had my own high
spirited horse I should have been left
to be butchered as was fifteen of the
thirty-seven who went out i'll the
morning. | have no recollection how
| did it but | mounted and started on
toward the valley. The men that had
my horse said that while was dis
mounted he jumped over me without
the least trouble During all the
l,l 7 L,l OF ~ ~
volver which | had in my hand when
/ went down.
How | ever got out alive is more
than ! can tell for the Indians were
all around me and men were killed
on both sides of me. AS struck the
river bottom | came across several
men who had stopped to help a man
whose horse had fallen on one of his
legs. When we picked up the dead the
next day we found him there terribly
mutilated with a great pile of cart
ridge shells where he had lain behind
his horse and held the red devils at
bay until his ammunition gave out.
When we got within about three
quarters of mile of the fort we were
met by some men with the artillery
and soon checked the Indians. They
robbed the stage coach at the station
and scattered the mail all over the
country which we gathered up the
next day finding large amounts of
money in registered mail. One man
who had his horse killed managed to
make the river and under cover Of
the bank came up opposite the fort
and got in with his life. General
C,,p,p n-bp ,yoc IL, command nf thu
department at that time was on a
tour of inspection of the different
posts in the department and happened
to be at our station at this time and
went out into the fight with us mount
ed on fine black pacing pony belong
ing to our second lieutenant +. F.
Ware. who was afterward commits
ioner of pensions and when we had to
retreat he was seen frantically en-
deavoring to make the pony break
the pace and run but without success
until one of our men came along side
and told him how to do it. The next
day we went out and picked up the
dead. fifteen out of the twentv-seven,
and there was but one that had a
stitch of clothes left on them and that
was the bugler Alanson Hanchett,
who fought so desperately that his
shirt was so cut to nieces that they
did not consider it worth taking off.
The dead was not only scalped but
turned on their faces and sliced across
the fleshy part of their bodies and
limbs like you would slice meat. A
little young boy by the name of Nc
Arthur was cook for my mess and
was IN getting breakfast and in the
act of mixing biscuits and did not
stop to wash his hands when "boots
and saddles" sounded was found
among the killed. A man near him
in the running fight saw an Indian
ride past Macarthur and jump from
his pony and train his rifle across his