White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-25
When Pioneers Return
CONTINUED from page one)

tains four miles away. Always |
will remember the wild look of ex-
| element that was in his eyes, as he
exclaimed:
boy, on the very spot where that
| camp stands / witnessed one of the
worst Indian fights that l ever want
ed see. Yes, sir, We were eye-wit-
nesses-I and Gallagher-old w. O..
| Gallagher-and how We were ever
missed-it was Gallagher that saved
us-he was a smart chap. We were
np i'm the hills there 10 the right
where the ground was loose. Here
We had pitched camp after a fashion,
and we're ready to start out TO pros
pect through the afternoon, when we
saw the Indians coming. The Pah-
Utes tribe was ahead and they SEEM
ed to be trying TO get away from the
Shoshone tribe which was pursuing
them. But when they were about a
mile from where we we're the Pan
Utes turned and gave battle. Why,
that was the greatest fight | ever
Witnessed But Gallagher and |
| were sure lucky that our scalps
were not among those of the other
dead ones. But w buried ourselves
and amp in that lose dirt. But
when We saw that the Indians had
decided to give battle before they
reached US we took our heads out
and peered from behind sag brush
at the conflict.
The chief OF the Pah-Utes was Pah-
ran-agat fPah, meaning water, and
ran-a-gat meaning melon-and many
fine melons they raised in their gar
dens.) Well, this Pah-ran-a-gat was
a wonderful warrior and he ran over
and bullied the other tribes, especial
" the Shoshone tribe. This day the
Pah-ran-a-gat had Kidnapped all the
pretty Shoshone squaws that they
wanted and W. were trying TO gel
away. The Shoshene warrior Went
after them but the Pah-Utes won the
battle. After it was all over and the
Indians had gone, Gallagher and ]
went down and gathered some souye-
Mrs from the battlefield. That bat
tie occurred in 1875. Thirteen years
before that, in 1862, when | was a
boy of fifteen years. | witnessed the
Etavfg. ATalInxs Vsaaualrn nFaZ at
the Gallagher ranch at the time and
the battle took place not more than
a half a mile from there. | can re-
member the Indians and was shaking
down in my boots. For there We're
hundreds Of them ~sneaking, crawling
and coming e to the ranch. There
was just a measiy handful of the
boys on the ranch. | didn't know
much about God then, but | was
praying to him that day. praying
that he would send help, when, as II
they had fallen from the clouds, came
General Corners men. From the
ranch ! watched the soldiers sur
round the Indians and attack them
from the south and northeast. /
saw twenty-six of the red skins fall
on that hill south of the ranch.
w. c. and | put our arms around
each other when We learned the good
news that most all of that tribe we're
destroyed. and We laughed and cried
with joy.
LAS the old gentleman drew near
the end of his story the spirit which
these memories awakened in him
and made him set erect and made his
eyes dance again, | left him and nc
was just an old man bent from sor-
row, so | thought. His shoulders
became stopped again and his head
fell forward and leaned OF his hands
which were ~grasping the head of the
ebony cane. Such was the pitiful
sight of this broken man beside me
that | wanted to do something for
him to help him. wanted to know
more of his life to know what had
happened in those later years and |
was moved to ask his confidence for
| felt he would be relieved to I'M
burden the sorrow wrich ! now saw
in has face.
Sir" | said, " will you not tell
me more of your life-sureiy other
greater things have happened. | do
not ask out of mere idle curiosity but
because | would like to hear things
from the lips of a man / know has
seen. If you have come back to per-
form some duty or need help of any
kind that | can give you are welcome
to all assistance | can give you"
The Old Gentleman sat silent as
tho he had not heard my request. |
felt that he must be offended with
me. lie no doubt thought that l was
trying to pry into his affairs--he
thought M a meddling fool. After
all what right had l to ask his con-
| AIanano faIf aa fhAnk n z.Il