Arizona republican., 1922-04-12


his life. but getting away.
Many Tombstone citizens, guessing
the trouble, rushed over to the fallen
man, gave him brandy and poured
water on him to bring him to. AS
he came to he was piled with ques-
tions. All the words he could utter
were Der 1njuns! Der Injuns!" The
next question fired at him was,
Where are the Indians?" The Swede
answered, 'In der Dragon noun
tains."
That settled It. Every business
man in that nervy little town began
closing his doors. People began rush
ing over to the livery stables for
horses, others collecting Winchesters,
shotguns, any old thing that would
shoot and away they went for the
Dragon mountains. Those who
could not get saddle horses would
pile into wagons OF al descriptions.
And that variety Of different kinds
of shooting irons some OF them had,
but they could all shoot In those days
and were more than willing to take
chance with their comrades. 1t seems
these Indians who had shot the
young Swede through the neck We're
a band Of about 25 or 80 who had
been detached from the main Geroni-
mo band and ordered to make raid
on the stock ranches for fresh beef
and again meet Geronimo's main
band at some designated place.
These Dragon mountains were
somewhat well populated with wood
! choppers and cowmen. but the popu- :
lation of whites and Mexicans was
scattered around different camps:
| And of course this large bunch OF
Indians suddenly swooping down on
| these camps of five or six people put
| the whites and Mexicans at great
| disadvantage. but the woodchoppers
| and cownnen engaged the Indians
| They met them with a fierce and ac.
curate winchester fire. Indians went
down fast, rat so did cowmen ana
| woodchoppers. But 1t seems tnat
| this young Swede woodehopper who
| rushed into Tombstone wounded ma
never seen Indians before ana just
the sight OF them almost scared him
/ to death and nothing could hold him,
| hut he escaped with lead flying all
! around him. But the Indians knew
| what to expect now that the young
| Swede had made his escape. Ihey
| knew that help would come from
/ Tombstone soon. Four or five OF Inc
gamest and best shots OF the whites
1
| seven or eight Indians lay dead. Dut
/ when the Indians concluded to re-
treat they picked up their dead and
! rode off with them. AS You know I'D
those dayg the Indian. il 1t was pos
| sibIe in a battle to do so, he always
/ carried off his dead. At night after
a battle the people of Tombstone
would see large fires in the noun
4 tainx The Indians had made these
! fires and were cremating their dead
/ warriors.
| At this battle here write about
| when the Tombstone posse arrived
! they took the trail Immediately ~
j hot pursuit of the Indians. For some
! distance on this trail one could see
/ cows and calves shot down. some
| of these cows and calves We're nor
even skinned. Some would nave ons
! hindauarter cut away. some tiInca
! both. At times fore and hind quar-
4 ters ali gone from the sanimai. Al
h times the animal was hardly dead
with part of It cut away. As near
as We can remember now, IT nelne
so long ago, the Tombstone posse
only got one Indian out OF that flee-
ing band.
cunning devil and most shrewd II
war When hard pressed and out
numbered he did not follow ths
white mans example and say "SticH
together. boys!" When too hard
nressed the leader OF the Indians
would divide his force in half anc
each half go in different directions
but the white force generally stucF
together Later on the Indians wouil
split up again until there wonid NO
be more than two or three N q pa,ss
but always they had certain under
stood meeting point. NOW the Gay
this Tombstone posse started out roi
the Dragon mountains this young
Swede. when he got over his excite
ment and could talk normally. ne IN
formed the Tombstone coroner. Judg'
peel that before he escaped from tn'
woodchopers' camp that there wer'
already some woodchoppers and COW
bows killed. So Coroner Peel says
'eWeli. that means got to hold somi
inuuesfs and see that the boys ar
buried!" Now, this coroner. Judg'
Peel. was then a man over SO year
old. Awful big and fat. and sufferes
much with gout At times he move'
along the streets OF Tombstone IKE
cripple Some two or three hour
after the Tombstone posse had start
ed for the Dragon mountains Judg
Peel, all by his lonelyZexcept N
gout-was seen in an old ricket
black single buggy, without a tor
hitched to an old sweyback hors
moving through the streets OF Tomb
stone. AS he approached saioo
one OF the boys standing in a crow
said: Judge. stop and take drini
before you start QUIT" And tie oil
Judge answered. Thank you, boy,
will" After taking his drink the ol
Judge said, Excuse me boys. thos
dead men out there in the Gragoon
must be looked after; SO long!" An
] .ie...l.. .-n.... ciox1-I,. with his fac