Arizona republican., 1922-04-12
INDIAN SCARES ARE
KEEN IN MEMORY OF
HER PIONEER DAYS

Writing interestingly of early days
in Arizona. Mann Price Conger Of
Miami, describes the impressions of
her first Indian scare and Of other
interesting events of those pioneer
days Mrs Conger is president Of
the Old Timers association of Gila
county. Her communication is as
follows:
I was two years old when my par
ents, ~. II. Price and Effie Price
moved to Arizona. OF course l re-
member nothing of our trip into the
state, but l clearly remember those
days on Mineral creek where we had
our first scare from the Apache
Indians. How | chung to mothers
skirts and cried when we would get
the news that we were in danger.
| shall never forget one evening
on Mineral Creek. we were all seated
out in the yard. under the big syca-
more trees. in front of our house. 1t
had been long hot August day. A
storm was coming up over the west
ern hills from the direction OF the
camp of Ray. The distant thunder
grew clearer every moment. 1t was
just such an evening when one wants
to be home and have all the family in
for those who were out would be sure
Of good wetting. Old Rock, the
house dog. lay asleep on the ground,
when all of a sudden he sprang to
his feet, looked about. then trotted
up the trail aways that lead towards
Globe. We had only a few minutes
to wonder at his strange actions for
we too soon heard the clatter of a
running horse. William Beard soon
came in sight waving his hat and
calling to us that the Indians had
gone on the war path, had left the
San Carlos reservation and were
headed our way. He never broke the
news gently. instead he was most
dramatic about it.
The horses were out on the range
somewhere. The men folks grabbed
rope and started off on foot to get
them. Boards horse was tired out
and needed the rest. We hurried
around, at least the rest of the family
did. / was too busy crying and hang
ing on to mothers skirts for ! was
scared nearly to death.
We left home just as the storm
broke. We had to go, for the men
were sure IL the Indians We're coming
our way that they would stop at the
spring on top OF the Pinal noun
tains, on our trail. So we had to
hurry to get by the spring IL possible
before they arrived. The rain was
so heavy and the wind blew such a
gale we were compelled to seek shell
ter under a big cedar tree a mile or
so along the trail. But we made the
spring before ~ o'clock that night, no
one was there. We started down the
mountain side. II was pitch dark,
the storm was still on and we could
see only when 1t aghtened. Mother
said she saw father getting up from
where he had fallen three different
times when it lightened. He was
walking, carrying a big heavy rifle.
We tried to creep down the noun
tain trail as quietly as possible. We
were afraid of meeting the Indians.
There was no sound save the horses
feet hitting the rocks. but 1t seemed
there were hundreds Of horses instead
of five or six. 1t was a most terrible
hour, for we did not know but that
death awaited us at the very next
turn in the trail. But we were fort
unate this time in that the Indians
chose to go the other way. They at
tackled McMillie. 8 miles east of Globe
and went on UP the Salt River where
they killed Ed Gleason and a Mexican,
and then attacked the Middleton's on
Cherry Greek later.
Our Old Timers association OF Gila