Year: 1860

AhS PAHE PERSONAL NARRATIVE.


A correspondent writing to the St Louis Re-
publican from Tuta,, under date of April 9,
gives the statement made by Mrs. Page Of her
captivity and suffering among the Apaches.
re extract the following from her narrative ::


had been married but little over two
months, and was living with my husband, Mr..
y ii. Page, in a rude cabin at the mouth Of
the grand canon leading to the pinery of the
Santa Rita mountains. Our family consisted
Of myself and husband, little Mexican girl
eleven years of age, Misare kirkland. and Mr.
Mm. Randall, who was engaged with my hus-
band in the lumber business.


. On the morning of the 10th of March, after
an early breakfast, my husband left us at the
camp for the purpose of putting some Mex
leans to work, and Mr.. Randall going out to
klll deer, Misare and myself were left quite
alone. As ii was washing day, had started
10 procure some water, when the little girl
screamed and said the Apsches were on us
They came up in a run. Having a ix-shooter
Colts revOlver) in my hand, / turned to fire
At them, but they were already so close that
before L could pull the trigger they had rushed
upon me and secured the weapon They then
proceeded to plunder, seizing everything they
could carry Of-four, blankets clothing, &c =:
and not satisfied with this, they DESTROYED the
balance. We halloed and screamed for assist
ance, but the Indians struck me with their
lsnceS, and told us to keep quiet or they would
Kill US. They packed up what they could take,
and marched US of, hand in hand, in a hurried
and barbarous manner. After proceeding thus
Tor quarter of a mile they separated us, in
order to preyentour talking together, the little
girl being little in advance Of me-


1--WE had proceeded thus about sixteen miles.
as nearly as my limited ideas of distance will
enable me to judge, and 1 now Jagged behind
so much that my savage captors grew impa-
tient, and resolved to kill me They stripped
me OF my clothing, including my shoes, and
left me but single garment. They then thrust
tnelT lsnces at me, inficting eleven wounds in
my BODY; threw me over a ledge of rocks, or
precipice some 10 OF IS feet high, and hurled
large stones after me to make sure of their vic
tim, and then left me, supposing that must
die, and too barbarous to end nv misery by
entirely extinguishing the spark of life. This
occurred near sunset. had nine lance wounds
IN my BACK, ana two in my arm, and my head
was cut In several places by the rocks which
were thrown after me, but most of the latter
glanced without striking me.


had allgnted on a bank Of snow almost in
state of nudity, and in a senseless condition.
In counting up my camping places before
reachlng home, think must have laia there
In state OF Inconsistencies nearly three days
When l recovered took some snow and put
on my wounds L recOllected the direction
travelled and the position Of the sun from camp
at sunset, and with these guides started for
nome. My feet gave out the FIRST day, and 7
Nss compelIcd 70 crawl most OF the distance
Did not dare to go down TO the foot of the
mountain, fer fear 1 could find no water, and
was therefore compelled to keep in the steep
and rocky mountain. Sometimes after crawl
ing up a steep ledge, labOring hard for half a
day, would lose my footing and slide down
lower than the place from which started. As
L had no fire, and no clothing suffered very
much from the cold. / was at a point said to
be six thousand feet above the sea- and only
wonder that / did not freeze. I scratched
holes in the sand at night in which to sleep.
and before could travel was obliged every
day to wait for the sun to warm me up. r
travelled what could every day, and In the
meantime had to subsist on grass alone. On
the fourteenth day reached camp of some
workmen in the pinery, which was untenant-
ed There l found little food, and some
f9ur which had been spilled on the ground !.
The fire was not quite out and kindled it up,
scrsped up some Of the -four and made me a
little cake, the first food had tasted since I
left home. / was now near the workmen in
the pinery, and within two miles of my home.
but was too weak to go on. 1 could hear the
men at work, and sometimes saw them. but
could not attract their attention. At tlength I
crawled along to the road over which they
must pass, and was found there, and carried
home, after being out sixteen days"