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thethi(hetrathethebe*to\mipaithi«Y«cmam*nlt;tbimetheorofficlt;*giCJthlt;chiforpo!iicld'mm muouniax Rfluunn,'i. . • • • - .__.» • ■ •' •. Tha ^^^jrtMr'says^^ii**. riean, ii from* gentlemanconnected withtbegoiBmmat service on oar' frontier*. l': We nave read of similar iu*tanc©rof setf-seamola-;twu among the American Ihdiaihi ratherthan fill into the bands of their enemies; but 1 do not recollect any oter Touui.: .All bur late account* confirm- tbe feet, that since the nmgew were disbanded the Indian* am renewing their pedatory inenniotu with alarming irequency: - ; . -Port Crog^n, Texa^ April. 7, ’M.I have just returned from one of the moat arduous and exciting acouta I have ever made.We had been-robbed heretwiee by the Indir . aaa in four months, . The last time on the night of the 13th of March. They took a panne! of my.stable lot and led out nine of oh my finest hone*. . It: was one of the darkest Aiand most blustering nights of t be season, aud ‘cothe robbery, must have been committed be* nu tween nine and ten o’clock. The next morn- or. trig I started with seventeen men in pursuit, at Failing to discover a trail, I proceeded to tho an Indian ogoucy, half way between Phannom Hill and Belknap. Up to thi* point I could hear nothing.of the robbery, except the opinion entertained by the agent, Mr. Stem, and all the friendly Indiana—which concurred with my own—that the robbery bad beencommitted by Witchetas.. While at tho agency, a party of that tribe, under their principal war chief; came in to surrender some stolen hones which they had promised to Stem they would do. - The horses they brought in wefo so indifferent and broken down that it was. evident they were acting in bad faith, and that this was only intended a subterfuge. I was not disposed to bo trifled with in this manner; and the agent had also lost all patience with thermit was accordingly agreed to detain the chief and the principal portion of his party—consisting of. nine warriors and several women,a* hostages, until the whole of Hhe .property recently stolen should be brought in. Mr. Stem announced to them our determinationand I told them, I meant to carry them into Belknap and hold them as.prisoners, permitting two of their number to return to tbeir tribe and convey tho ‘talk’, we bad given them. Though I fully expected a break on tho announcement, which would result in the death of Mr. Stem or myself or both, indeed I would not have insured either erf our lives at 100 per cent.—we were compelled lo face the danger vrith comparative indifference.Any manifestation of fear or suspicion would have increased the chances of their resorting to the desperate alternative of * a rush ’ for liberty, plunging their knives into whomsoever iuteniptod their passage.As soon at I had told them they, were prisoners, I rose from the bear-akin upon which I had been sitting facing them, and mounted my horse, at the sania time drawing my pistol, and motioning theia totheir camp. The chief requested that I should dismount, that ho wished to spook. I did so and took aseni on o stool near by. He motioned. me to sit in my former position on tho ground. I did so, at the same time drawing my knife under pretence of cutting tobacco to smoke. Ho row, addressed a few remarks to me about the difficulty of restraining his yonng men from stealing, tfcc^ and suggesting that it would bo hotter that ho should return to bit tribe. This. I refused. He then seemingly yielded to his fate, approaching in© and seizing me by the hand lifted me from the ground and embracing me, first pointed to heaven and to ourselves, to indicate that tho Great Spirit wilnessed the proceeding. I told themI would not hold them as close prisoners, butmerely guard against their escape, by placing sentinels around their camp. Meanwhile, J oncamped my. command near theirs, and took from them all tho arms I conic! find. • They retired quietly to their tents nt dark, manifesting not the slightest intention of an attempt to escape.The moon shone as bright as day. ' I had posted two distinct guards over them, of six men each, with four sentinels. I had ,beon up and moving about camp until twenty minutes before twelve; At 12, tho sentinels wore relieved. Tho sentinel posted mot© immediately over tboir camp had gone near one of thoir tent* to count the number present, while tli© corpora] of the guard, the old sentinel and a citizen who had accompanied me, stood near looking on. Suddenly on© of the Indians rushed from hi* seat towards the sentinel, and presenting a pistol, fired. This seemed lo be the signal for a general * break.'As tho sentinel turned to retreat tip the slope .toward his companions, the chief Kewa aka, rushed from his tent, threw himself upon the back of tho retreating sentinel, and with hi* knife inflicted sovernl wounds before he was shot down by theoM sentinel.. The rest succeeded in oftoeting their escape, running in different directions and answering the shots ft rod at them with shouts of defiance. The chief, as was discovered, on searching the tents, had purposely sacrificed himself his; wife and boy seven years old. The wife and I child whom he had requested on the evening before to talk to, and give them Assurance of t hoir safety, were found laying tide by side a* if in deep’sleep, but stabbed to the heart.Tho wife had consented to her fete, a* we wore informed by ivro old women who had-attempted to escape.Slio seemed to have received the' fit*! blow without a struggle—both were carefully covered up on the breast, the child lying upon its mother’s arm. The chief’s moccasins were found near their heads, a sign, the Indians told ws, that ho did not mean to leave'theol©i : — - — 'v - — — , —m-w'* • i ■ i .vp ,»vact of devotion and' self-sacrifice. Cooper could never .ventured to paint such .a tome as this. The bright moon lighting up the count*nance of the mother—for she was beautiful and young—with her innocent boy by her side and the.Mood still oaxiog from their ghastly wonuds^-rthe husband, father and warrior, still. Stretched upon the sod; -the bloody knife sritt gsasped in-his. hand, looking terrible even in, death;’the'sentinel not five feet from him, his cold blue eye looking to heaven, while the figures of we soUier hurrying hither and thither in search of.thej knew not what, with occasional but mistake cma indicating some discovery. Thowhoi made «t enduring Impressjem oo' my- mind
Newspaper Details
Kenosha Telegraph
Kenosha, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Jul 01, 1853
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 20 Aug 2017
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