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015 - Our First Fight With Apaches · Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twelve, Six Years with the Texas Rangers eighteen seventy
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  Speaker 1: five to eighteen eighty one. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read
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  Speaker 1: by Jim Katula, August twenty twenty one. Six Years with
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  Speaker 1: the Texas Rangers eighteen seventy five to eighteen eighty one
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  Speaker 1: by James B. Gilette, Chapter twelve, Our First Fight with Apaches.
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  Speaker 1: On October fifth, eighteen seventy nine, at midnight, Pablo Mahea
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  Speaker 1: brought Lieutenant Baylor from Captain Gregorio Garcia of Sane Lazario
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  Speaker 1: a note stating that a band of Apaches had charged
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  Speaker 1: a camp of five Mexicans who were engaged in cutting
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  Speaker 1: hay for the stage company, fourteen miles north of La
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  Speaker 1: Quadria Stage Station and killed them. As First Sergeant, I
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  Speaker 1: was ordered to make a detail of ten men and
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  Speaker 1: issue them five days rations detailed Second Sergeant Tom Swilling, Privates,
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  Speaker 1: Gus Small, George, Lloyd John Thomas, George Harold, Doc Shivers,
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  Speaker 1: Richard had Bill Rutherford and Jan Garcia for the scout,
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  Speaker 1: and myself made the tenth men. It required an hour
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  Speaker 1: to arouse the men, issue the rations and ammunition, and
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  Speaker 1: pack the two mules. So it was one o'clock am
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  Speaker 1: when we finally left Isletta. By daylight we reached Hawkins Station,
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  Speaker 1: near where Faban Station now is. Here we were told
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  Speaker 1: we would find the survivor of the terrible massacre. Riding
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  Speaker 1: up to the door of the stagehouse, we had to
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  Speaker 1: thump some time before we had evidence that anyone was
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  Speaker 1: alive on the premises. Finally the door opened about an
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  Speaker 1: inch very cautiously, and a Mexican peeped out. Lieutenant Baylor
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  Speaker 1: asked him if he had been one of the Grimaros
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  Speaker 1: or haycutters. See signor, replied the sleepy Mexican. Asked for
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  Speaker 1: an account of the massacre. The native said it was
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  Speaker 1: nearly dark when the Indians, numbering from twenty five to fifty,
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  Speaker 1: charged the camp and uttered such horrid yells that everyone
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  Speaker 1: took to his heels and was soon in the chaparral.
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  Speaker 1: The speaker saw his probacyt to Papa running with the
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  Speaker 1: Indians about to lance him, and knew that he and
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  Speaker 1: the remainder of the party were killed. He himself only escaped.
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  Speaker 1: As he mentioned the tragic death of his beloved parent,
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  Speaker 1: the tears rolled down his cheeks. Lieutenant Baylor comforted the
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  Speaker 1: weeper as best he could and asked if the Mexican
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  Speaker 1: would not guide the rangers to the raided camp, but
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  Speaker 1: the survivor declined with thanks, saying he must stay to
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  Speaker 1: help the station keeper take care of the stage mules.
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  Speaker 1: But he directed us to the ranch where some of
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  Speaker 1: the dead men's families lived and at which a guide
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  Speaker 1: could be obtained. When we arrived at the ranch below
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  Speaker 1: Hawkin's station, it was sunrise and we halted for breakfast
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  Speaker 1: after a night ride of forty miles. The people at
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  Speaker 1: the ranch were very uneasy when we rode up, but
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  Speaker 1: were rejoiced when they realized we were Texas for and
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  Speaker 1: learned our mission. They showed us every attention. Among the
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  Speaker 1: first to come out to us was an old Mexican
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  Speaker 1: who had been in the Hay camp when it was attacked.
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  Speaker 1: He gave a lurid account of the onset. His son
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  Speaker 1: had been one of the grimos, and when he mentioned this,
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  Speaker 1: the tears began to flow. Ah he o de Mikarowan,
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  Speaker 1: I shall never see him again. He lamented, all were killed,
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  Speaker 1: and I alone escaped. Lieutenant Baylor then explained to the
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  Speaker 1: weeping father that his son was very much alive, and
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  Speaker 1: that we had seen him that very night, bewailing the
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  Speaker 1: death of the father he thought killed. And it now
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  Speaker 1: developed that all the dead men were alive. When the
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  Speaker 1: camp was attacked, each Mexican had scattered, and the Apaches
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  Speaker 1: had been too busy looting the stores to follow the fugitives. Moreover,
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  Speaker 1: those ranchers would fight, and the Indians did not care
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  Speaker 1: to follow them into the brush. A bright young Mexican
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  Speaker 1: went with us to the Hay camp, which was about
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  Speaker 1: six miles toward Kmales. Jan Armandaris now has a cow ranch.
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  Speaker 1: The Apaches had made a mess of things in camp.
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  Speaker 1: Sure enough, they had broken all the cups and plates,
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  Speaker 1: poured salt into the sugar, this combination into the flour
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  Speaker 1: and beans, and the conglomeration of the hole on the ground.
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  Speaker 1: As the sacks were all they wanted, the Indians smashed
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  Speaker 1: the coffee pot, the frying pan, the skillet, and the
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  Speaker 1: water barrels with an axe, then taking all the blankets,
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  Speaker 1: the raiders started eastward as though they intended to go
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  Speaker 1: to the Sierra Priea, but after going a mile the
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  Speaker 1: trail turned south. We found the Redskins had come from
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  Speaker 1: the north by way of Lost Cameos, and were probably
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  Speaker 1: from Fort Stanton, New Mexico, on their way to raid
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  Speaker 1: Old Mexico. They were in a dry country and making
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  Speaker 1: for the Rio Grande, fourteen miles to the south. When
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  Speaker 1: they discovered the hay camp on their route, they charged
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  Speaker 1: it and fired on the hay cutters. The Mexicans scattered
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  Speaker 1: and made their escape in the darkness, each thinking himself
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  Speaker 1: the soulser and so reporting on reaching his home, though
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  Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, not a single life was lost.
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  Speaker 1: Our guide went back to give the alarm to the
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  Speaker 1: ranches below, and we followed the trail down the Mesa
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  Speaker 1: until opposite Guadalupe. There we crossed the overland stage route
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  Speaker 1: near the present Rio grand station and found our guide
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  Speaker 1: waiting for us. He had discovered the trail, and, fearing
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  Speaker 1: the Indians might ambush the road below, he had awaited
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  Speaker 1: our arrival. The trail made straight for the Rio Grande,
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  Speaker 1: crossing about one mile west of the Mexican town of Guadalupe.
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  Speaker 1: From the Pony and the mule tracks, Lieutenant Baylor judged
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  Speaker 1: there were fifteen to twenty Indians in the band. We
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  Speaker 1: had some trouble following the trail after we got to
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  Speaker 1: the river bottom, where loose horses and cattle ran, but
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  Speaker 1: a few of us dismounted and worked the trail out,
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  Speaker 1: crossed the river, and struck camp for dinner. Lieutenant Baylor
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  Speaker 1: sent Pablo Mahea into town to inform the President of
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  Speaker 1: Guadalupe that we had followed a fresh Apache trail to
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  Speaker 1: the grid and going south into Mexico, and asked permission
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  Speaker 1: to follow the Indians into his country. The scouts soon
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  Speaker 1: returned and reported that the president was not only pleased
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  Speaker 1: that we had pursued the Redskins, but would willingly join
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  Speaker 1: us himself with all the men he could muster. Just
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  Speaker 1: after we crossed the river, we came across a Mexican
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  Speaker 1: herder with the flock of goats. As soon as he
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  Speaker 1: heard we were trailing the Apaches, he began yelling at
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  Speaker 1: the top of his voice and sued had the goats
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  Speaker 1: on the jump for town. Though the Indians had passed
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  Speaker 1: the night before, we were quickly in saddle again, and
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  Speaker 1: as we rode into the pueblo, we were kindly received
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  Speaker 1: by the people. We found a mayor the Apaches had
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  Speaker 1: killed just on the edge of town, and from which
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  Speaker 1: they had taken some of the choice stakes. After leaving Guadalupe,
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  Speaker 1: the trail went south, following closely the stage road from
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  Speaker 1: Juarez to Chihuahua. Not long after leaving town, we met
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  Speaker 1: a courier coming to Guadalupe from Don Ramon around US's ranch,
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  Speaker 1: San Marcos de Canta Rica, one miles distant, who informed
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  Speaker 1: us that the Apaches had killed a herder on that
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  Speaker 1: ranch and had taken four horses and sixteen mules of
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  Speaker 1: the stage company. We hurried onward and reached Canto Rika
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  Speaker 1: at sunset, having traveled seventy eight miles since one am
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  Speaker 1: that morning. Both men and horses were rather tired. All
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  Speaker 1: was confusion at the ranch. The Mexican herder had been
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  Speaker 1: shrouded and laid out, with a cross at his head
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  Speaker 1: and several little lighted candles near the body. Many women
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  Speaker 1: were sitting around the room with black shawls pulled up
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  Speaker 1: over their heads. The Apaches, numbering sixteen well armed and
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  Speaker 1: well mounted warriors, had slain their victim and captured the
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  Speaker 1: stock near the ranch. Just about noon. Mexican volunteers from
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  Speaker 1: Guadalupe and San Ignacio began to ride in until our
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  Speaker 1: combined force number twenty five or twenty six men. Everyone
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  Speaker 1: was excited at the thought of a brush with the
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  Speaker 1: Redskins responsible for the murderer. Accompanied by our volunteer allies,
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  Speaker 1: we left the ranch at daylight next morning and picked
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  Speaker 1: up the trail at once. It led off south along
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  Speaker 1: the base of the Armagoro Mountains or Sierra Brentanos. As
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  Speaker 1: the Mexicans were familiar with the country, they took the
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  Speaker 1: lead and followed the trail rapidly. About eleven o'clock, the
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  Speaker 1: trailers halted at the mouth of the Canyon del Moranos,
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  Speaker 1: an ugly black hole cut in the mountains, looking grim
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  Speaker 1: and defiant enough without the aid of Apache warriors. When
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  Speaker 1: we had joined the Mexicans, we were traveling some half
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  Speaker 1: a mile behind them. Lieutenant Baylor and Captain Garcia held
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  Speaker 1: a short conference. The Lieutenant turned to me and said
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  Speaker 1: that Captain Garcia declared the Indians were in the canyon
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  Speaker 1: among the rocks, and ordered me to detail two men
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  Speaker 1: to guard our horses while we scaled the mountain on
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  Speaker 1: foot and investigated it. I could not bring myself to
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  Speaker 1: believe that a band of Indians that had killed a
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  Speaker 1: man and driven off all the stage stocked the day before,
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  Speaker 1: had gone only thirty miles and was now lying in
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  Speaker 1: wait for us. You don't know the Apaches, Lieutenant Baylor declared,
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  Speaker 1: when I voiced my thoughts. They are very different from
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  Speaker 1: the plains Indians, the kind you have been used to following.
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  Speaker 1: These Apaches delight to get into the rocks and lay
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  Speaker 1: for their enemies. At the conference, the Mexicans suggested that
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Baylor should take nine of his men and ten
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  Speaker 1: of their volunteers and follow the trail up the canyon,
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  Speaker 1: but the lieutenant declared that this would never do, as
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  Speaker 1: the Apaches had no doubt anticipated just such a move
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  Speaker 1: and hidden themselves in the cliffs where they could kill
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  Speaker 1: their attackers without exposing themselves in the least, He proposed
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  Speaker 1: scaling the mountain and following them down on top of
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  Speaker 1: the ridge in the Indian's rear, and this was the
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  Speaker 1: strategy finally adopted. The Mexicans dismounted and started up the
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  Speaker 1: mountain side about one hundred yards to our left. Lieutenant
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  Speaker 1: Baylor and his eight rangers marched straight forward from our
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  Speaker 1: horses and began the ascent. As we went along, the
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  Speaker 1: lieutenant pulled some bunch grass and stuck it all around
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  Speaker 1: under his hat band, so his head would look like
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  Speaker 1: a clump of grass and conceal his head and body
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  Speaker 1: if he should have to flatten himself on the ground.
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  Speaker 1: He counseled us to follow his example. I had taken
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  Speaker 1: some Mexican cheese out of my saddle pockets and was
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  Speaker 1: eating it as we marched carelessly up the mountain. Honestly,
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  Speaker 1: I did not believe there was an Indian within one
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  Speaker 1: hundred miles of us, but it was not long before
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  Speaker 1: I changed my mind. Suddenly there came a loud report
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  Speaker 1: of a gun, and then another. I looked up to
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  Speaker 1: where the Mexicans had taken position behind a ledge of rocks,
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  Speaker 1: and saw where a bullets struck the stones a foot
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  Speaker 1: above their heads. I did not want any more cheese.
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  Speaker 1: I threw down what I had in my hand and
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  Speaker 1: spat out what I had in my mouth. These old
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  Speaker 1: Apache warriors, high in the cliffs above us, then turned
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  Speaker 1: their attention to our little band of eight rangers and
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  Speaker 1: fired twenty five or thirty shots right into the midst
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  Speaker 1: of us. One of these big caliber bullets whizzed so
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  Speaker 1: close to my head that it made a noise like
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  Speaker 1: a wild dust bakes when flying down stream at the
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  Speaker 1: rate of fifty to sixty miles an hour. Lieutenant Baylor
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  Speaker 1: ordered us to charge at once. In running up the mountain,
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  Speaker 1: I was somewhat in advance of the boys. We came
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  Speaker 1: to a rock ledge three or four feet high. I
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  Speaker 1: quickly scaled this, but before I could straighten up, an
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  Speaker 1: Indian rose from behind the rock about fifteen to twenty
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  Speaker 1: yards ahead and fired point blank at me. The bullet
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  Speaker 1: struck a small soap weed three feet in front of
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  Speaker 1: me and knocked the leaves into my mouth and face.
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  Speaker 1: I felt as if I had been hit, but it
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  Speaker 1: was leaves and not blood that I wiped out of
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  Speaker 1: my mouth with my left hand. I turned my head
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  Speaker 1: and called to the boys to look out, but the
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  Speaker 1: warning was unnecessary. They had already taken shelter under the
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  Speaker 1: ledge of rock. Just as I turned my head, a
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  Speaker 1: second shot from the apache carried away the entire front
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  Speaker 1: part of my hat brim. I saw the warrior throw
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  Speaker 1: another cartridge in his gun and brought my winchester quickly
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  Speaker 1: to bear upon him. When he saw that I was
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  Speaker 1: about to shoot, he shifted his position and turned sideways
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  Speaker 1: to me. We both fired at the same instant. My
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  Speaker 1: bullet hit the redskin just above his hip, and, passing
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  Speaker 1: straight through his body, broke the smell of his back
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  Speaker 1: and killed him almost instantly. This old brave was a
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  Speaker 1: big man, probably six feet tall, with his face painted
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  Speaker 1: in red and blue paint. He used an old octagon
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  Speaker 1: barrel Winchester rifle, and he had with him an old
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  Speaker 1: shirt sleeve tied at one end, in which were two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty Winchester cartridges. Some Indians fifty yards up
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  Speaker 1: the mountain now began to shell our position. So I
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  Speaker 1: took shelter behind the ledge of rock fifteen or twenty
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  Speaker 1: feet to our left and a little higher up the mountain.
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Baylor was sheltered behind some boulders. He raised his
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  Speaker 1: head slightly above his parapet for a peep at the Indians,
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  Speaker 1: and those keen sighted warriors saw him. A well directed
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  Speaker 1: shot cut part of the grass out of his hat.
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  Speaker 1: Had the bullet been six inches lower, it would have
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  Speaker 1: struck him full in the face. Darn, that old Indian,
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  Speaker 1: exclaimed Baylor, ducking his head. If I had a shotgun,
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  Speaker 1: I would run up and jump right on top of him.
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  Speaker 1: The lieutenant was mad now and ordered a charge. The
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  Speaker 1: boys hesitated, and George Harold, an old scout, said, Lieutenant,
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  Speaker 1: if we leave this shelter and start up the mountain,
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  Speaker 1: the Indians hidden behind those rocks seventy five yards above
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  Speaker 1: will kill us all. Yes, I suppose you're right. They
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  Speaker 1: would be hard to dislodge, replied Baylor. The apaches defiditely
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  Speaker 1: had plenty of ammunition, as they kept up a desultory
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  Speaker 1: fire all day. Seeing we were not going to fall
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  Speaker 1: into their trap, they turned their attention to our horses.
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  Speaker 1: Although the animals were four or five hundred yards from
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  Speaker 1: the foot of the mountain, they killed Sergeant Swilling's horse,
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  Speaker 1: the bullet passing entirely through the body just behind the
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  Speaker 1: shoulders horse, a large white one, staggered and tumbled over.
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  Speaker 1: Swolling began to mourn, for he had the horror of
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  Speaker 1: walking all Western men have. John Thomas, however, got the
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  Speaker 1: laugh on him by saying, Sergeant, you had better wait
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  Speaker 1: and see if you are going back to camp. We
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  Speaker 1: could see the Indians bullets knocking up dust all around
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  Speaker 1: the horses and the guard replying to the fire. Baylor
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  Speaker 1: now sent a man and had the guard move the
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  Speaker 1: horses out of range. During the afternoon, the Apaches moved
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  Speaker 1: up higher toward the crest of the mountain, and in
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  Speaker 1: doing so, one of the Indians exposed himself. The Mexicans
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  Speaker 1: to our left spotted him and killed him with a
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  Speaker 1: well directed shot. The warrior fell out an open ground
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  Speaker 1: where he was literally shot all to pieces. We had
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  Speaker 1: been without water all day, and when night came, Lieutenant
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  Speaker 1: Baylor and Captain Garcia decided it was useless to continue
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  Speaker 1: the fight any longer, so we withdrew toward our horses.
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  Speaker 1: After reaching the animals, we we could still hear the
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  Speaker 1: Indians firing on our positions. We might have captured the
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  Speaker 1: Apaches horses by a charge, but we would have had
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  Speaker 1: to go down the side of the mountain and across
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  Speaker 1: a deep canyon, where we would have been compelled to
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  Speaker 1: pick our ways slowly under a constant crossfire from the
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  Speaker 1: concealed riflemen. And neither baalor nor Garcia thought the horses
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  Speaker 1: worth the sacrifice required to capture them. As the nearest
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  Speaker 1: water was thirty miles away and our men and horses.
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  Speaker 1: Weary and thirsty, we rode back to our hospitable friend,
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  Speaker 1: Don Ramon around US's ranch, where our horses were fed
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  Speaker 1: and we ourselves supplied with fresh milk and cheese. On
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  Speaker 1: our return to Guadalupe, we were most kindly entertained by
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  Speaker 1: mister Maximo around Us, custom house officer at San Elizario
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  Speaker 1: and brother to Don Ramon. We reached our headquarters at
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  Speaker 1: Isleta after being out five days and traveling two hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty two miles, sustaining no no other damage than
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  Speaker 1: a few bruises from scaling the mountain and the loss
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  Speaker 1: of Sergeants Swilling's horse. This first brush with Apaches, however,
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  Speaker 1: was but a prelude to other expeditions after this tribe,
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  Speaker 1: and we were soon hot on the trail of Victorio
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  Speaker 1: the Apache Napoleon end of Chapter twelve