Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881Gillett, James B.
History
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Gillett, James B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Gillett, James B., 1856-1937; Texas -- History -- 1846-1950; Texas Rangers
Seiker and I hurried back to the dead horse to help the white boy, but
he had extricated himself and disappeared. We then returned to the
dead warrior and Seiker scalped him. We took the Indian's bow shield
and a fine pair of moccasins. I also found a fine lance near where the
horse fell, and I presume it was carried by the white boy. We found the
redskin had no Winchester cartridges, and this was why he dropped the
gun--he could not carry it and use his bow. We went back over the trail
but were unable to find the gun the brave had dropped as a bait.
By noon that day the boys had all returned to where the fight had
begun and the Indian horses had been left. Jim Hawkins and Paul Durham
captured a Mexican boy about fifteen years old. He looked just like
an Indian, had long plaited hair down his back, was bare headed, wore
moccasins and a breech-clout. Had he been in front of me I would surely
have killed him for a redskin. Captain Roberts spoke Spanish fluently,
and from this boy he learned that the Indians were Lipans that lived in
Old Mexico. He was taken back to our camp and finally his uncle came
and took him home. He had been captured while herding oxen near old
Fort Clark, Texas, and an elder brother, who was with him at the time,
had been killed.
The boys were then sent back by Captain Roberts to find the white lad
that had been with the Indian Seiker had killed. Though we searched
carefully we could find no trace of the mysterious youngster. Some
years later I learned that this boy's name was Fischer and that his
parents went into Old Mexico and ransomed him. He was from Llano
County, and after his return he wrote, or had written, a small
pamphlet that contained an account of his life with the Indians. He
told of being with old Chief Magoosh in this fight. He declared he hid
in the grass within sight of the rangers while they were hunting him,
but was afraid to show himself for fear of being killed.
When the rangers had all gathered after the fight our pack mule,
Jennie, was missing. We supposed in the run that she had followed the
Indians off. Six months later Ed Seiker was detailed to pilot a body of
United States soldiers over that same country to pick out a road to the
Pecos River. He visited our old battlefield and found Jennie's carcass.
She had a bullet hole in the center of her forehead. The Indians in
shooting back at their attackers probably hit her with a chance shot.
The pack saddle was still strapped to her body, but wolves had eaten
all the supplies. Five hundred rounds of ammunition were still with
her, showing that no one had seen her since the day of her death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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