A FIGHT WITH APACHES. Rattle Between the O'Brien and the yelling Redskins.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 5

A FIGHT WITH APACHES. Rattle Between the OBrien and the yelling Redskins.

>Thkbjbi neverxhas been! a> week since < the Ap»cho6 were forced* oil to ¥; rwiervitlon ,t;h»t som«» o^ tb^^ere^not off mvaVdVR, if not under a chief, thqn h QP| their, abcount'imd out of' pure ''A' few months to tho last broak' tbade'by GercmimothirtGen|buckB/Jed by a sub-chief, left tlie reeervatibn, »nd' \y*er6;firet h6ar'd .of ««efing ecalpe- alon jj the' Sa^ Pedro Kiver. Three or four ranchmen|w'&re Hvip^d put, ,bne : atWr thY other, and 'bnVdayV *^9^* noon, the' redßKins came upon 'tno family of William O'Brien.- O'BrieVwas *si6k oii a bed in' the Waggon, and tiis wife Van driving .the team.. They had abandoned their home on icfeounfc of 'srekness^'and*' other misfortunes, and thowaggoW held all their, b^Mg. ings in the Way of furniture. 'Besides the hueband'arid wife, there was ft girl of 14 years, bamed ; Hattle; Arid a b6y of 11 years, •named' >O TjJe ; two' children knew how fb use* firearms, and the mojbher wae'a [ good 'shot ) >£th 'either "rifle' or* J feVolvek 1 THe^ had a 'Spencer' carbhie!, % : naVy revolver and a douMe^barrelle^pMtg^ri.;* '" * ThefamUy wa>" JuSt Irotng'mto j the r camp 'for dinner 1 when the Indiana were dW cohered oh the open^lWajS ' a -mile or ' more aipjft As;the country Was then supposed 'to Jje at PQace, J 'there',w»i tithing yery alarming in thVslghtfi'f a b-anrfbf redskin*, but; by^fhe advice of OBrien, t the waggon was ,driven, into a cump of trees; on 'the' bank bf the stream. The grove wa? not over al'halfa 1 'half acre in size, and' was isolated 1 fr<bm*any other; While the ground on three sides' was .entirely open. Had .the Indiana, tt>a6V» daah'asiaoon as they 1 wore -discovered,, they must have won an easy victory, .as .no one was prepared for, a hostile movement.' The actions "made OBrien Auspicious," and he dressedhimseif and got oubof the waggon, although He 'had not, brien out;'6f bed' for ! several weeks previpusly. After holdingWcoh* sultationtho Indians sen tone of theirnumber forward to hold a parley: ' OBrien, armed with a shotgun, advanced to meet him on ttie 6dgejof the grove, tfnbwing r ttiatthe ; red« skin's object was to discover the strength of the party. He came forward in full war paiut and was very insolent in his bearing: To the inquiry as to why he was in war paint he replied that war had again broken out, and that ever/ white man wa&tb be' driven out of the country. 1 • He demanSed a quiet surrender oh the part of OBrien, promising that the prisoners should be carried to the neighbourhood of the nearest fort and set afc liberty. He did not^deny that his party coveted the horsea, waggon and firearms, and that they would have them or fight., ' ' OBrien was so weak that he had to lean against a 'tree during the parley, but his physical condition did not affect his natural bravery. He replied that surrender was not to be thought of; and that if the Indians wanted a fight he was ready to give them the be,st hebiad. The warrior must have noted the fact that there were only a woman and two children to back the sick man, and he had : scarcely rejoined his companions when it was seen that they meant to attack at once. They began riding up and down across the front of the grove yelling and firing and gradually working nearer. While the father, mother, and daughter took shelter behind trees, the boy seized the axe and felled several of the'tree&^on the edges of the grove, thus forming obstruotions find defence at the ' same time. The Indians rode closer and sent their bullets into the grove, but the boy continued his work at ' the soft trees, ; and the others' held their fire until a rush should be made. The Indians muet have believed OBrien had the only firearm^jand that there was net much danger from him', as all presently charged in a body on the front of the grove. The result 'certainly' astonished those who lived to get out of range. OBrien took the Spencer, his wife the shotgun and the girl made use of the revolver; and .the three had the shelter of a fallen tree. Two Indians were killed outright, two others badly wounded, and one pony Was kit dea i and another went off to die- The horse*, as was afterward' discovered, were all stolen stock. ' * ' When the redskins had retired out of range, they held another consultation, and as it broke up they crossed v the stream above and below the grove. There' -was a bluff on the other side, and they had no sooner secured cover" than they opened fire oh the grove and were perfectly safe from return shots. The horses we're led into the tree top 3 furthest away, and each, one of the family lay down behind shelter. For two hourßthe fire of the Indians was maintained. While they could not see any one to shoot at they depended on stray bullets reducing the number of the besieged. OBrien had his hat knocked off by their lead, while his wife had two bullets fling dust into her face, and the girl was raked across the cheek by a splinter from a tree. The boy occupied a depression where their' buPets could not reach him.- ' • While OBrien was no Indian fighter, he had seen perilous times in Kansas, and was a wide-awake man in an emergency. When the fire began to slacken he knew that some new move was being planned. When it suddenly increased again he crept to the side of the grove next to the priarie, and he reached it none" too soon. Two Indians were skulking up to ! recover the bodies of their companions; One of them was bored through the body by an ounce ball from 'the Spencer, and the' other made his escape^n* liot haste. From that time until after dark • not another shot Was'fired, nor was one of the Indians seen. OBrien had' won a vie- - tory, but he did not delude < Jbimeelf with' the idea that the * Apaches' had abandoned the fight. He did not for a moment ' doubt ■ (that war had- broken* out.' r Such being tae case 1 , he could expeetjijo' help from any quarter, and if the family ,wm eared it must be by their own efforjtoi 'The Indians would burn to revenge the ~de*th of their, comrajdes, and their jiilence atid seclusion simply meant that were waiting for the night. Under cover of darkness the ' advantage must be on their side, arid, like a brave and prudent man, OBrien began preparations to offset it is far as posaible? ; The axe was called into use again to cut up, t the fallen trees and form a breastwork ab'otit the waggon, and the boy ' crept out to the^deai Indians and brought back their rifles a*nd revolvers and ammunition^ The increase of weapons was as good as if two or three men had joined them. Stakes were sharpened 1 ami driven, into the ground for an abatts, and r a quantity of rope was taken from the waggon and stretched from tree to tree to make 1 still another obstruction; The boy went to r the .stream with a pail, and as he was not fired on, he carried water 'to the horses and a i; supply to last the family. Night came down, with 'the family in the inclosure and ready for an attack. OBrien had been down with fever for- many weeks, as tetated, not able to help, himself at all, but the excitement of the attack hot only brought him to his feet,, but kept him up, The spare weapon^,. ready 'for instant use, were placed within reach, and then came two hours of waiting,' /^lt appeared that the Indians separated.and entered the groV6 from all aides, and at a giv*en signal charged at, the waggon, and, opened^ fi.ro... The fire was returned} and in five minutes tlie fightwas over, The girl was shot in the 'left arm,' OBrien raked across the'ekull, and both boy

ihd motHecrhmd bullet* *nt fcheip dotliinpj; Therc'wiMf perfect during the re^st of the plght^iind .whentmbrnirife^jaiatte'O.'Brien r •. wme cert*in«that ethe^^ Indians. iß ad s |with-; drawn;?*iT|i'ethi^e bodies ontthtfprairiejhad been taken away? antt there were, evidenicoa that^twovtoK) tiireeceevorely,- wounded ired] •skins hodbeen helped out of the grove. - An s agen.oylhdiahi afterward? admitted :tbat -the /raiding^ party lost; fodr. men outriphti and that three others had d received, < severe woundei-*" GalVeatonibfewslVi „y,^i * •