Our family left Sherman, Texas Sep. 22, 1879
for Arizona, where one of my uncles was supposed to be living. We came
by Deming where we were warned that the indians were out and we had better
not go by Cookes Peak as this is one of the indians favorite places of
attact. My father never having had any dealing with any indians, was not
afraid of the indians and came on by the Peak. Luck was apparently with
us for a big snow storm came up and we never saw an indian. When we got
to Silver City the weather was so disagreeable that father got a place
for us to stay. While in Silver City we heard that my uncle was in the
Frisco Valley area, up in the hills mining. Father took us to the Frisco
Valley and settled. We made the third family in the valley.
Up in the hills mexican sheep men became angry
because the settlers were coming into the valley so they told the Apaches
that the white settlers would be easily taken as they were new to this
country and as the Apaches were always ready to attact an easy victim they
were ready to raid the new settlers at once. In the later part of April
1880 the indians under their chief, Victoria, were near the Cooney mine
up in the hills.
The attact was made just as the men were quiting
work for the day. Three of the men from the mine were killed, another,
Mr. Taylor was shot in the leg, the shot breaking his leg. Mr. Taylor hid
out in a nearby cave. The rest of the men scattered into the hills.
Mother and we children slept in the wagon as the only house we had was a
leanto. When I went out to the wagon
to go to bed I heard a strange noise up in the hills. I ran into the house
and said, "There is something up in the hills". The entire family came
out to listen, when they didn't hear anything they tried to make me believe
that it was the frogs town in the swamp. I had been raised in town and
any unusual noise attracted my attention, and I knew the noise I heard
was up in the hills, and wasn't a noise usually heard at night.
After the family had gone to bed I could not
sleep because I kept thinking about the noise in the hills. I got up and
sat on a big trunk in the front of the wagon. I heard some loud talking,
and soon decided that it was over at the Roberts house. I thought that
probably that some of the family was sick and needing help. I was just
ready to wake up mother when I heard a horse coming. Thinking that it was
some of the Roberts family I waited to see what the party wanted. The horse
came up on the far side of the leanto. I called, "We are on this side of
the house."
A man rode around the house and asked "Where is your father?"
I replied "In the house asleep."
"Go, wake him and tell him that the Apaches
are out, that he had better get all of his stock in the corrall at once
and get ready for an attact. I haven't time to awaken him as I must go
warn others."
I thanked the man and ran to the house to awaken father.
The family soon was busy, father put the stock in the corral and went after
my brother and uncle that slept in the store across the creek.
When the men came back my uncle and oldest
brother stayed at the corral to guard the stock. Mother and I started to
moulding bullets for our old 44 Winchester. Sgt Cooney and another man
called Chick came down from the hills, and told us that they had been hiding
in the hills after the attact at the mine. When night came they began to
bellow so the dogs would bark and they could get their bearing, thereby
explaining the noise that I had heard. Sgt Cooney had been an indian scout
for five years, and said that we need not worry that the indians would
raid their cabins and not bother the settlers. We did not worry as we thought
that Sgt Cooney knew what the indians were likely to do. We laughed and
moulded bullets the rest of the night.
When morning came Chick kept wanting to return
to the mine. Sgt Cooney said, "The indians will just raid the cabins, but
it is not safe to go up there now as the indians are still in in the country."
Chick insisted that he was going; finally rather than let him go alone
Capt. Cooney consented to go if they could barrow some horses to ride.
My father did not have any horses as we drove mules from Sherman, and he
was using them to make his crop. The men went over to the Roberts Ranch
and obtained horses to make the trip. After several hours the horses returned
riderless with blood on them. Mr. Potter and Mr. Motsiner jumped on the
horses and took off up the mine as it was feared that the men had run into
trouble and needed help. The men were ambushed by the indiams. Potter's
gun was shot from his hand the jar of the shot injuring his arm, but he
drew his six-shooter and fought his way out of the ambush, and rode back
to the ranch before the indians were able to attact the ranch.
The indians had always feared Sgt Cooney,
and when they saw that they had killed him they rejoiced. They thought
that if they could surprize Cooney the settlers were not expecting an attact.
The warriors left the squaws to mutilate the bodies of Sgt Cooney and Chick.
When the horses returned riderless the Roberts family decided to send out
an alarm. A man rode over to our house and told us to hurry to the Roberts
house. My father thought that we should fortify our place as our house
was on a plain and the Roberts house was at the foot of a hill, and the
indians could shoot down the hill. Mother insisted that we go on over to
the Roberts Ranch. My brother said that he would stay with the stock at
the corral.
We finally got the two white mules to the
wagon and started for the ranch. We saw some cattle standing on a hill,
the cattle were watching something. Mother said, "Paw drive faster the
indians are coming the cattle are watching them." "Oh mother, there is
plenty of time those cattle are watching us the indians aren't near yet."
Paw just would not hurry, and mother would urge him to drive faster. Paw
would just tease her and never drive any faster. We were leisure driving
along when we came to the top of the hill, and the cattle started to run,
and what we heard was a bullet. The indians were coming toward us. I grabbed
the rifle, Paw called, "It isn't loaded. The shells are in my belt." The
belt was a new belt and very stiff. I tugged but could not get any of the
shells out--paw was driving very fast. And I was pointing the gun at the
indians in hopes that they would stay back if they saw a gun. If I had
been able to load the gun I could never hit the indians as the gun was
bouncing around so; as father was really making a race for the Roberts
ranch now I screamed for the family to lie down in the wagon so the indians
couldn't hit them easily. Bullets were whizzing around us. The indians
were getting nearer all the time.
My brother was standing at the corral watching
the attack, but could not help us as his gun was not along. The men at
the Roberts Ranch saw the trouble that we were in and six of the men rode
out to help us; therby risking their lives; the part of men rode between
us and the indians. The indians began to shoot at the men on the horses;
therefore giving us a chance to get to the ranch. We were traveling at
quite a speed by the time we reached the ranch. We had to pass the house,
and pulled up behind a old log shed. Just as we halted one of the white
mules fell dead, the first shot of the apaches to take effect for they
were sure shooting wild. We got out of the wagon down by the wall. My sister
said "I haven't seen any indians." She had been lying down in the wagon.
She decided to peep around the corner to see an indian. A shot missed her
head about one inch!
To get to the house we were going to have
to leap a ditch, the men told us as soon as there was a slack in the firing
to make for the house. The firing ceased, and we knew the indians were
surrounding the place. We made a dash for the house, the children made
it across alright, but we were afraid mother would be unable to make the
leap across the ditch as she was short and weighed about one hundred and
sixty-five pounds. When mother came to the ditch she leaped across that
ditch as spry as a deer. She said it was time to get in a hurry. The house
was a long house made of logs with a door at each end. The beds were placed
around the wall of the room, and the women and children put in the center
of the room for protection. There were thirty-one men in the house besides
the six members of the Colter family, five in the Roberts family and six
in the Meader family.
My brother couldn't stand the suspense of
not knowing what happened to us, made a ride for the ranch, and arrived
with out a scratch. Luck was surely with us for bullets had hit all around
us, and not a one was injured. The indians were able to keep up a constant
fire as fifteen warriors would drive up and fire; then drop back to reload
their guns and another fifteen would take their place thereby keep up a
constant fire as they were always moving in a circle. There were two hundred
and thirteen warriors counted. The indians surrounded the house some shooting
down the hill many of the shots lodged on the dirt roof--others knocked
holes in the wall making it unsafe to move about as the indians could see
any movment in the house through the cracks. Late in the afternoon one
of the small children was crying for some thing to eat, and the fool was
all across the room in the cupboard. My brother was standing on one side
of the cupboard, and I wished to take his place as I knew that he was tired.
I asked Mrs. Roberts if the milk was in the cupboard when she said it was
I had an excuse to go after the milk as the children hadn't had anything
to eat all day. I made a dart across the room safely. I asked, "Brother
do you want me to take your place for awhile?" "No, it is too dangerous
as the indians have nearly hit me several times through the cracks in the
wall."
The girls in those days were taught to shoot
same as the boys. I have spent many hours at target practice with my brothers
and father. Mr. Wilcox was standing on the otherside of the cupboard spoke
up and said "Agnes, when you start back across the room you go as fast
as possible; those indians are shooting at every thing they see move."
Before I started back Mr. Wilcox saw his partner out in the yard trying
to get to the house. Mr. Wilcox stepped to the door to aid his partner
in getting to the house by exposing himself. I darted across the room and
as I handed the child the glass of milk Mr. Wilcox cried! "My God, boys
I'm shot." He stood his gun down by the door facing and walked over to
the fireplace and laid down. Before anyone could reach him he was dead.
Early in the fight an apache had been shot,
the warrior rolled down the ditch that we had to jump, into the water.
We thought that he was dead, which he probably was, but he disappeared
when Mr.Murry tried to get to the house. Mr. Murry had gone into the hills
early in the morning to round up some cattle, when he heard the firing
he knew the indians had attacted and hid out in the hills. Late in the
afternoon he decided that it was time to try to make it to the house, but
he tried to come in too early. The boys sure did have to do some real shooting
to make the indians stay back in order for Mr. Murry to get to the house.
While the boys were making every effort to get Mr. Murry to the house the
indian in the ditch disappeared. Whether the indian was injured, and saw
a chance to get away or one of the other warriors slipped down, and carried
him away or what happened to him was never known.
Mr. Foster understood the apache language
and signs, he told the boys that Victoria was trying to get his warriors
to rush down the hill on the house, as our ammunition was low he cautioned
the boys to never shoot unless they were sure of the shot. For if the apaches
ever did get to the house it would be all off with the settlers. As the
warriors could soon capture the place as they had plenty ammunition. The
indians always had ammunition, a indian scout would always go out with
a lot of ammunition, when he returned he never had any, he would tell his
commanding officer that he shot at rabbits and birds, but he was storing
it away for future use as he knew he would probably be back with the tribe
the next year, many times he sent his ammunition to his tribe. The warriors
made several rushes for the house, but the boys made it hot to get too
close. The apaches are superstitious about fighting, after night, and when
dark came the indians made camp at the present site of Alma. The the yelling
and whooping really came off. They danced and made merry for they had the
white settlers penned. The men soon became tired of their fun making, and
sent a few shots over in their direction. The indians moved a little farther
away and no more was heard of them, so close to the ranch.
We figured that we were in for a seige, and
had better fill everything with water. If the indians were to cut the ditch
we would probably have to give up the fight from thirst. Two men volunteered
to try to get through to Silver City for help and ammunition. To go to
Silver they must go by the indian camp. The men came around and told us
all good-bye, they never expected to come back, and I don't suppose anyone
in the room ever expected to see them again, but God was merciful for they
went by the camp safely. At the ranches along the road were able to secure
fresh mounts. The men arrived in Silver City early the next day and gave
the alarm. Then they rushed over to the fort. Captain Madden had been out
on an indian scouting trip and was just returning to the post with thirty-five
of his troops and scouts and he ordered his men to turn and march to the
Farisco Valley.
The men marched by Silver City where seventy-five
citzens joined the troops. The men were tired but they never let this hinder
them in their rush to the settlers. The morning after the battle we were
surprised that we weren't fired on, but Mr. Indian had decided that the
white settlers weren't to be taken so easily, and had sent a runner over
to the San Carlos Reservation for more warriors. The men decided, as the
indians weren't bothering, to try to bury Mr. Wilcox. They constructed
a crude coffin and decided to bury him on the hill behind the house. If
the indians were seen coming a shot was to be fired from a pistol. The
men were carring the coffin up the hill when a shot was heard. The men
hastily placed the body under a tree and made a run for the house. When
the men had gathered at the house it was discovered that one of the men
had accidently dropped his gun, and made it go off. Many days later we
were able to laugh about the incident, but it sure wasn't funny then.
There was seventeen head of stock in the Robert
corral where the fight started, but they were all killed. Our old white
mule stood by the old log house and was never hit.
The day after the fight Captain Madden came
in sight of the ranch. As soon as he could see the ranch with his field
glasses; he tried to see the condition of things at the ranch. He told
the boys "We are too late; for I see a red flag. When he was a little closer
to the ranch he cried, "we are early enough for I see a white man." The
cry of rejoicing that went up from that group could be heard for many miles.
Mr. Indian had early in the morning moved into the hills for they apparently
heard the soldiers were coming. They went by the places where the mexican
sheepherders were and killed thirty-five men.
The indians were angry because the sheep men
had told them that the new settlers would be easily taken, and they hadn't
been able to accomplish their victory. The mexican taken prisoner by the
indians told us that the indians had nine dead warrier with them. After
the soldiers arrived and found us safe they decided that it would be foolish
to try to follow the indians, as the men were all tired as well as their
mounts. Also many of the men from Silver City were afoot. When we returned
home we didn't have a thing left. Sheriff Whitehill was in the valley at
the tine of the attact and came on to the ranch, and father sent us back
to Silver with him.
Sometime after the fight an Apache scout
came into the mining camp with Chicks vest on, the one he had on the day
he was killed. The boys at once took Mr Scout prisoner and took possesion
of his horse. The indian scouts always helped his tribe against white people.
One morning the boys told the indian that he was to follow them. The indian
asked "Where are you taking me?" One of the boys answered; "Going to show
you the trail'" "Yes I know the trail that you will show me, and it will
be a long one." The boys took the scout out and hung him.
My father bargained with the boys for the
scout's horse for thirty-five dollars. We had to have another horse or
mule to make the crop. Sometime after the hanging of the indian a government
man came by, and demanded the horse from the boys. They told him that the
horse had been sold and paid for, and they guessed that he couldn't have
him. The government agent came to father and demanded the horse. Father
told him, "I don't intend to let you have the horse. The indians took everything
I had, And I have bought and paid for this horse, and I intend to keep
it. The agent told father the government couldn't be responsible for their
scouts and father said, "Turn your dam indians loose and we will take care
of them." When father told him this the man went on about his business
and was never heard of again.
The families that were in the valley never
did receive anything for their loss, as the government agent said that
the indians were at war with the government.
A negro detachment was sent into the valley
but they were useless. Father was talking to one of them and he said, "we
daren't shoot at an indian. We are just out here to bury the dead."
memories of Mrs Agnes Meader Snyder