"Late in May of 1879 we were out in the field plowing when a roving band of Apaches, five in number, fired upon us. After getting our guns we crossed the Frisco river up into the Cedars where the present site of Glenwood now is.
"Houston, Beaver, Keller and I hid, after staking out a horse an a decoy. We fired on the Indians when they came in sight for they had made for the horse as they were all afoot. The Indians were heavily armed. We fired too low and broke three of the warriors legs. One of the warriors had been left on the hill to watch, and the others when we fired ran up the hill to escape.
"We camped for the night and the next morning took the trail over the hill of the Indian we had injured. We saw an Indian up in the hill covered with a blanket. My father, thinking that the warrior was dead, lifted up the blanket and was surprised to find that the man had been asleep and he raised his gun to shoot when the Indian began to beg for his life. But my Father was so disgusted with the raids of the Indians that he pulled the trigger and blowed the Indians head off.
"On April the 28th Victorio made his presence known by appearing at the location of the Cooney mine worked by G. C. Williams, Fran Vingo, J. Brown, Henry Mcallister, George Doyle, John Lambert, Alex McLaughlin and Sergeant Cooney and by killing two men. The rest of the party hid out. Eli McAder and George Williams brought the news into the camp that the Indians had attacked and killed two of their group. Jim Cooney and Jack Chick went to Glenwood to give the alarm while my group went to Clairmont, while George Doyle and John Lambert remained on the grounds. The tribe soon took over the mining camp and burned the cabins.
"The names of those in the fight were James Allen, John Muttsinger, Harrison Muttsinger, Black Bard, Al Potter, Pete Carpenter, Skelt Williams, Jep Thompson, Robert Stubblefield, Bill Wilcox, Jim Keller, John Foster, Joe Roberts, Sarah Roberts, George Roberts, Grant Roberts, John Roberts, Robert Sipes, James Coulter, John Meader and wife, and Agnes Meader Synder. A rescue party was sent from Silver City to the aid of the besieged, but the Indians left the morning after the fight and were not to be found."
Maurice Coates