A GIRL CARRIED OFF BY INDIANS.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 169, 11 September 1886, Page 7

A GIRL CARRIED OFF BY INDIANS.

A romantic 'Indian story; comes from the Pacific Coast, savouring very much of the tales generally appearing in, the boys' weekly paper. The affair came to a culminating point about the 20th ult., when a desperate encounter took place between the Indians and a small band of Mexicans near Nogales, Mexico. ■It seems that, on the 27th April last the Indians under Geronimo, made a descent on the place of Mr Peek, killing Mrs Peek and her child, and taking into captivity Mr Peek, and hie .niece, a girl of twelve years of age. The Indians belonged to.the Apache tribe and have been hotly pursued. ever since both by the United States troop and Mexican civilians, It is -to the credit of the latter that the rescue of ' the captive girl is due. The band of Mexicans, but. ten in number, struck the trail of the Indians and followed it up ' with < great determination and energy. There were 42 hostile Indians When near the summit of the mountain- on which was the Indian encampment the | Mexicans were fired on, andtbr.ee fell dead, a fourth' being severely wounded. > The, remaining six sprang into - the :*< bush, and endeavoured • to outflank the >hos tiles: ■ and .obtain an equal elevation. One of the chiefls < squaws in charge of the. girl uPeek ' waSi sleeping 'in a creek near the ppot gained, by 'the l ' Mexicans. One of the Indiana ran.out to call the squaw, in, but she waved him back, and with ariflo fired on the Mexicans. She was shot 'dead, and, to save herself, the girlfeil to' the ground, feigning death. ;. The Apachebj hearing the firing, ran' out. ■ The leader was ehot dead. t >In attempting to carry off the body six others were ehot dead also. The Indians carried off -their comrades," biit could, 'not -regain tho bodies of the' w6men. • The* Mexicans had -taken up a position over the, bodies of the squaw and- the girl Feck, . both of whom were suppdsed to be dead. The Indians- were put's to 'flight,, and fit was l then! found that the girl was alive.: ■ The pooi? creature was 'naked from the waist' upwards^ and. appeared quite dazed. She could scarcely remember anything, but that .she 'had been 1 captured eomewbere near Nogales a, ltfng time ago;V Her eyes were sunken in her, head. She had lived .on raw horseflesh, and had not tasted bread since her captivity; i Her body was much lacerated by riding through thorny bushes by.riight: She; bAdtbeen dashing. almost constantly .through ibuBh,,:ro<iky.^,creeke, and* over mountains day ,^ and night ever since < her captures. ,: She bad {.always; slept \ on the .arm of [Getonim'o'sjequawy and: apart from «^the ;, sleeping.* place : of !*ith'e* India nthn';i wThe I ijquaw had :boem detailed' to" guard rand /protect tfarenr glulikniw^othing^otthe, • !at«*of i]he|i unde^hol w^k , enured the aatne day as , she' " was) but it ;appQßrftiiie, • OReipedrf r pm j^Cho^rndi»ni<^ $ JEHftfjgitol^a| f^eiing|br<>lughtlto^a^ Her uncle, was thefa -on ,hie , way to • receive?