Mrs. R. K. McGinness
Dear Sister: -
Probably before this reaches you, you will have heard of the terrible
disaster that has befallen our unfortunate family. The news came on the 7th that the San Carlos Indians had left the Reservation, and were on the warpath. We packed up and moved the family down to the settlement; in a few days it was contradicted, by what was supposed to be reliable authority. All the families then left the forts and returned to their homes. Our family
returned to Diamond Valley at the head of East Verde; Eva and Rose stayed
at Green Valley. The Indians attacked the family the day before yesterday.
Pa, John and Henry were the only men at the place. Frank Prethero and I being at Green Valley about 16 miles from the ranch. The Indians were lying in ambush about 80 yards from the house; the dogs roused the folks by their barking. Pa was the first to get up, and supposing it was a bear that had been invading the premises for the last few nights previous, went
with his gun in the direction of the barking.
A shot was fired, mother saw him running in the direction of the house
and heard him moan. John thought, at first, that his gun had been discharged accidentally, while Henry thought it was Indians, both were in bed at the first report, and did not know of pa being out. Both hastened to the spot where mother had seen him last, but past where he was lying. They called
several times, and got no answer, only a murderous volley from the Indians, who were lying in the ravine. John’s arm was shot through at the elbow, and a shot struck directly over the heart; it hit a mahogany pipe in his shirt pocket, which turned the bullet to the left and did but little damage. Henry was shot through the foot.
Then they started to retreat, but were followed closely by the Indians. As soon as they left their ambush, the boys turned and charged. The Indians fired another volley and ran to the ravine in this volley. John’s left arm was broken at the wrist, and Henry was hit in the left groin and the
lower part of the abdomen, by a musket ball and three shot. His cartridge belt was shot off and the ball passed through the stock of his gun. The boys then returned to the house as fast as possible.
John was bleeding freely from both arms and from the breast. Henry would not own he was wounded, until the family were safe in the fortification, and the Indians had quit firing. He took a position at a port hole in one
end of the house, while Maggie guarded the other with a shot gun. In this position, Henry, John, mother, the three small boys, Maggie and Miss Sarah Jane Hazelton (who was there visiting) remained from dawn until 3 o’clock, when Mr. Massey and John Grey arrived.
Grey was immediately dispatched to Green Valley, and arrived at 4:30
o’clock. Frank Prethero, Mr. Derrick, a U. S. soldier, and myself, started through the mountains keeping clear of the road; we reached the place at sundown. Found everything quiet; the boys were suffering from their wounds, but complained but little. We found pa shot through the breast, and lying
on his back dead. Three of us carried him to the house that joined the fort and a close watch was kept. (The portion of this sentence following "house" is written between the lines and the following scratched out "and all traces of the grave were obliterated." As this is repeated in the next
paragraph, copyist must have inadvertently skipped a few lines.)
At ten o’clock, Sam Houston, Bill Richards, William Houston and three
other men came. The soldier (who had been dispatched for medical assistance) was ambushed about one mile from the house, but escaped uninjured. A picket guard was put out, and the boys wounds were dressed; no medicine could be had. Next morning at 8 o’clock, Rose arrived with an escort of four men. Pa was buried in the house and all traces of the grave were obliterated.
Feather beds were placed in the wagon, and the wounded made as comfortable as possible. At 11 o’clock the family started for this place, under a guard of 14 well armed men. The road was rough and the last two miles Henry had to be carried on a litter. At 12 o'clock John’s arm was swelling considerably. Henry is resting easy. No surgeon has arrived yet. We will meet one at Green Valley, ten miles from here. We will start on as soon as it is cool.
Since I commenced to write, eight more men have come. About 40 of our horses are gone. The exact number of cattle cannot be ascertained, but more than 60 (sixty). There have been at least (40) forty people murdered within thirty miles of here. A part of three company’s soldiers are after
them, but as soon as they found out where they were, they took care to
go a different route, so as to avoid meeting them. The Indians do not care for the soldiers in the least.
We have heard, several shots fired since we have been here and supposed them to be fired by the Indians, killing cattle.
Further investigation has proved that pa shot once at the Indians. There were about (12) twelve of them all of whom fired two or three shots each. Pa was within a few feet of the one that killed him. The boys were about fifteen yards from the ambuscade. It was the most miraculous escape I ever
hard of. I will write again soon.
Chas. Meadows
P.S. - A Courier has arrived who says a physician is just behind.
Charlie Meadows along with his friends Frank Prothero and L. J. Horton removed John Meadows mortal remains and moved them to a grassy knoll below Fort McDonald, where he had the distinguished honor of being the first person buried in what is now the Payson Pioneer Cemetery.
On September 17, 1882, two months to the day after the Battle of the Big Dry Wash and the demise of the murderous fiend Nantiatish, Henry Meadows lost his desperate fight for life and was buried next to his father.
On September 24, 1883, Sarah Jane Hazelton (my grand aunt) became the bride of William McDonald. Her courageous efforts on behalf of the Meadows family on that hellish day and her grief over Henry's death just one year before, were never forgotten, and the Meadows family wished her happiness. Her brother, Carter, who helped move the Meadows family to Green Valley after the brutal attack, established a ranch with George Felton on Rye Creek.
SPECIAL THANKS
to
"California" Charlie Mobley Meadows
Great Grandson Of John and Margaret Meadows
Grandson of Mobley and Rosalie Meadows
Son of Carlos and Mary Meadows
Mobley and Rosalie Meadows
with son Carlos
Thank you Charlie for graciously giving me your permission to use this story of your family on my web site. And especially for the autographed book of "Arizona Charlie".
