Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 15, No. 1
March, 1937
AN INDIAN RAID INTO TEXAS1
Captain W. S. Nye
Page 50
This is the story of 4 Kiowa raiders: A-to-tain, Komah-ty, Amanty, and Podosay (Mexican captive).
In the spring before the massacre of Warren Wagon train,2 These 4 men went to raid in Texas somewhere the place they call timber mountain perhaps south and west of Graham Texas. near
or before they got to the settlement they packed away their saddle and other equipment except their Ropes and briddles, shields
and other necessary things that they might need. They wanted to take one horse with a saddles to use the horse for a pack.
of course the poor pony of Podosay was to be use, or all of his outfit. And after hoble their horses and so they started out
for there journey. The plan was to travel only at night. they started for south travel until daylight. they stoped in a good
hiding place in order for their safty hiding. they throw the pony down and hog tied him and poor anamil has to suffer by lying
down making suffer noise all day. by dark they on tied him and poor pony would be so hungry and thirsty. they let it graze
a while and water him, and they started on to their journey. and come to day light they thoro they pony down again to let
him lay These men would eat of what food they have with them and travel on for several nights. their food supply began to
exhausted. They would go around the settlement looking for Horses, but seem to have no luck. It is a risking of their lives
when prouling around the settlement. and as they went on they began be in need of food. they began to plan to kill a beef
when they would hear a bell. they would go
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up and they would find a yoke of oxon yoke together. two of the men wanted to kil one of the oxon but the other said we cant
butcher it. if we do kil one the one yoke with him would drag him off. so they decided to leave them alone. As they were going
they heard a wagon coming up the road. they decided to attack the wagon. it was about early part of the night. They expected
to take the horses or the mules. so they waited on the side of the road. There were two men singing as they coming near, while
the Indians were waiting with bow and arrows. and they came close. and they were driving an oxon team, singing away just as
loud as they could sing. The Indians decided to withdraw of the attack. only listen to them singing away as they drove to
their home. The leader said we get a good rest and after we rested up we make a long stretch to a larger mountain of heavy
timber of a river. And while they laying for a rest these men heard Podosay schewing something or eating something. They thought
he has some food hide by his side. They ask him of what he is eating, and search him for food, and found that he was chewing
a sinue. he told them he was so hungry he would soon be eating his bow string sinue. After they were rested up they started
to painted place.3 and Just as they came near this place at day light Podosay kill a Rabbit. they thought that they would have a good breakfast.
Just as they came up to a high bluff of thick timber, and down in the bottom they heard a great noise of talking. and as they
pepe down they saw a large number of soldiers Just unsaddling their horses, turning them loose, like they have been traveling
through the night and getting ready to camp for the day. 3 of these Kiowas were on foot while Podosay was on his pony loaded
with ropes and briddles. Komah-ty and Ah-to-tain hurryly got the ropes, and while the soldiers were bussy at their camping,
the two men ropes each soldiers horses that had halter
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on them, just been unsaddled. Just about that time a soldier came up and saw that the Indians have got two horses already.
the two men4 told Podosay and Amanty to get on to the pony and go just as fast as the pony can go. so they started out ahead of the two
men who got the soldiers horses. the two men had a good chance to run the whole heard off if it wasnt for the other two who
are on the slow pony. the other soldiers horses started to stampede the N. E. direction. after the Indians had a good start
here comes the soldiers riding bareback with only holters without their briddles. since the troop horses ran away only very
few of the soldiers made the chase to the Indians. that most of them were gone after the horses. and that made it easer for
the Indians but not easy at all. the two who are riding one poney are Amanty and Podosay while Ah-to-tain is whiping their
poney trying to make it go faster. the three men Komah-ty, Amanty and Podosay are spiritualy unconscious over the excitement.
never even thought of their bows and arrows. As the soldiers were overtaking them getting near and nearer to the shooting
range Ah-to-tain said to Komah-ty, I go on to the thick timber grove and get ready for our defend. so he started out head
of us.5 He dismonted and tied the horse and began to strip off all his cloth.6 and ready to shoot he had a repeater rifle. before we got to the place where he was the soldier began to shooting at us the
whistling of the bullets over our heads and in front the dust fly where it hits the ground We got to the place where our leader
was. and saw him of his strip off clothes. We tied our horses. got behind the trees. white soldiers are peeling the barks
off the trees with bulletts. At this point Amanty being a young man of about 16 years old, he said he never new what a prayer
means. He had never prayered before in his life and at this very time he made his prayer. He said now listen to me my God
the ten medicine idols of the Kiowas, if our
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lives are spare, by your help of our protection, I shall offer you a sweat lodge for a certain. one running on one tree to
another during this time. Komah-ty strip offen his clothes, call the names of Amanty and Podosay say to get bussy with their
bow and arrows. it awoke them up. for Podosay was lying down on the ground with his quiver on his back7. now the two warriors began to strip off their clothes and string up their bow and arrows. White Cow Bird (Ah-to-tain) call
out to Komah-ty said that their be up against it now, the two shells stuck in the barrel of his gun. Komah-ty saw that he
has tick rods8 tied to his back. so he told him to get it out with the stick and as soon as he get the cartarage out, now he got his gun
in shape to shoot. Just about this time one soldier, got straps on his arm, a Sergt, riding barback shooting with the pistol.
The Indian who had rifle shot at him and instantly knock him down. it through the soldier with his horse. the soldier got
up started to run but fell down. and he began to warn the other soldiers. after while the firing quit down. the Indian who
has the gun told the others to go and get away. and he went on shooting to the soldiers. What save the Indians was the soldiers
were shooting by using only their pistol and riding barebacks with only their holter line and it was a differculty in shooting
from the horses. Komah-ty said if the soldiers had saddle on with briddle reins and rifles they would all be killed. now while
soldiers were bussy trying to get their man, the last one of the Indians run to where the others were waiting for him. they
pick him up and started out of their dashing speed for safty, two men on each horses. al of them without clothes only the
bow and arrows and ropes and briddles. they soon got away from the soldiers, but could hear the firing of the guns yet, at
the place where they left. after going several miles they came by a house
Page 54
where some horses tied with saddles on and in front of where they were going they saw some loose horses. two of them were
hoble. they got bussy, help themselves of the two that are hoble. it give the horses for Podosay and Amanty. They left Podosay
pony with his old saddle for the exchange to replace of the one they killed where they had the fight with the soldiers. Now
when all of them mounted they started to drive off the loose horses. Now about this time the white men that had saddle horses
at the house they pass by are chasing them when overtook them two of them stop and shootin back to them, they stop chasing
them. Komah-ty said they must have saw us awful looking without our clothes on. We got on our horses and follow up the other
two. And we thought they quite us, but here they coming again. as they got closer, shooting at us on their fast horses. They
made it so hot for us we had to give up the loose horses and get away for safty. The leader says if we hang back for the losse
stock some of us might be killed. Now this time we began to recognize each others and our conscious are given back to us.
We notice ourselves of being nacked, because of stripping ourselves. Now another thing we felt the blistering of legs riding
bareback. we were so sore that we cant hardly ride. We pull grass and pack it on our horses for saddle blankets. but it will
soon be gone for it cant hold together. We finely arrive to our headquarters, but what a time we had. we felt then we were
hungry. we butchered one of our poney that we left at our headquarters and had a grand feast. our clothes and our saddle we
got, but poor Podosay, the soldiers must have burn up his pony with his saddle.9 and he was the only one from then on to suffer for blistering by riding barback. We started for our home country10 but Oh what a tough time we had to go through and arrive home safty. Now Amanty has to build the sweat lodge for one of the
10 medicine Gods, as he believe his prayers are answered. and from that time on he has a strong faith the God he
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cried to to help. But if the whites were mounted what a massacre it would be for these 4 Kiowas, there were about 10 soldiers
chasing them. but they could not shoot as they would if they had their rifles, and that safe the day for these Indians. These
4 men were living until a few years ago. The leader of this raid name White Cow Bird wasp the last Kiowa being killed across
the Texas border south of Red River, while the Kiowas were on the buffalo hunt.11 He is the brother of Pau-ko-to-quodle, who made his revenge by kill a white man12 near Quanah, Texas.
—Captain W. S. Nye.
Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
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