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Brown, L.B. April 6, 1937
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"LOS COMANCHES"
"Si Senor, if my daughter had not gut iodine in my eye in place of the
medicine given me by the doctor I would be out with my sons helping them plow".
These were the first remarks from Sr. Vicente Romero of Cordova after we had
exchanged salutations and had commented on his good health. After a lapse of
several years I had found my old friend partially blinded due to his daughter's
unfortunate mistake.
"And for the grace of God who has given me my good health and the company of
my wife I give thanks. Fifty,- seven years have gone thru this life together. I
was married quite old, when I had thirty years. I have lived a very active life
and it is hard for me to be sitting here by the fire -place so useless." Around
him were eight grand -children, just a fraction of the twenty-six he has, not count-
ing great grand -children.
"Not always have I been so helpless. If I do say so myself I have never been
afraid to work or to risk my life to acquire the necessities of life for my family.
And when I was young we were surrounded by so many savage nations that any trip away
from the village had to be made in force. Four times I have been on trading trips to
the Comanches and three times to the plains on buffalo hunts. We used bows and
arrows and the lance as weapons when hunting at first. ater we were able to trade
fpr gims at Samta Fe. We would take venison and fish and other things to trade in
Santa Fe. There were many deer then and the rivers were full of fish. But everthing
comes to an end in this world..
The first two trips to the Comanches I went with my uncle Guadalupe Marquez,
who was the commandante or leader. I learned enough of the language and customs so
that the last two trips I went as commandante. Our first trip took us about three
months. We took salt, biankets and strips of iron for arrow -heads. We also took big
packs of a very hard bread, which our wives baked especially for trading to the
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"Los Comanches"-Cont.
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Indians.
Another article of trade was dried apples and plums.
We went by way of Penasco and Mora. When we came close to Fort Union we
would wait until night to slip by the Fort. The Americans did not want us to
go into the Comanche country because it might cause trouble. After we had gotten
by the Fort without being seen we would have to hunt for the Indians. These sav-
ages were always traveling, hunting or following the buffalo herds, so that we never
knew where wo would find them. We went here and there over the plains looking
for signs of the Indians. When we finally found the trail of e large.group, in
which there were signs of women and children, we knew we were close. Following
this trail until the sign was quite fresh, our commandante ordered us to make
camp. Locating the closest water supply we started to unpack. While we were doing
this our commandante made a smoke signal on a high point -near camp.
"Now boys, in the morning we should have the Indians here and we can start
to trade, he said,'Be very careful how you act with the Indians.'
"We did not sleep very much that night. In the morning we were surrounded
by a large group. They made camp next to us, the women doing all the work. The
children and the dogs made lots of noise. At first the children were afraid of us
but after a f. .w days becatae very friendly, always begging for something. The Com-
anches are a very fine looking Indian, light compl.exioned and well built. There
are many savage nations on those plains. On one trip we traded with a group of
noires. It is a good thing the government guards these savages because if they
ever fought us all together they might kill us all off now that they can get good
rifles.
"After a sort of fe6.st with the Indians we started in to trade. This would
take a long time because there would be much talk over each trade. Sometimes an
Indian and one of us would fix up a horse race. They liked to bet and that way
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we won many articles from them. 'We did not stay in the same camp but traveled
from spot to spot with our customers, following the buffalo trading as we want.
I enjoyed this life very much. It was very new to me, we were always watchful and
on our guard for some act of treachery on the part of the Indians. But they had
need of the oods we had to trade so they treated a trading party with a certain
regard and. usually ,,voided any act which might cause trouble. We were more care-
ful than they were perhaps,always thinking of our families and the goods we were
to take home with us. The younger men in ou nescuadre would run foot races with
the Indians and amuse ouselves in other ways, such as breaking horses and contests
with the bow and arrow. We had wrestling matches in some of which I took part.
I very often raced a "grullou (dark gray, with a black stripe down his back and
on each shoulder), which was favorite hunting horse with first one and then
another of their horses. I won six out of about nine races and not being held
back by thoughts of a wife and children at home, bet many blankets and other
articles and so added considerably to my store of goods, because my grulio was
pretty fast. Another young fellow, Anacleto Mascarenas, two years older than
myself(remember I had only eighteen years), almost brought calamity on our little
mescuadran (troop or gang.)
'Tarr some time several of our group had had conversation with a young girl
of the tribe, who had been taken captive from some place in Texas, San Antonio del A
A rbol she called the place. Where that place is I dont t know. She had tried to
persuade us to take her away from her captors, promising us that her father would
pay us in gold and cattle, should we return her to her home. Her story was that
the Comanches had seized her as she was taking some clothes to some servant women
plum
washing at a stream near the house. As she was passing a clump of wilA/bushes
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"Los ComanchesxCont.
three of these painted savages had jumped out, took hold of her, one of
them closing her mouth with his hand to keep her from crying out or screaming.
They led her to where they had left their horses. One of them took her on his
horse and rode off, followed by the other two. A short distance from her father's
ranch they were joined by others in charge of stolen stock, also belonging to her
father. She was shown the mutilated bodies of two of her father's herders and by
sign showed her what to expect if she did not go quietly. One of the men who had
carried her off had made her his wife. Pobrecital She had to work very hard like
the rest of the Indian women. Her pleas were very pitiful and some of us younger
fellows felt like risking a rescue.
"In every important decision our commandante's word was final because we had
intrusted ourselves to his care and given him full authority. Some of us took up
the girl's case with him for his decision. We could almost guess what his decision
would be. There were two of us who did not care so much about the gold or reward
from her father, but had dreams of taking this really "muy bonita" captive as a
bride, and enjoying the surprise she would cause when our folks saw her after the
Salvo Lo San Antonio. It was the custom for any group returning to Cordova from a
hunt or trading trip, to discharge their fire -arms at the crest of the ridge circling
our home village. This salvo was in honor of our patron saint of the village and was
a means of announcing our arrival. Those were very jpyous times and I will never
forget the first time I belonged to one of these returning parties. But let me
finish telling you about this girl. I was one of two who wanted to take the girl
back with us, but our commandante said, No, it can't be done. Any effort to free
her or take her away might destroy our whole party, as far away as we are from home
and as few as we are for the number of Indians against us. Even if we were so
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"Los Comanches"-Cont.
lucky as to get her away with little or no loss none of us could ever return to
trade with these Indians. But Mascarenas insisted and threatened to carry her away
against the commandante's orders. He secretly made preparations to do so. When the
commai:dante found this out he ordered Mascarenas seized and bound until he gave up
his plan and promised to obey our leader's orders in everything. This seemed very
cruel, but it was very necessary for the good of our whole party. So the Pobrecita
stayed there with the Indians, perhaps for life. Asi le toe& (That was her fate).
Those were very hard times.
"I remember now something that happened on my last trading trip with the Com-
anches. Among our party was Jose Antonio Vigil and his son. This man was later
known as El Capitan Vigil. He was afraid of no Indian or twenty of them even. I
could tell of many deeds of valor of his against the savages, but now I will tell you
of what happened on my last trip. I was in charge as commandante and our whole group
was composed of men from Cordova or El Valle. This man Vigil had a very fast and en-
during sorrel horse which was known as El Alazan. The Indians coveted' this animal and
Vigil recieved many offers for his horse. One Indian even offered him two captive
women amongst other things. This was a good offer, for these captive slaves were
very much in demand among the "ricos" and prospective bride -grooms and brought a
very good price. But Vigil refused all trades because he could not bear to part
with this very excellent animal.
Early one morning Vigil and his son left camp after antelope without my per-
mission. He was very far from camp when he and his boy were ov(rtaken by an Indian
known as "Capitan Corona. This Capitan Corona was so called because of the peculiar
way his hair grew. At one time in some fight his enemies had started to scalp him•
while unconscious, thinking him dead. The operation revived him before his scalp
had completely parted company with his skull. Being a renowned fighter he had
scattered his would be scalpars. However his scalp did not fit back snug to his
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skull like it had been before. It had grown back in a bunch on the top of his
head making a crown -like growth. And that was the reason for his name, Corono
meaning crown. At any rate he was a very tricky Indian and a fighter with a rep-
utation, being a chief amongst the Comanches. This day he hailed Vigil and his son
and catchin; Lap with them rode along between them. Being as eager as any of the
other for Vigil's horse he started talking trade as they rode along. Jose Antonio
being always on his guard pretended to agree to trade so as to keep Corona in good
humor. The tricky savage decided to get the horse for nothing because without warn-
ing he knocked the boy off his horse with a club which he carried in his left hand.
At the same time he reached over with his right hand and pulled Vigil off his horse
with his right hand. All this was done very suddenly. However he was not quick
enough for Vigil,who at the instant drew his knife. Catching Corona in the pit of
the throat he ripped him open completely disemboweling him.
His first thought was of the trouble he might cause the rest of his companions.
Putting the body on the Indian pony they covered any marks of the fight, buried the
body quite a way from the scene of the fight. His horse was taken to the edge of a
cliff where he also was killed and his body pushed over the edge. Riding back to
camp late that night I was awakened and told what had happened. Vigil after telling
of the fight said, 'I have brought this trouble on us myself. My boy and I will
leave tonight. The Indians missing us will think that Corona has taken us captive.
If you folks make no fuss the Indians will believe as I have told you. As soon as you
finish trading you had better leate because they might accidently find the body. I
leave all my goods in your care to take to my family in case I do not get home.
But I will not stay, and make trouble for the rest of you. This is the only way.
Adios amigos.'Vayan con Dios', I answered.
"There was no doubt that evcrything was for the best this way. Luckily it
rained very heavily that night covr-ring their tracks and the Indians were suspicious
"Los Comanches"-Cont,
they finally must have believed as Vigil thot they would when Corona failed to
show up also. This was another time when one or two individuals suffered in
order to preserve the safety of the many. I am glad to say that Vigil and his
boy arrived safely home after many narrow escapes from the Indians and from hunger.
Jose Antonio lived to found Cundiyo, settling it along with his sons and their
families. His descendants and the descendants of his eight sons were the reason that
in Cundiyo today the only family name J-Ju hear is Vigil. Here in the defense of
Cundiyo from Indian raiding parties Jose Antonio received the name of El Capitan
Vigil. The Indians learned to leave him alone after he had killed several of them
and Cundiyo was fairly safe from their raids.
One time I remember Capitan Vigil was taken to Santa Fe to show how he fought
against the Indians. With his body wrapped around with a raw -hide rope and with
his shield he kept off the arrows which were shot at him. I think it was the cap-
tain of the American soldiers at Santa Fe who took him there for this exhibition.
I do know that he came home with a team of mules and as he said with $300. American
money. "He was a very valiant man; very famous for his valiant deeds."
"After finishing with our trading we made preparations to leave the Comanche
country. The Indians escorted us for three days out of their country. They did this
with all trading parties when the trading was over. After again slipping by Fort
Union we were very happy to be on our way home. We were still in some danger from
Apaches or Navajos who liked to come thru that part of the country to raid the
pueblos and even on horse stealing trips among the Comanches. The Comanches were
very great enemies of the Navajos. One Comanche told me that the Navajos were all
magicians or practised witchcraft. To prove this he said that whenever they were
about to overtake a bunch of horse thieving Navajos they would turn themselves and
and the stolen stock into soap weeds and they would have to return empty handed.
That is why they had no use for the Navajos.
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ir
"The closer we got to our homes the more we pushed our poor horses with
their loads. Andlthanks to God, we finally reached Truchas and now we were pract-
ically home. Soon we were firing our fire -arms in the Salvo to San Antonio. be
could see the people on the roof -tops counting us as we rode down into the village
to see who were missing. My poor mother cried with joy to see me back safe. The
next few days were filled with feasting and the nights with dancing. Blessed be God;
those were the times. This was my first trip to the Comanches and i was to make
many more, but I always remember this one especially."