Jackson, Tennessee. February 19, 2009.

According to his statement, the Apaches and Mohaves gave great trouble to the pioneer settlers during this year. A band of them followed Freeman’s train into Skull Valley, and when he went into camp the Indians came out on the hills and wanted to come into the camp. They professed to be friendly. They left their bows and arrows behind, but all of them had knives which they had secreted. They surrounded the train and became “sassy” and wanted Freeman to give up his supplies. After a little while and old squaw came into the camp and wanted to know why the Indians did not start in and kill the white men off, and at that they drew their knives and started for the teamsters who all jumped for their guns. Freeman had and old fashioned goose gun, both barrels loaded with buck shot. The Indians then took to the woods for their bows and arrows. Old Freeman turned his goose gun loosed just as the Indians were leading away from him in Indian file, and he must have got six or seven Indians in one shot, which disheartened them. They had quite a little fight, but the Indians finally took to the woods. It is said that the woods were full of corpses from that fight. Freeman did not lose a man. He afterwards died in Phoenix.

Excerpted from testimony by W.N. Kelly regarding skirmishes in the Mexican Territory during 1866. As written in History of Arizona, Volume IV, by Thomas Edwin Farish, published 1916 by Filmer Brothers, San Francisco.