Walla Walla Statesman

An Indian Romance. -Says the Omaha Herald: A dark swarthy individual, dressed in semi Indian garb was at the Union depot yesterday making numerous inquiries in very imperfect English dialect concerning the name of C. G. Gaskill, who left some portion of Eastern Iowa for an overland trip to California during the gold excitement of 1851. This half-wild fellow claimed that he was about five or six years old when his father set out with his family for the overland wagon trip to California. The family, two years later, were in Arizona, and one night the Apache Indians made an attack upon them and carried him away, while the others made their escape. Mr. Gaskill has a very vivid recollection of the battle, and also the long wagon trip from Iowa, while he has little or no recollection of the home or just where it was located. He was carried away by the Indians and lived with them, sharing the same neglect and attention as their own children, until he grew to manhood. He describes his life as being pleasant and one that he fully enjoyed. He became acquainted with the great chief Cochise and followed him in many of his battles. He painted, tattooed and besmeared his skin like the savages themselves, until now it has the same copper color. He describes Cochise as being a great warrior and a most wonderful savage. He remained with these Indians until about six years ago, when he was captured by the Comanches in one of their battles with the Apaches, and with them he led a wandering existence, first as a captive and afterward as one of the tribe. Last fall he became tired of such a mode of existence and left the tribe, and making his way towards the Pacific Coast, made inquiries concerning his family, but failed to learn anything of them. In his wandering, nomadic life he had accumulated considerable wealth in the form of gold dust, and on the proceeds of this he was traveling in search of his lost home and friends. No one seemed able to give him any information, and he started on his way East to prosecute the search in Iowa.