Traveling west on the Santa Fe Trail was hard enough all on its own. Doing so in the midst of an

unexpected cold spell with a wife and infant daughter in tow could be downright miserable. Thus was the

difficulty facing the trader by the name of James White in October of 1849. The wagon train had made

the journey all the way from Missouri without incident, and James, Brayman

with a touch of impatience, decided to strike on ahead with just his family and a few others,

hoping to make the final push into Santa Fe just a tad bit quicker, a hasty decision that would cost

the lives of all involved. The warriors came upon them not far from President A. Maxwell, New Mexico.

Hickory as they were. Apache. The manned in handouts.

Initially, James just shoot him away, feeling confident that his small party could fend the beggars off if need be.

And it was a small party. Other than James, his wife Anne, and daughter Virginia,

yet another lady, a black servant whose name is unfortunately unknown, and just four other men.

Not nearly enough to stop what was coming.

And I'm sure you can guess what happens next.

The Apache returned with reinforcements, and this time they didn't ask so nice.

Later, when the soldiers came to investigate, they found James' body right alongside the other men,

having already been picked at by the wolves.

As for the two women, and in the servant, they weren't nowhere to be found, and neither was Little Virginia.

The family friend put up a thousand-dollar reward for their safe return,

and it weren't long before

some local Pueblos reported seeing a female matching N's description in the nearby Hickoria

camp. As such, soldiers from Taos, the first dragoons under a Major William Greer, immediately

mobilized and headed east, picking up some talent along the way. You see, Major Greer knew good and well that he and his soldiers couldn't track no Apache,

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