The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-12-28
PerIIOus Adventure ON the Plains.

The Lafayette (tnd.) Journal publishes d
lengthy letter from George Winter, OF that
city, addressed to his father, from Carson
Valley, on the goth Of September, giving en-
account Of the privatiOns he had encounter.
ed, and the imminent dangers he had eScsp'
ed, while on his was over the plains for
California. We make an extract:
was captured twice by the Digger Indi-
ans on Humboldt river, and once by the
Goose Creek Indians. escaped from them
once through the interference ofa white man
who is living among them-supposed to be a
Mormon, but was not go lucky the last time,
having received severe cut, two inches
long, in my left breast. It was not a fsiI
blow, or would most probably have proved
fatal.
The Indian who stabbed me almost LOST
his life. drew my revolver and shot him
in the back of the head, and prepared to shoot
him again, but discovered other Indians near
so ran as fast as could to escape them
; In retreating for safety ran into the bushes
amidst another body OF Indians. who were
in the act of stripping the body of a white
man who had just been killed. One bloody
devil Of an Indian tore off his scalp. The
unfortunate man belonged to our train, BY
name Thomas Harding. from Ohio. In my
surprise and alarm | gave q most inferna
yell, which brought body of our men from
the other side of the creek, which saved me
from horrible fate. The Indians were sur
prised, 0nd did not seem to know how to act
But a sad and bloody strife ensued. Ou
party killed five Indians on the spot, and
took twenty prisoners, eleven Of whom es'
capped during the night. The remaining
nine were hung on the following morning
This was done by placing the tongues OF the
wagons together, and tying rope at the
apex. The Indians were made to etsnd up
on horse, the rope was adjusted around the
neck, the horse was then driven from unde
the galows, and each one was thus landed
into eternity. Ii was q sad scene, but one
OF terrible necessity for self preservation -
One Of them proved TO be white man, evi
IDENTIFY Mormon. He was stripped-iroI
rods from behind the end gates OF five wag
ons were used to whip him until he wa
nearly dead they were then heated red ho
and pushed into his flesh.
Oh ! il was horrible and revolving yet
with many others, stood and saw him suffer
They burned him so that ct last he did no
seem to care any more ior it than the pricl
of pin. A first he swore that his friend
(the Indians) would have revenge for this
They then hung him, and tied the knot /
such way as to prolong his suffering. H
WIS then cut down and taken to the willows
He was watched by men secreted in tn
bushes !; in short time some Indians cam
sneakng up to take the wounded man away
He seemed to revive through s)mething thi
was administered is him He revived sudi
cently to relate to the Indians his sufferings
In their effort to run the wounded off, tn
party sprang up from their ambush and sho
the miserable man dead, and wounded ahoth
er Indian. The next night the Indisns slip
ped into our camp and killed two men by tn
name of Jefferson, from Indiana. knew
them we'll. They were brothers, and one
lived in lafayette. One Indian was caught
and put through the torture the next day.