The Richmond palladium., 1867-08-22
The Plum Creek Massaors.

The Missouri Democrat, gives thrill |
ing account of this massacre, by the In
dians on Tuesday night Aug. 9th, from
which we take the following extract,
from the statement of William Thomp-
son, asnative of England, and one of
the telegraph repairers. whom the Indi
ans scalped--having been shot in the
arm, and cut in the neck: -
"About nine o'clock, Tuesday night,
myself and FIVE others left Plum Creek
station, and started up the track on q
hand car, to hunt up where the break in
the telegraph was. When we came to
where the break proved to be, we saw
lot of ties piled up on the track, but at
the same moment Indians jumped up
from the grass all around and fired on
us. We fred two or three shots in re-
turn, and then, as the Indians pressed
on us, we ran away. An Indian on a
pony singled me out, and galloped up to
me. After coming to within ten feet of
me he fired, the bullet entering my right
arm /; seeing me still run, he 'clubbed
his rifle, and knocked me down. He
then took out his knife, stabbed me in
the neck, and then making twirl around
his fingers with my hair, he commenced
saving and hacking away at my scalp.
Though the pain was awful. and I felt
dizzy and sick, knew enough to keep
quiet After what seemed to be half
an hour he gave the last finishing cut
to the scalp on my left temple, and as it
still hung little, he gave it jerk. i
just thought then could have screamed
my life ont I can't describe it to you.
It just felt as if the whole head was ia
ken right off. The Indian then mounted
and galloped away: but as he went he
dropped my scalp within few feet Of
me, which managed to get and hide.
The Indians were thick in the vicinity,
or then might have made my escape.
While lying down could hear the Indi-
ans moving around whispering to each
other, and then shortly after placing OBJ
structions on the track. After lying
down about an hour and q half I heard
the low rumbling the train as it came
tearing along, and I might have been
able to flag it off had dared.'' e
The engineer and fireman were shot
and scalped, but before the Indians
burnt the train they plundered the box
cars of everything that might prove of
the least value, or what attracted their
tickle fancy-bales ofocalicoes, cottons,
boxes of tobacco, sacks Of flour, sugar,
coffee. boots, shoes, bonnets; hats, sad
dies, ribbons, and velvets. They decor
ated their persons by the bonfire which
they made of the boxes already plum
dered their ponies were caparisoned
with gaudy pieces of muslin, and their
tails were adorned with ribons Of varie-
gated colors. The scalp-locks of the
Indians were adorned in the same man.
ner, while hanging over their shoulders
were rich pieces of velvet. ',l2tg
Some of them came across . barrel OF
old Bourbon whisky. Quickly they
stove the head, and quickly they quaffed
huge draughts of the fre-water, which
set their brain on fire and rendered them
delirious. A violent war song was
chanted while they were thus inebriated,
with furious gesticulations in honor Of
the victory achieved over the pale-faces.
At daybreak they set fire to the wreck,
taking fire from the furnace and throw
ing it in the box cars, and while the
flames reared and crackled as the wind
came on, and reared themselves into
pyramids and tall spiral c olumns, the
Indians danced and held high carnival.
The dead bodies were thrown into the
fire, and a aterrible yell announced to the
scalped and trembling man the fate of
the engineer and fireman. Louder yell
ed the Indians, as the fire ragged on in
Is terrible work; and as the stencil of
the human holocaust spread, it seemed
to give an intense satisfaction to the
tawney devils. - .f. a ..f
The Indians enjoyed themselves until
their work was fully accomplished, and
then left. 49,
Thompson managed to crawl away,
and found refuge at Willow Island Sta
ton, until he was taken care of by a
party sent for him, when he was brought
to this city. v.-,-s s--.s
Drs. Pecke and Moore, of this city,
will endeavor to reset the scalp on his
head, and they are confident they can
do it well. As he is strong man, it is
expected that he will recover health and
strength. a-r
From Chas. Ratcliffe, a supernumera-
ry brakeman, who was in the caboose Of
the freight train when the attack took
place, we had the following, -
When the train ran off the track he