Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-14

| often answered there was not as much dam
ger from Indians as from Mexicans, who
are just as apt as the former to lurk around
and attack and kill you in order to get In
possession of what live stock and money
you may happen to have with you. was,
however, much more Indifferent towards
an attack on the part of the Mexieans, be-
cause the latter would be apt to Kill a man
on the spot, and abandon the females and
children who may be with him to their
fate, whiie the Indians, with refined cruel
ty. smash the children's brains out by
taking them by the feet and swinging their
heads against tree OF rock. then commit
outrages on the women, and finally kill the
men by mutilations OF the mnst atrocious
character. by skinning them alive, for in
stance. or by sending arrows in their bodies
just deep enough to infiict severe pain
without causing immediate death. The
most dangerous places for white men are
the cdnonS, or ravines, in which the road
winds itself through hills and mountains.
The Indians are comparatively safe against
discovery there, and consequently seek out
such places for committing depredations on
the travellers. An open field affords con-
siderable less chance to the savages, and
this is the reason why the troops, wagon
trains and male stage conductors generally
camp or stop on elevated places. which at
ford a wide view all around, and gives time
to the traveller for making preparations
against any hostile movement on the part
of the Indians.
1 have mentioned the little value which
Is set on mans life in halt civilized re-
gions, and this impression seems to COM
municate itself even to those who come
from the East, and are not expected TO
adopt such principles very readily. We
have bad striking and sad illustration of
it within our own regiment. Two officers
were intimate friends. and one of them
ho6 oh &c fa =, r. fs,,f
leo and was stationed at Fort Selden, as
was also his unmarried fellow officer. The
latter may have paid attentions to Mrs. W.,
his friends wife, aud in a fit of jealousy
whether i'll founded or not, is not fer me
to say-Lieutenant w. sent his wife and
child suddenly away with the mail stage to
her home in Kentucky. had just return
Selden, when Mrs. w. passed through, and
was at once sent for by the commanding
general to give my opinion about the very
unusual proceeding of the Lieutenant, and
as the latter was apt to imbibe more
than is generally compatible with mans
conclusion to order one of the two officers
to different post. Before the order
could reach Fort Selden, however, the
shocking news came from there that the
two officers had shot and killed each other
mutually. 1t appears that Lieut.. w. had
stated his intention of suing for divorce
from his wife, whereupon his friend wrote
letter to Mrs. w. offering his hand and
heart to her when he should return to the
Eastern States, year after. This letter
was intercepted by the husband,ap worked
him up to such a degree, that he provided
himself with three revolvers and bowie
knife, and waited the arrival of his an
tagonist on the parade ground, and sent a
bullet in his bowels, which proved fatal a
f.,xr avIe h,f d,A
the unarmed victim from running for a
weapon, and as he could find none and was
closely pursued by his antagonist, from.
turning round, wrenching the pistol out
of the latter's fist, and shooting him
through the heart, causing the immediate
death of the assalllter. This was a sad
tragedy, but it shows how little men care
for human life, who are surrounded by ex-
amples of violence, murder and robbery,
such as are found on the outskirts of civil
ization, or rather in an almost complete
wilderness like the one we are living in.