Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1869-09-16


carry out the orders of his chief,
walked into the house. seized a
Ratchet that belonged to the place.
and, as he stepped out again by his
victim, who was seated near the
door, struck him heavy blow across
the back Of his neck, burying the
edge Of the weapon in the bone.
The stroke felled him, but did not
1 render him insensible nor even
speechlcss; and, as it was not fol-
lowed Immediately by others, as
though it was the purpose Of his exc
cutioner to prolong his agony, he
partly rose upon his hands and plead
ingly said: "Strike me again, friends.
Then the other Indian who stood by,
actuated either by sense Of pity or
an eager desire to see The bloody
work 20 on, said to the executioner
in tone as threatening as his words:
aKill that Indian or I'll kill you!"
In another moment the head of the
PROSTATE victim was nearly severed
from his body. This done the Indi-
ans went their way, leaving the
bodies where they had fallen, either
not caring what disposition was
made Of them, or else taking it for
granted the whites would see TO their
burial. Messrs. Jordan, BedeIl and
Others, when they saw that the saw
ages would have nothing to do in
the matter, proceeded to make some
arrangements for the internent.
Whilst this ~yas going on, the
poor woman who had witnessed the
last act of the tradgedy, the murder
Of her husband, with what feelings
we are not sufficiently advised to
describe, performed with her own
hands the last sad rites 1t was the
custom of her people to bestOw upon
the dead in preparation for the flu
neral. Having procured some red
paint, commonly used by Indians to
decorate their faces, she painted their
eye-lids and lips very nicely
and carefully, and then made an i'm
preston of her open hand on each
cheek. This service she performed
with equal care upon each, foe as well
rs friend. The three bodies were put |
into one grave near where the upper
ford now is. Since then they have
been washed away with the bank
that has caved in more or less with
the annual freshets, and what re-
mains of this most tragic event may
now be scattered and deeply buried
in the sands at the bottom Of the
Des Moines. The woman who was
the innocent causeof this affair, went
to Red Rock. Hearing that the In
dians intended to murder her also,
she took refuge i'm the house Of Rob
ert d. Russell, where she remained
more than a mouth. BY that time
the Indians had SO far learned the
facts Of the case that she was finally
deemed innocent, and was permitted
to come forth and 60 west with her
friends. Another version Of this
story is to the effect that two drunken
Indians murdered tho son of a proph-
ct, and, after being arrested, were
tried and sentenced to death, the
Oldest squaw Of the tribe being Sc
lected to execute the sentence with Il
tomahawk. Also that the Indians
were SO much incensed at the traders
for supplying the murderers with
whiskey, that they sat twenty days
in council discussing the propriety of
furnishing them, but were finally
pacified by those who could speak
their language. But the foregoing
details, being from an eyewitness to
the last act of the tragedy, may be
deemed correct.
The settlement Of Marion County
was begun at Il period of some finan-
cial depression. The Brightness"
Of money matters at that period may
be conceived by the fact that proper
ty, compared with presentprices, was
remarkably cheap. Twenty-Five or
thirty dollars would buy good yoke
of cattle, and forty-fivc would buy a
number-one horse. The monetary
crash of 1887 was still felt, and those
who came early were by no means
rich. They were literally poor men,
seeking homes and independence,
which could not be acquired in a
country where real estate was beyond
the reach of the day-laborer. An OPP
portunity was now granted to those
who would brave the privations Of
frontier life to possess themselves of
an estate that might, If rightly inn
proved, insure independence and
even wealth.
During the first year (ls43) about
seventy families, from various parts
Of the east and south, settled in the
County. These immigrants mostly
came in companies families con-
nected or acquainted, land settled in
neighborhoods, which eventually be-
came the nucleus of what were called