The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-13

A Man who Carries his scnIp In hts Packet
Positively Shocking Stories Of the Indian
| Country.
From the Detroit Advertiser and Tribune.
A few days since an Englishman named
William Thompson arrived here from the West,
on his way to Buffalo, where he had friends living
| lie was in destitute circumstances, but through
tne kindness OF many of our citizens his imme-
date wants were fully supplied, and his pockets
were well filed with money to enable him to
! care for himself in the future. This man is in
deed, living wonder. He has been fearfully
! wounded in several places by the Indians and
scalped and the fact that he carries his scalp in
| MS pocket is the best possible evidence of the
| truth oil his statement. He has furnished us
| with some facts connected with his recent his
tory, which we append substantially in his own
words:--
/ came to this country in 1854. and went West
IN the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, where l remained until August g.
1867, at which time | had charge of q gang of
laborers One day news came to the telegraph
operator thatsthe wire was cut on the line of the
road. At about 9 p. NJ. was ordered, with
detachment of six men, including the operator,
to go and repair the wire. We had proceeded
about six miles from the station to place called
Plum Creek, when the hand-car in which we
were riding was thrown from the track and
upset. Then came yell and volley of shots.
We were surrounded by at least one hundred
Indians of tribe known as Cheyennes. Four
of my comrades hed leaving an Irishman and
myself to do the best we could. He fought
until he was killed. He was found in the
from their sockets, and six arrows stuck in his
body. He was scalped also.
About the time my comrade was killed nv
ammunition gave out, and l felt as though no
chance for my life was left. | received blow
on the head, and fell. 1 had previously been
shot in three places-a gunshot wound in my
right arm, fracturing the bones above the elbow,
an arrow-shot in my neck, and another in the
small OF the back. The Indians were upon me
in an Instant, and the only hope was to feign
death, which did. They kicked me, hit me on
the head with whip-stocks. scalped me, toma-
hawked me, and left me for dead
About this time the freight train came along
which attracted their attention. cot ND and
ran the distance of a mile or thereabouts when
became exhausted and lay down, bleeding yery
freely. Then came q crash. The engine and
several OF the cars were thrown from the track
the engineer and fireman were killed scalped
and thrown into the fireboX and burned to ashes
The attacking Indians plundered the train car
ried the freight to the river. n distance of two
miles, burned the cars, and disappeared about
noon next day.
kaAll this time 1 lay in the grass, not being
able to help myself. Fortunately aid came soon
after, in the shape of a Government tran ac-
companied by a band of Pawnees. They chased
the party that had done so much damage, over
took ana killed sixteen of them, and took num-
Der of prisoners. My scalp, which had been
dropped in the fight, was recovered.
was taken to Omaha, cared for by the Union
Pacific Railroad Company, and remained in
hospital there two years. Since / was scalped
however, the road has changed hands, and am
now thrown upon the charity of the world. Ny
head is not healed up, and have no means of
earning q livelihood.
Mr.. Thompson desires us to tender his most
heartfelt thanks to the members of the Metro
politan Police who very kindly did all in their
power to make him comfortable and collected a
handsome sum for him. To the people of our
city who contributed money to his relief he
says, "God bless you"