National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-08-02
An Indian Massacre.

In describing the N morablc massa
ere of Lieut.. Kidder and his party OF
the plains, q n. Custer write NJ follows
A. II impclled by one thought, Com
stock our guide, the Delawares, and
dozen officers, detached themScl,
YES from the column aud, sepa atiue
into squads of one or two. instituted II
search for the cause of our horrible sus
picions, After riding in all directions
through the rushes and willows, and
when about to relinquish the search US
fruitless, one OF the Delawares uttered a
shout which attracted the attention of
the entire command at the same time
he was seen TO leap from lis horse and
assume n STOPPING posture, as II critical
" examining some object OF interest,
Hastening, in common with many others
Of the party, to his side, sight met our
makes my very blood curd'e. Lying in
irregular order, and within very limit
ed circle, were the mangled bodies of
poor Kidder and his party, yet so bru-
tally hacked and distigured AS to be be
yond recognition save as human beings.
Every individual OF the party had
been scalped and his skull broken-tbe
latter done, 10y some weapon, probably
a tomahawK-eycept the Sioux chief
Red Bead, whose scalp had simply been
removed from his head and then thrown
down by his side. This, Comstock in
formed us, was in accordance with Gus
tom which prohibits an Indian from
bearing off the scalp Of one Of his own
tribe. This circumstance, then, told
MS who the perpetrators of this deed
were. They could be none other than
the Sioux, led in all probability by Paw
nee Killer
Red Bead, being less disfgured and
mutilated than the others, was the only
individual capable of being recognized.
Even the clothes OF all the party had
been carried away some of the bodies
were lying in beds of ashes, with partly
burned fragments Of wood near them,
showing that the savages had put some
If them to death by the terrible tortures
Of fire. The sinews Of the arms and
legs had been cut away, the nose of ev-
cry man hacked off, aud the features
otherwise deaced so that it would have
been scarcely possible for relative to
rec gnize one of the unfortunate vic
tins. We could not even distinguish the
officer from his men. Each body was
pierced by from twenty to fifty arrows,
and the arrows We're found as the savage
demons had left them, bristling in the
bodies. While the details of that fear
ful struggle will probably never be
known, telling how long and gallantly
this i'll l-fated little band contended for
their lives, yet the surrounding circum
stances of ground, empty cartridge shells
and distance from where the ATTACK be-
gan, satisfied us that Kidder and his
men fought as only brave men fight
when the watchword is victory or death.
As the officer, his men, and his no less
faithful Indian guide, had shared their
final dangers together and had met the
same dreadful fate at the hands of the
same meroiless foe, it was but fitting
that their remains should be consigned
to one common grave. This was accord
ingly done. A single trench was dug
near the spot where they had rendered
up their lives upon the altar of duty
Silently, mournfully, their comrades of
IA brother regiment consigned their
mangled remains to mt ther earth, there
to rest undisturbed, as we supposed, un-
til the great day of final review. But
this was not to he so while the closest
scrutiny on our part had been INSULT
cient to enable us to detect the slightest
eviden, which would aid MS or Others |
in identifying Lieut. Kidder or any OF
his men, the marks of "A mothers atfec-
tion were the means of identify ing the
remains of her murdered son, even
though months had elapsed after his nm
timely death.