Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-05-22
A frightful Massacre.

A report was received at the war de
Partment in Washington, Friday. froH
Gen. Augur, giving the details Of mas
sacre by Indians, Mexicans and uegroe,
combined Of the persons in charge Of a
+ train Of supplies en- route for Fort Stock.
ton, at Towards well near old Fort Ian.
caster. The facts, as reported to Gen.
Ausur by Col. Merritt, ofthe 9th cavalry
dated from Ft. Clark, April 29th, are as
follows:
"On the Goth inst, arrived with the
cavalry under my command at Towards
well, few hours too late TO prevent one
of the most horrible murders ever perre-
trated on this frontier A Mexican train
loaded with United States commissary
and ordnance stores, on its way from San
Antonio TO Fort Stockton, was attacked
by Indians, plundered and burned. All
the people with the train, seventeen IN
all, were killed, except one woman. My
command buried eleven bodies, and con.
veyed three men aud one woman to this
post. i.# '.t.''- 5' 'HtIt
Before our arrival at the burning train
the first intimation we had of the horrible
disaster was the cbarred aud blackened |
corpscs Of some Of the poor victims, but
none we're alive to tell the horrors of the
affair. | supposed up to this time, that
Capt. Sheridan, with the infantry Of my
command, was in camp at Towards well.
about a mile from the scene ofthe disas.
ter and while yet some distance from the
point the smoke of the burning wa CONS
mistaken for camp-fires confirmed me 10
this belief. knew at least that a SER
geant and four men were at the we'll, in
charge Of forage. The command moved ,
rapidly toward the well, when the ser.
seant at that point was met and the course ;
aiken by the Indians pointed out. :
In less time than it takes to write it
he trail was found AMI rapid pursuit was +.
made by companies A aud II, of the 9th 6
'avalry, commanded respectively by Capt. :
jooney, and Lieut.. Vincent. After fol, :
owing the trail some six or eight miles, .
he cavalry came upon the Indians on the :,
ummit OF a steep aud almost impossible
luff Here sharp fght occurred, in :,
'hich, | regret to say Lieut. Vincent fell
lortally wounded, while bravely leading
nd attempting to control his men, He n
led shortly after reaching camp, at 10, 81
. NJ. Capt. Cooney was painfully, but lie
OF seriously injured by his horse falling eI
hIle he was riding at rapid rate He Of
amounted, however, aud retained his nj
The men of his company be- nj
aved very we'll, but being in great part 1t
'cruits without experience in Indian war. il
're-vhlch was the case to still great. of
: extent in company H-they squaDdcred tn
leIr ammunition. Lack of ammunition FL
nd supplies made protracted pursuit sh
the Indians impraoticabe. A woman, m
no escaped reports that six Iuians were en-
He'd in the fight. -
Words fail to convey an idea of the ii,
ckening horror Of the massacre by the -
'mons who overpowered the train men Il,
'veral OF them were taken alive, tied TO ur
agons and burned. An old woman was sci
ken some distance from the place of at gu
ok, and then shot and scalped. Her
andchild had its ears cut off, was seal
I'd Ind its brains dashed out, while her OF
tighter, the mother of the child, who tai
it all, as also the murder of III
r husband, one OF the train men, was w w
FRIED off by some friends. More than MA
q poor wuetch crawled from the burn The
2 wagons after the ropes that bound
EN- had burnt off, only to burn to unrec-
nizable masses, with their charrod IA a'o
5 and hands raised in positions of en-. 0e'
'aty. The train had nine men with it, ". ""
; remainder Of the party being women bo,
children. 1t is feared that one wo. to
n was taken away by the band, though selV
'sibly she, as well as the other missin, ann
ly, was burned to ashes with the wap. W,
!. te Of lie
1t is reported that the band oc..sisted
about l25 to $50 men and was CON- s :
ed OF Indians, negroes and deserters the
IN the army. A number of arms and the
plies Of ammunition were taken from AZ \
train before burning it,---how many ure
rs | cannot say. 1t vas the supply pric
-si9 . Z. qcae atias-8aa.a 80 s8gtl.8,