The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-04-23
Unon the following morning 4 scout

Upon the following morning \ scout
announced that some persona strange
Indian. was coming toward the camp.
The party Instantly mounted and drew
up in line in front of the stranger, hid
den from his view by a little rise Of
of ground. lie rode quietly along, I'M
suspicious Of danger, till fairly within
their power His little boy was riding
quarter Of mile behind him.
( At the proper moment the Usage
chief gave the signal, and the whole
party charged at full pccd,yelling and
firing. The stranger halted and faced
them passively, seeing that lie could
not escape. When the assailants reach
ed him, the blood was pouring from
several wounds. but he still sat straight
up on his horse and gave his name, Is
adawa. He was instantly pulled TO
the ground. bcheaded, and scalped. The
boy escaped, though tiercely pcrsued.
|
ual and wcll-disposed of all the lndi-
ans in the territory. He was head
chief Of the Wichita's, and has done
much in behalf of the civilization of his
people. There was no cause for war
between the two tribes.
The Osages were persued, but reach
ed their reserve after Il terrible jour
new, in which several horses were rid
to death. A prodigious scalp-dance
followed.
Salt Creek is a small stream flowing
into the Arkansas on its east. Here
are the permanent camps of the Little
Osages, Big Hills, and White Hair
bands.
Shortly after the scalp-dance. scouts
came in with false alarm, that large
party Of Wichitas and Cheyennes had
been seen approaching. The result
was wild alarm and midnight SIAM
pedc across the reserve and into the
Cherokee nation.
When the murder was announced at
the Usage agency,a special agent, X.
Wethcrcll, was al once dispatched to
the Wichita agency, and speedily re-
turned with a party of fOrty-fivc
Wichitas. There were United States
troops at the Usage agency toprcscrvc
order. The Wichitas came in just be-
fore the payment. and at once demand
ed that the murlercrs be delivered up.
This the Osrgcs refused. Offering a
thousand dollars instead.
But the Wichitas wouldn't accept
the money. They wanted the murder
ers, and nothing less. "YOu are FOOLS"
said Ah-kumk emf eve would sell any
chief we have for less money than
that - But the Wichitas were obsti-
nate.
The Osages declared that if once in
the hand of the Wichitas, they would
have been tortured to death out on the
plains.
Finally some hundreds Of the Osag-
es armed and gathered around the
council. The Wichitas, frightened,
compromised, accepted fifteen hundred
dollars, and went home unmOlested.
"Cheap enough" said Ah-humkemi;
chats only two dollars per lodge of
us: we'll give that for scalp-dance
any time"
So the Little Osagcs and Big Hills
were covered with glory. Two war
parties had been sent out, and each
party had succeeded in numbering a
solitary and unsuspecting wayfarer.
The heart of the Black Dog Usage was
moved with envy.
In June the band of Osagcs last men-
toned sent out a war party. They
found three white men in camp on the
new Abiline trail,jus west of Scwelfs
rancho on Salt fork. One of the lndi-
ans was sent out to reconnoitcr. He
the camp and shot Cham
bers, the well known cattle dealer. The
two companions Of Chambers returned
the fire and killed the Usage. The
other Osagcs then came to the rescue,
and the white men fled. Chambers
was instantly scalpcd, behcaded, and
otherwise mutilated.
The Usage authorities smoothed
over the matter by SAYING that the
murderer had been killed and no one
else was to blame. The fact is, that
the men who formed the war party,
and who scalped and bcheaded Cham
bers, were all murderers. And it
would seem that every man of the
Usage nation has been. or is expect
ing soon to be. engaged III some SINH
lar tradcgy.
Chambers was murdered about the
middle of June. 1873. and that month !
the Black Dogs danced around the
scalp.
The agents of the other tribes com
planned bitterly about this habit of
out funeral war parties. They
say that it is peculiar to the Osagcs,
and that thereby a constant state of
warfare is kept up. These people are
better armed than any other tribe aud
the war spirit seems to be growing
among them.
Ah-humkemi speaks good English,
and is the best interpreter in the Usage |
nation. Soon after the murder of Isa- |
dawa. he came to my house very sick. /
His Usage ncighbors had assisted him !
to ride some fifty miles. He was quite
broken down by his ride for life from
The Cimarron to the Usage agency.
Professor" said he, I'm a going 10
pass i'm nv checks. I've brought my
horse along, for think you can spend
EN- bettcr'n than these id Indians
md wish you'd take care of me-"
took care of him and he did not
pass in his checks" lie went home
with his horses in about two weeks,
greatly improved in health.
The grass is beginning TO start on
he plains. Ii will soon be time to hear
If more funeral war parties ofOsag-
Commonwealth.
81 &c lat 4 Z