The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-06-06
More Murders.
Dusky Demons Corral Cowboys
in Colorado, and Shoot Them
Down Like Dogs.
Full Particulars OF The Latest Atroeity
Narrow Escape of I'D. Cowles
and ID. q. Tracy,

ana ~. T. Tracy.
The red fends who have for SO
many years made this frontier a per-
feet hell for ranchmen and stock
growers, whose operations SO far have
been confined to the northern border,
have of late been extending their
base of operations and are now COM
hitting deviltries near the line of the
Union Pacific, north and south of
Julesburg and Pine Bluffs.
On Saturday last four men named
Z. ii. Cowles, Thomas Kelly, Charles
Peterson and Matt Folsom, (colored)
who were employed by Mr.. d. C..
Tracy, of this city, ON the South
Platte roundup, started from River
side, a small town on the South
Platte, in Weld Co. Colo. 80 miles
southwest of Sidney, Neb., intending
to 60 to Pine Bluffs station, on the
U. z. Cowles and Kelly were ON
horseback, while Peterson and Fol-
som were in a wagon. The men were
driving a herd Of cattle, and had
with them ten extra horses. They
started at Z o'clock and had travelled
but two or three hours when they de-
clded tc camp on a stream known as
the Dry Cedar, about Is miles from
Riverside, at which place they ex-
pected to lind water. Just as they
were descending into the creek bot
tom nine Indians suddenly rose up
and fired a volley at them, killing
Peterson and Folsom INSTANTLY.
Kelly and Cowles wheeled around
and started back at full speed, closely
pursued by the red fiends. At a dis
lance Of a mile and a half from the
wagon Kelly, who was badly mount
ed, was overtaken and shot down,
but Cowles, who had a good horse,
succeeded in escaping and rode into
Sterling where he reported the kill
ing OF the men and that Tracy was
missing.
MIR. Tracy had promised to meet
the men at Riverside in the morning,
and proceed with them to Pine Bluffs,
but, as the sequel shows, luckily took
the wrong road and did not reach
Riverside until 10 O'Clock. He i'm
mediately started out on the trail of
the wagon, and had reached a point
about 10 miles from Riverside, when
he espied a band of Indian ponies
feeding on a hillside neal the road.
He rode to the top of a small knoll
near by to look at the ponies, when
a mounted Indian appeared in the
road about 300 yards ahead. Tracy
had a tent and a pair of saddle bags
filed with provisions strapped on his
saddle, which he instantly threw of,
and turning, started back down the
road, but was confronted by another
Indian, who was also within 800
yards of him. He rode south about
three-fourths ola mile, circling around
the first Indian, when he heard a shot
which he supposed was fred by In
dams hunting antelope. Just then he
saw cattle coming toward him on the
road. He halted the herd, recogni-
zing them as his own. The cattle
were followed by horses, which he
also recognized. The next thing
Tracy knew, a pair ofIndians struck
out to cut him off, and taking in the
entire situation, he put spurs to his
horse and started away. He had not
gone far before he passed the body of
poor Kelly, who was lying on the
ground, face downward. The Indians
soon stopped and went back, and
Tracy rode on to the northwest until
he crossed a small range of hills
when he turned and rode direct to
Sterling, reaching there about sun
down.
Early Sunday morning a party of
men started out from Sterling and
picked up the bodies of Peterson,
Kelly and Folsom, M. C. King tax
ing charge of and agreeing to bury
them. Cowles went to Patterson's
ranch, where he secured a party of
II or Is men, under SAINT. Kempton.
Captain of the roundup, to pursue
the redskins and endeavor to capture
tn e stolen horses, the Indians, besides
taking twelve from Tracy's men,
having also visited Sterling Friday
night and stolen twenty head from
them. Another party started from
Sterling for the same purpose, but
have not yet been heard from.
MIR. Tracy is confident that the
Indians e Sioux from Red Cloud
agency. Murders in the same vi
cinity have occurred regularly every
summer for the past six years. The
trail of war and hunting parties leads
across the section in question, and
Indians are constantly passing to
and fro there at this season.
Kelly, one of the murdered men,
is a son of the section foreman at
Bushnell station, and the blow is a
terrible one TO his parents. Poterson