The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-06-07
ONE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE.
L. dian Ferocii y--Ambn-hed, shot, Scalped
aud Muti!uted.


aud Muti!nted.
The Chicago Times says: On April
9Th, last, train left Cantonment Reno,
Wyoming Territory, for Fort Fetterman
for grain. They encamped at the Dry
Forks of Powder river, about sixteen
miles from the cantonment, the first
night out, several citizens who had been
working at Reno, and who had been dis
charged, accompanying the train.
Crooks trail runs in at the forks, and the
next morning the citizens left the train
on the Fetterman road They started
for Deadwood on the trail Uia Pumpkin
buttes and Inyan Kara" a soldier of
he Ninth infantry accompanying them,
he having left the train without author
ity. On the second day out, about four
miles northeast of the buttes, about five
o'clock in the afternoon, they were fired
upon by ambushed Indians. To use the
the survivors, words "The first knew
was like an explosion, crack, crack !
Smith and L were walking side by side,
and old man Rand was leading the pack
ed animal. Smith was killed instantly,
the shot striking him in the back of the
head, coming out of his forehead. The
old man was shot in the left lung, and,
wonderful to say, the shot struck my
gun Just back of the head, glanced down
the ramrod, struck the trigger guard,
and entered my shoulder, inficting a
painful wound. As soon as L could realize
my position, I Immediately fell flat
down and loadedmy gun. Unfortunately
for the old man, he was in an exposed
position, and being severely wounded
could not crawl to the buffalo wallow
which, fortunately, was only few feet
to the left. When the Indians first fired
they were only about two hundreds yards
from us. AS soon as the old man had
been killed the firing ceased, and, think
ing that they we're trying to surround
me, ran about forty feet further to o
ravine, which subsequently proved to be
the only possible safe place for me. The
sun was now nearly down. and was
very faint from loss of blood, when,
providentially looking around near my
feet was snow water, from which L re-
freshed myself.
"As soon as the sun had gone down l
made all preparations for my escape, but
something told me L had Letter stay.
About eight o'clock that evening [ saw
two fires about 100 yards on the knoll
from me, and twelve Indians came down
to where the bodies We're, carrying the
fires, which seemed to be composed
OF some resinous matter. They all car
ried their guns with them, and We're on
foot. On coming to the bodies, they set
their fires down, and proceeded to calp
and mutilate the bodies Of my compan-
ions. All this time / was only fifteen
feet from them. + could have killed two
of them easily, bat knew that would
be sure death to me, as they would have
| held council and starved me out. AZ
ter cutting and hacking the bodies fol
about an hour, they retired behind the
knoll. / now began to feel very cold
and weak. L had NJ coat on, and only a
would catch cold i'll my wound. [ be-
gan to consider what | had better do.
had fifty miles to walk to the fort; the
nearest place of civilization, with moth
| ing TO eat and painful wound. / con-
| cluded, finally, to stay until early day
break, and then take my chances. ac.
cordingly waited till about four and c
half o'clock, when l crawled out of my
| hole that had made, aud cautiously, OF
| bands and knees, went to the brow Of the
hill. 70 my intense delight, / saw. the
IndiaLs about a qumter of mile away
going away in the direction of the Rec
Cloud agency. [ have no doubt the In
dians were Cheyennes, for they were
very large men, not one of them being
less than six feet high. l started fol
Reno right away, and met the mail party
that evening at eight o'clock, at the Dry
Forks, and got into Reno the next day
at twelve o'clock, nearly dead with pail
and exhaustion"