New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-10
THE INDIANS
PLEASURE PARTIES ATTACKED.


fFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBuNEl
FoRr ELLIS. Montana Aug. 2s.-The Nez Perces
having succeeded in escaping Howard. and definite
information regarding their course being required
on the 23d Lieut.. c. b. Schofed, ID Cavalry OF
this post was sent on a scout mp the leho"s'ohe'
with instructions to ascend Mt. Washburn, from
which TO view the country. With four soldiers ana
Anderson. the scout he performed the service ana
is now returned Lieut.. Schofod is brother OF the
General and a young officer Of exceptional merit
and competency. The country was thoroughly eN-
AHMED but no hOstiles were seem Alter the Iuuous
ascent and the observations had been made the
party returned to its camp when at p m'' TWO
women and one man, in woful plight came IN
reporting ore Of the most pitiul stories OF the sea-
SONS fales Of horror. This story was dispatcheddo
Fort Ellis a5 follows;
MAagOrH HOT SPRINGS,
NATIONAL PARK, Aug. 26, 1878
To COMMANDING 0giesr Fort ne; ,oa,r and ,rst
got back here. The Me- Perces appeared IN tne Gelsr
bur- party, killing seven men aud tasiag Mrs. Cowan
ana her sister and brother prisoners just as lct VS.
today tie Indians attacked another party Oh ,r'
ana killed nine. one escaped aud c.me 10 my camp.
Night before last the Indians released Mrs. CoWan ler
and brother They got 10 my camp TINS aiterhoo'
and brOu-l them in here 20 night. o-.A
The main camp crossed the Yellowstone on tl. I'm
and the warriors went back, as they sd U h7h' nov"
Whitebird and Looking Glass remained with the camp.
gong to Wind River and Fort Brown 70 gtt s9riTs,
They little 70 eat Ny opinion Is hat tney ne
ing toward The Yellowstone by CaTks FORK Tor some
unknown reason they Gd not discover me or we NGuu
have probably been gnued up also MINK ~ Wou n De
good Tor the 1tn Cavalry to 70 down near C!afs fol
Uu "I' ~ sic Snail sfart bacl, tomorrow.
My horses are somewhat used mp. gave the ladies' my
rafiens aud happy them eat the way lhcy uu
VIM iiird s.ys t docs not want 10 Hght the Ellis
froore but VIII GIT Lewiston soldiers ahu WI AllI
any soldier. he runs across. CHAs. g. ~CHOFfrLD.
Lieut.. ~ Cavalry.
~ Ccv-,,, or,d fita otIf- her
sister. Miss Carpenter, were mounted upon Indian
ponies. while The man. a Mr.. Carpenter lal Of
Radersburg, NJ. IT, came aioot. They had been
members of pleasure party, to the Geyser region,
which had been captured by the retIeating Nez
Perc6s on the oath. and had had a miraculous es-
cape. They were just making their camps when "A
small party Of Indians came IN, soon 10 be followed
by a second. who told the whites they must 20 to
Joseph's camp. This DONE the sayages moved on,
after awhile mounting themselves upon the horses
Of tue eXcursoBists, to whom they gave the use Of
their ponies The second day, when a ravinc,
body OF some sixty Indians suddenly surrounded the
devoted party Of ten whites, who were, with one ex
ception, close together. and began firing upon them
one oldham being killed, and the three l have
mentioned and a Mr.. CoHan, escaping unhurt, and
the remainder either getting into the timber or be-
ing killed; which, is not yet known. Bat for the
corded, except as an episode of Indian warfare and
may be briefly narrated as follows;
After the sldrmsh the two men and two women
were carried along with the Indians, the monotony
Of the day being finally relieved by the shooting of
MI Cowan He fell from hIs ponyand, being caught
il Mrs. Cowans arms. was again shot and his brains
beaten out as she held him in her arms. He was
q lawyer al Radersburg, and received his first shot
froma Nez Perez who had been wounded in the head
in the Gbbol fight. The second shot was admins
tered with a revolver by another wounded savage,
and a third completed the work by dashing out his
brains with "a rock, as his sLrieking wife
was pulled off by a crowd Of Indians,
who thirsted for her blood The Door woman,
hardly n wear married. begged the savage brues to
Kill her outright not supposing she W0nid be spared
a moment. but mo- muTderOus attempt was made Up-
on her or her young sister. The brother J.. CaTpen-
ter was next singled out, and, bong AIKEN OH q
short distance and ordered 10 lueel. buTly savage
raised Ms Gun - ire, when the intended Vlctn be-
thinking him Of the Roman Catholicism Of the Ncz
Perc6s. or ssed himself. As the magic symbol was
traced before the Indian who was 10 shoot INN, DE
hestated dropped bis gun rose to ms feet and told
Carpenter 10 go as after That, can no Kill you,"
hc said. A council OF five was then held, to decide
the fate Of the three trembling prisoners. at which
young CARPENTER was PRESENT. ms sisters utiT sht-
tered fOr the time. ln the camp or the chlef mite
Bird The action Of this chief forms part Of the
romance OF this episode. From the beginning he
appears 10 have objected to dealing vlo-
IcIflv with the prisoners, and advocated the
release of the entire party. lie continued his
kindly Offices oven after the attack uuOu
tie unfortunate company. and the murder of Cow
an. During the council thc demand for the blood of
the three prisoners was Iouu ana determined one
Indian detailing, with savage earncatncs5 the fact
that the whites had killed ls sQuaW, hls father and
ms SOM and appealing for the chance Tor revenge he
cOuld not DE appca~ed. The While young Carpenter
sat by, his lie and that Of h3 two sisters han0Ing
IN the balance. and tie arguments of the savage
council proving Of deadly interest 10 him, who but
an hour before, had kncit down 10 die, leaving his
sisters 20 the mercy OF the Indians
While the council was sitting, young Carpenter
despairng Of escape and fearing for the lives and
honor Of his sisters appealed TO it to sacrifice him
and spare them; asking if he were 20 be killed. that
they be sent in safety To tile settlement: To this
warrior named Joseph, ln0t the chief, who had
shown friendly intentions from the beginning. re-
sponded that If possible the wish should be granted,
and that he himself would perform the service.
But they ali escaped, The council of five voted
three to two in favor of release and life, and White
Bird bore the news Of their escape 10 the camp,
where the trembling women awaited their fate.
And then White Bird. lately cool and deliberate,
became nervous and excited. fearing reconsideration
BY the council or defiance Of its conclusion by the
bloods and squaws. you 90 quick-gO by this
trall-dont stop to camp or eat, or water yOur p0-
nlcS-dOn't 20 up the riVcr-huTrry to the Hot
Springs and JON your people theTc-get away-hur-
ryl0 And mounting the almost naked women upOn
broken-dOwn ponies. and giving each a small piece
of bread and some matches Carpenter himself going
afOot. White Bird guided them mile ont of camp
and then left them tOwcnd their way to where they
met Lieut. SchOteld. The women were hatless.
shawfess the man had been robbed OF everything
except his shirt, trousers and boots and, Us the
tail rough and the nights were very cold.
the trip to the soldiers camp almost without food
with no protection for the women bat an old
quilt presented by White Bird, and made in
mOmeutaTy dread of recapture, must have been
one to which the term horrible may be apty APP
Piled. his Is the story obtained direct from tho
escaping party; and while late news from the Yell
lowstone Indicates the escape cf all but perhaps
three of the cXcuTslOnists, it is yet impossible 10