Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-04-06
So in Advance


near where some young men yvoTo
paying their last respects to some
person who had Just died of a
wound. A large feshy old woman
came to me twice and talked while
sat there. She related their trou-
bles; said that four of their number
were killed and forty-seven wound
ed on the first attack. That several
had died since.
When all was ready Samuel
McMurty, counselor to Bishop P.
K. Smith (Klingen Smith,, drove
out. His wagon had the seventeen
children, clothing and arms. Samu-
Ell Knight drove the other team with
hVe wounded men and one bov.
about fifteen years old. 1 walked
behind the front wagon to direct
the course and shun being in the
slaughter, but this I kept to myself.
When we got turned fairly to the
east motioned to McMurty to steer
north across the valley. l at the
same time told the women, who
were next to the wagon, to follow
the road up to the troops, which
they did. said drive on, as my
aim was to get out of sight before
the firing commenced, which we did.
We were about a half mile ahead of
the company when we heard the
first fling. We had driven over a
ridge of rolling ground and down on
a low fiat. The firing was stimuli
taneous along the whole line.
The moment the firing commenced
McMurty halted and tied his lines
across the rod of his wagon-box,
stepped down coolly with a double
barreled shotgun, walked back to
knights wagon, which had the
wounded men, and was about twen-
ty feet in the rear. As he raised his
piece he said: ''LOrd, my God, re-
ceive their spirits, for it is for the
kingdom of heavens sake that we
do this, fred, and killed two men.
Samuel Knight had muzzle-loadiDg
rifle, and he shot and killed the three
men and then struck and wounded
the boy on the head, who fell dead.
In the meantime I drew fve-shoot-
er from my belt, which accidentally
went of, cutting across McMurty's
buckskin pants in front, below the
crotch. MoMurty said, "Brother
Lee, you are excited; take things
cool; you was near killing me; look
where the ball cut" pointing to the
place in his pants. At this moment
heard the scream of a child, and
looked up and saw an Indian have a
little boy by the hair of his head,
HIM out of the hind-end Of
a wagon, with knife in his hand,
getting ready to cut his throat. 1
sprang for the Indian, with my re-
volver in my hand, and shouted at
the top of my voice; sStop, you
fool!' The child was terror-strick.
en-. His chin was bleeding. l had
no sooner rescued this child than
another Indian seized a little girl
by the hair. / rescued her as soon
as l could speak told the Indians
they must not hurt the children,
that / would die before they should
be hurt, that we would buy the
children of them. Before this time
the Indians had rushed up around
the wagon in quest of blood and dis
patched the two runaway wounded
men.
In Justice TO my statement would
say that if my shooter had not pre-
maturely exploded / would have
had hand in dispatehing the five
wounded. had lost control of my
self and scarce knew what l was
about. saw an Indian pursue q
little girl who was fleeing. He
caught her about 100 feet from the
wagon and plunged his knife through
her. said to McMurty he had bet
ter drive the children to Hamblin's
rancho and give them some nourish.
ment, while would go down and
get my horse at the camp. Passing
along the road | saw the dead strung
along a distance of about half a mile.
The women and children were killed
by the Indians. l saw Shurtz with
the Indians, and no other white man
was with them. When / came to
the men they lay about rod apart.
Here / came up with Higbee, Bishop
Smith. and the rest of the company.
AS came up Higbee said to me:
''Let us search these persons for val
1ables," and asked me to assist him,
He gave me hat to hold. Several
men were already engaged in search
ing the bodies. l replied,ths l was
unwell, and wanted to get upon my
horse and 90 to the rancho and
nurse myself. My request was
granted; reaching Hamblin's rancho
being heartsick and worn out, lay
DOWN upon my saddle blanket and
slept, and knew but little of what
passed during the night.
About daybreak in the morning l
heard the voices of Col. Dame and
Isaac G. Haight. I heard some very
angry words pass between them,
:
which drew my attention. Dame
,aid he would haYe to report the de-
,truction of emigrant camp and CON-
Danv. Halght said: "How, as an
indian massacre?" Dame said he
lid not know so well about that.
This reply seemed to irritate Haig6t,
who spoke quite loudly, saying:
sHow can you report it any other
way without duplicating yourselfgs
At this Dame lowered his voice al
most to a whisper. l could not un-
lerstand what he said, and the con-
Iersation stopped. l got up, saw
be children, and among others the
,oy who was pulled by the hair Of
us head out of the wagon by an In
- and saved by me. That boy |
,oi, L nome and kept at home until
r. % Fo. -uey, Government Agent
.me to gather up the children al"
Ike them last. That boys name
as VIM. Fancher. His father was
aptain of the train.
/ got breakfast that morning; ell
ands returned to the scene Of the
aughter to bury the dead. The
,dias yvaPe all m a nude Sfata Tbo