The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-05-25
THRILLING ADVENTURE.
Re markabie Escape from Party of Che,
ennes.

Remarkable Escape from Party of Chey-
ennes.
On the 9TH of April last train left
Camp Reno, Wyo. Ter, for Fort Fetter-
man for grain. They encamped at the
Dry forks of Powder river the first night
out. several citizens who had been work
ing at Reno, and who had been dis
charged, accompanying the train. Two
of these men were on their way to Dead
wood. Crooks trail runs in at the forks,
and the next morning they left the train
on the Fetterman road They started
for Deadwood on the trail via Pumpkin
buttes, "Inyan Kara" a soldier of
the Ninth Infantry, accompanying them,
he having left the train without author
ity. On the second day out, about four
miles northeast of the buttes, they were
fired upon by ambushed Indians. To
use the survivors, words: "The first /
knew was like an explosion, crack, crack
Smith and ] were walking side by side,
and old man Rand was leading the
packed animal Smith was killed in
stantly, 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, infict-
ing a painful wound. AS soon as could
realize my position, Immediately fell
fat down and loaded my gun. Unfortu-
nately for the old man, he was in an ex-
posed 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 200 yards
from us. As soon as the old man had
been killed the firing ceased, ana. think
ing that they We're trying to surround
me, ran about forty feet further to
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 some snow water, from which 1
refreshed myself Al soon as the sun
had gone down made all preparations
for my escape, but something told me |
had better stay. About S o'clock that
evening saw two fires about 100 yards
on the knoll from me, and twelve Indi-
ans came down to where the bodies were,
carrying the fires, which seemed to be
composed of some resinous matter. They
all carried their guns with them, and
were on foot. On coming to the bodies
they set their fires down, and proceeded
to scalp and horribly mutilate the bodies
of my companions. All this time L was
only fifteen feet from them. L could
have killed two of them easily, but l
knew that would be sure death TO me, as
they would have held council and
starved me out. After cutting and hack
ing the bodies for about an hour they
retired behind the knoll. 1 now began
to feel very cold and weak. l had no
coat on, and only Government shirt on,
and l was afraid l would catch cold in
my wound. l began to consider what L
had better do. had fifty miles to walk
to the fort, the nearest place of civiliza-
ton, with nothing to eat and painful
wound. concluded, finally. to stay till
early daybreak, and then to take my
chances. l accordingly waited till about
haf-past 4, when L crawled out of the
hole that l had made, and cautiously, on
hands and knees, went to the brow of
the hill. To my intense delight saw
the Indians about quarter of a mile
away, going in the direction of the
Red Cloud agency. 1 then went back to
the dead men, and saw such sight as
almost caused me to faint with horror.
They had been mutilated in the most
horrible manner, and scalped on both
sides of the head.