The daily gazette., 1877-09-24
THE MURDEROUS INDIANS,
THRILLING STORY OF THE WESTERN
PLAINS.

A THRILLING STORY OF THE WESTERN
PLAINS.
A correspondent, writing from Fort
Ellis, M. T., under date of August 2S,
gives some details of the capture and
treatment Of the Radersburg party by
the Nez Perces. The correspondent
writes: -.....,..,-. ... ...,.
"The women, one Mrs, Cowan, and the
other her sister, Miss Carpenter, were
mounted upon Indian ponies, while the
man, Mr.. Carpenter, Call of NJ. T.,)
came afoot. They had been members of
a pleasure party to- the Geyser region,
which had been captured by the retreat
ing Nez Perces on the oath, and had
miraculous escape. They were Just MAX
ing their camps when small party of
Indians came in, soon to be followed by
a second, who told the whites they must
60 to Joseph's camp. This done, the
savages moved on after while mount
ing themselves upon the horses of the ex-
cursionists, to whom they gave the use of
their ponies. The second day, when in
ravine. body of some sixty Indians
suddenly surrounded the devoted party of
ten whites, who were, with one exception
close etogether,a and began firing upon them
-one Oldham being killed, 1ahd the
three have mentioned and MflNCowan
etcaping unhurt, and the remainder
either getting into the timber or being
killed, which is not known. But for the
escaping four an experience was reserved
not often recorded, except as an episode
of Indian warfare, and may be briefly
narrated as follows:
CATER the skirmish the two men and
two women were carried along with the
Indians, the monotony being finally re-
lieved by the shooting of Mr.. Cowan. He
fell from his pony, and, being canght in
Mrs. Cowan's arms, was again shot and
his brains beaten out as she held him in
her arms. He was lawyer at RAIDERS
burg, and received his first shot from a
Nez Perce who had been wounded in
the head in the Gibbon fight. The
second shot was administered with re-
volver by another wounded savage, and
third completed the work by dashing out
his brains with a rock, as his shrieking
wife was pulled off by crowd of Indians
who thirsted for her blood. The poor,
woman, hardly year married, begged
the savage brutes to kill her outright, not
supposing she would be spared moment
but no murderous attempt was made
upon her young sister. The brother, F.
Carpenter, was next singled out, and
being taken off short distance and Or
dered to Sneel, burly savage raised his
gun to fire. when the intended victim,
bethinking him of the Roman Catholi-
cism Of the Nez Perces, crossed him
self.' ''' -'.i '"
As the magic symbol was traced before
the Indian who was to shoot him, he
hesitated, dropped his gun, rose to his
feet, and told Carpenter TO go, as, after
that, Il can no kill you,' he said. A
council of five was then held to decide
at which young Carpenter was present,
his sisters being sheltered, for the time,
in the camp of the chief, White Bird.
The action of this chief forms part of
the romance of this episode. From the
beginning he appears to have objected
to dealing violently with the prisoners,
and advocated the release of the entire
party, He continued his kindly offices
even after the attack upon the unfortu-
nate company and the murder of Cowan.
During the council the demand for the
blood of the three prisoners was loud and
determined, one Indian detailing, with
savage earnestness, the fact that the
whites had killed his squaw, his father
and his son, and appealing for the chance
for revenge, he could not be appeased.
The while young Carpenter sat by, his
life and that Of his two sisters hanging in
the balance, and the arguments of the
savage council proving. of deadly interest
to him, who but an hour before had
knelt down to die, leaving his sisters to
the mercy of the Indians.
"While the council was sitting young
Carpenter, despairing of success, and
fearing for the lives and honor of his sis
ters, appealed to it to sacrifice him and
and spare them, as If he were to be killed
that they be sent in safety to the settle
ment To this warrior named Joseph
mot the chief who had shown friendly
intentions from the beginning, responded
that if possible the wish should be grant
ed, and that he himself would perform
the service.
'"But they all escaped. The council of
five voted three to two In favor of release
and life, and White Bird bore the news
of their escape to the campwhere thetrem-
bling women awaited their fate. And then
White Bird, lately so cool and deliberate,
became nervous and excited, fearing re-
consideration by the council or defiance
ofits conclusion by the bloods and squaws
tYou go quick-go by this trail-don't
stop to camp or eat, or water your ponies
don't go up the river-hurry to the Hot
Springs and join your people there-get
away-hurry? And mounting the almost
naked women upon broken-down ponies,
and giving each a small piece of bread
and some matches, Carpenter himself 60
ing afoot, White Bird guided them mile
out of camp, aud then left them to wend
their way to where they met Lieut.. Scho-
field. The women were hatless, shawl
less; the man had been robbed of every
thing excepa his shirt, trousers and boots,
and, as the trail was rough and the nights
were very cold, the trip to the soldiers
camp almost without food, with no pro-
lection for the women but an old quilt
presented by White Bird, and made in
dread of recapture, must
have been one to which the term horri-
BILE may be aptly applied. This is the
story as obtained direct from the escap-
ing party; and while late news from the
Yellowstone indicates the escape OF all
but three of the excursionists, it is yet
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