The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-06-13

the confidence OF nearly all the tribes and
every old white hunter ON the plains. He
was recently appointed agent Of the POncas
by the President.
Some Of the hardy trappers in thoseear-
ly days OF the Great Central Plains, who
isolated themselves in the vast solitudes Of
the interior OF the continent, made their
visits to the small trading stations on the
River, as the Missouri was called-like
those attributed to ange,s--few and far
between" Many OF them INDUCED in the
most extravagant stores and strange adj
ventures, occasionally bordering on the su-
pernatural, all Of which was usually un-
suspiciously swallowed by the ignorant
and gaping crowd Of listeners who were
ready to believe anything OF the mysteri
Gus beyond the settlements.
At that time the whole region stretching
from the Missouri to the Mountains was
an unexplOred wilderness, excepting a
narrow belt contiguous to the rivera sort
OF terra incOgnitd in fact, whose woods
and streams abounded in remarkably fer
tile themes for the play Of the widest i'm
Imagination.
But the extension of our vast railway
system beyond the Mississippi forever de-
termined the question OF the settlement OF
the plains-which in 1872 reached as far
as Pawnee Rock. To-day the historic
hill looks down only upon peaceful homes
and fruitful fields; where for hundreds OF
years it could tell Of nothing but battle
and death; where almost every yard OF the
brown sod at its base covered grave;
where there was nothing but shadow-nOw
all is sunlight. In place OF the hOrrid yell
OF the savage, as he wrenched the reeking
scalp from his vanquished victim, the whis-
l.. - AI.a .nI ,.ln
whirr Of the reaping machine is heard.
Where the death cry OF the painted war
riOr rang mOurnfully on the silent prairie,
the waving grain is singing in beautiful
rhythm as it bows to the summer breeze
Now the dark foliage OF the box elder
around which the beautiful ampelOpsis
tenderly clings, cast their shadows on
peaceful waters that often were tinged
with blood. and the lark and the quail in
springtime, MARBLE in tune to the merry
whistle Of the plOw-bOy as his sleek horses
turn over the green OF the prairie, and
all is one grand picture OF untrOubled
calm.
Almost every day in the early summer,
or before the grain planting i'm the early
fall for some years in the first settlement
OF the country, and even now where new
fields are opened in the vicinity Of Pawnee
Rock, the skeletons OF those who have
been killed here in the long years gone by
sometimes the bones OF the white man,
sometimes the bones OF the red man
were plowed up. These frequent graves
are source OF curiosity ana matter OF
speculation and gossip to those who have
recently moved here-whose homes have
ever been in the far-back civilization OF
the crowded East, and who are necessarily
Ignorant OF the TRADITIONS and history OF
that portion OF Ihe PLAINS on when they
have settled. only little more than year
ago one OF these newcomers, well to-
do farmer, hvlng lew miles west OF
Larned on fawnee Bottom, having OBJ
served In one OF his 1elds q singular de-
preston, remarkably resembling an Old
grave, such as Is frequently found In ven
cradle church yards, he determined to
dig there and see II there was any
special cause for the strange indentation
on his land.
At couple OF feet below the surface he
discovered several Hat pieces OF stone, on
one OF which the words: Washington
and D. Hlldreth were rudeiy cut, also q
line separating them, and underneath the
date: december III ana d. NJ, lso0.
On another was carved the name ). ID.
Shell, and other characters that could not
~ ;n;t;pIs .H D na,1, mnJ,,moat,, ,h;s
,'ra, ,,ia;,,i,, a.. d RI OIL st;i, hn
W. .L;n 6,i D ,ho Gnu a pun ~
tnno ', t'h 10 % axaa,.a,;o vie icy ronud ~
tom OF the excavation were found the
lower portion OF the skull, one or two ribs,
ana on OF the bones Oh the leg Oh human
being. The piece OF skull was found near
the center OF the grave, for such it Ger
.s vas Vas, .h no mn,u aMu ihnSa, WINS" In,
iia', -. W.. -, .n s . u NV,
pi .i n,e., i hi + .s "a Jeon wiz wiz
,I III i uula M. anu Why I Nv o.it
wv I,uu, n,;, ~ .e ui .p po io ',n;us
"as ne az o ran. ., .,o plains
t 1880. i,u -oi oieo. y, .nI iio: Paos VI
Sa,iIo.hia, anu sunAIh y! us, hn,o-
~ puiieu 'heIe oh lue iohe Pidhe ny ms