Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-04-24
Henry Benge and Wife.
LIVING TWELVE YEARS IN A FRONT
TER CAVE WITAOUT SIGHT OF A HU-
MAN FACE.

ngs and adventures Of Henry R. Benge
and Wife" which Is sufficiently sensa-
tional to be true, for the life Of the plains
twenty years ago was violent and ven
turesome beyond any idea of the pres
ont generation. Mr. Henry r. Benge is
a man of forty-four, and was accom-
panied on bis recent visit to the East
by his wife Elizabeth, strong healthy,
sun-browned woman somewhat his jun
ION, and Their daughter Milly, girl Of
eighteen. In 1851 Nj. Benge was a
young merchant of Philadel-
phia, newly married, whose property
was all swept away by the financial
crash. Despairing ofeyer scarfng his
broken fortunes he started for the far
West in May Of he following year.
They for his wife accompanied him
proceeded by the rail as far as the then
terminus of the iron lines Jefferson
City, Missouri whence they took boat
to Leavcnworth, Kansas. There Mr..
Benge made the acquaintance Of sever
al young men about to fit Outa train for
''Pike's Peak as the whole of Colora-
do was then called, and arranged to
Join them.
The party, nine men and four women,
left Lcaycnworth June 10, 1858, and
moved by way Of Topeka and Council
Grove to old Santa Fe trail, where they
camped ON Crow Greek. During the first
night Of their camping some Of their
mules stampeded, and early next morn
ing three Of the men started in search o.
the animals. These men, VIM. Mann
ing. James Brasheres and Henry Spill
man. all residents OF the State of New
York, were never afterward seen by
any of the party. About four O'Clock
that evening some twenty horse men,all
white men. lcisurely rode into camp
from the direction taken by their COM
rades in the morning, dismounted, and
ordered them to surrender, claiming
that they were Deputy United States
Marshals, and that had orders for their
arrest for stealing Government mules.
Mr.. Bcmge stepped forward and de-
manded to see their warrants, claiming
at the same time that there must be
some mistake. He had hardly spoken
the words before a burly rullian struck
him terrible blow over the head, say
inc at the same time. This is our
warrant He fell as if dead, and the
other five men, James Marshall and FL
lott Jones, Of East Tennessee, John
Harvey, David Il. Scribner and Benton
Forsythc, of Southern Illinois, sprang
to their weapons aud desperate conflict
ensued. which ended only when three Of
the assailants had been killed and four
badly wounded. and all the members Of
the train oyerpowered and murdered.
As soon as the last man was disposed
Of the helpless women, more dead than
alive, were dragged from the wagons,
where they had taken refuge, and order
ed on pain of instant death, to SIT down
and make no attempt to escape. The
band then proceeded to rifle the dead, and
piling the bodies Of friends ana foes alike
into one Of the wagons, began their
march down the stream, compelling the
women to walk IN advance. After
making some five miles in this way, the
marauders halted and went into camp
for the night, dug the trench besides the
stream and piled into it the bodies Of the
slain. and heaped the earth over them
in a rude mound. Among the effects in
the wagons they found a small keg of
brandy, of the contents Of which they
partook immoderately. In less than an
hour all were in a beastly state of intox-
ication and the leader Of the band ap-
preached Mrs. Morehead (there does
not appear to have been any Mr.. More
head with the parity and began taking
insolent liberties with her. The hap
less women began to pray for death in
preference to what they feared those
wretches might do. The bandits began
uuarreling among themselves over the
woman they had captured, and finally
drew lots for them, and subjected their
unfortunate prisoners to every outrage
their debased and drunken imaginatlons
could devise.
Meanwhile Mr.. Bengc, whose dead
body had not been, by some fortunate
and fortuitous interpesition wholly I'M
accounted for by the reporter of the To-
pcka Commonwealth, huddlcd into the
shambles-wagon and buried IN the
trench. had recovered from the effects
of his blow, and found on rising to his
unsteady feet that he was alone. On
every hand were evidences Of the fright
full crime that had been committed;
blood was everywhere; he saw the trail
of the wagons going down the river, and
determined to follow it. About 10
O'Clock lie managed to crawl toward the
camp. near enough to see and hear all
that was going on. There he was COM
PEELED to lie helpless and listen to the
heart rcnding cries of these poor wO-
men for aid; 10 hear the pitilnl appeals
of his wife to the monsters to desist
Towards morning everything became
auiet and he crcpt into the bivouac of
the bandltt. by good fortune the first
woman he encountered was his wife, and
she was 50 surprised and terrified, on
seeing apparition Of the husband whom
IL loo,,ol ,looJ tbof sba yova n Wild