The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-14

ssBy God !" exclaimed trooper who crossed
the yard with his sabre canking and paused
beside Mr.. Meekers corpse, II don't say any
thing about Indians shooting at me or any
soldier who is hired to fight them. Let them
shoot and be damned, but when it comes to
numbering and MASKING in the head and
dragging around in this way the very man
whose hand fed and clothed them, to killing the
men here who cooked their victuals and dealt
them out tobacco, it ought to be too much for
even the Connecticut Methodists or Massa-
chusetts Presbytcrians."
The cavalryman's sentiment was appreciated
by all who stood around and saw the devilsh
wantonness with which those murders
had been wrought. But mercy to the friends
and relatives of the poor sufferers impes ME to
forbear from dwelling longer ON the theme.
THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
AS for the women ut the agency, including
Mr.. Meekers wife and daughter Josephine,
the latter girl of eighteen summers,
no trace whatever of them has been
discovered up to the time Of my sending this de-
spatch. The superstition is that they have been
carried into captivity worse than death as
hostages to await ransom slaughter.
The property at the agency not carried away
by the Utes consisted chiefly of -four, which
they had emptied all about the corral, wasting
it unfortunately A few wagons and agricul-
tural implements lay around burnt.
The agency had some seventeen hundred cat
tie which had been driven southwark, as is
supposed, perhaps to the Grand River,
but at this moment their whereabouts are as
mysterious as the refuge of the Utes General
Merritt has no positive knowledge of the direc-
ton of their flight, but the cavalry will attempt
to find their trail this afternoon or tomorrow
morning.
NOTE FOUND ON DEAD BODY.
The dead here at the agency are being buried
where they fell. Upon Eskridge's body, which
lay about quarter of mile from the agency
buildings was found note, as follows -
WHITE RIVER AGENCY, Sept. 29-1 p. NJ.
I expect to leave in the morning with Doug
las and Lornick, Ute chiefs, to meet you. Things
are peaceable and Douglas flies the United States
flag. If you have trouble i'll getting through the
canyon to-day let me know ut once. We have
been on guard three nights, and shall be to-
night; not because we know there is danger,
but because there may be. l like your last
programme; it is based on true military prin-
ciples. N. Z. MEEKER."
This letter was written on the day Major
Thornburgh met the enemy and his death. The
messenger who bore it toward Thornburgh from
the agency was doubtless killed by Utes
returning from the battlefield, and the conclu-
sion here is that Meeker and his companions
were killed that very night by the savages
flushed with their success in outwitting Thorn
burg's command.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF MERRITT's MARCH AND
WHICH YET REMAIN TO BE ENCOUNTERED.
Icy TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
RAwLINs, Wy. T., Oct. 10, 1879.
At half-past one this afternoon two cOur1ers
fror Merritt, named Emil Weber and George
Fuhr, arrived here from the White River Ute
Agency, where they left General Merritt and
his command. Merritt started for the agency
from his previous night camp, seven miles this
side, in the White River bottom, early Saturday
morning, arriving ut the agency between ten
and eleven A. M. He found it in ruins, with
the embers of all the buildings, except a store
house for -four, still smouldering
AGENT MEEKER's MURDER.
A hideous spectacle was displayed before the
command, and the fate of Agent Meeker, erro-
neousIy described in previous dispatches sent by
"
doubt. His body, dragged hundred yards
away from the blaclened ruins of his home,
was found lying on the ground with trace
chain tightly drawn in loop around the throat.
One side of the head had been crushed by some
heavy missile and the whole aspect of the old
mans remains proved the mingled ferocity and
brutality of his assassins. Seven bodies of men
were strewn about the premises or among the
debris of the buildings. Three were burned to q
crisp and four were killed and stripped or par
TALLY denudcd.
BODIES OF EMPLOYEES RECOGNIZED.
Those who were recognized were supposed to
be the remains of the following persons--
w. ii. POST, formerly secretary of the Greeley
Colony, shot through the head twice.
Mr.. SHAPHERD a man from Greeley shot
through the left breast.
Mr.. PRICE, of about thirty years of
age in the employ of the agency, whose wife
was employed as cook shot through the head.
+. w. ESKRIDGE, IA lawyer by profession,
formerly engaged in the banking business at
Marshalltown, Iowa, who is reported to have
wife in the insane asylum.
Mr. THOMPSON, from Greeley.
Burt Woodbury. who was known to be at the
agency just before the massacre, was not found
either dead or alive.
SIGNS OF THE FEMALES.
Nor were any signs of the females at the
agency, including Meckers daughter, dscov-
cred ut last accounts by the troops. The hope,
therefore. remains that the womcns lives may
have been spared by the Utes, who probably
killed Meeker and his male con- panions On Sep
TENDER %, the very day they told Lowery they
would do so. All the human remains ut the
agency appeared to have lain there for many
days. There were no Indians near the agency,
but the courcrs saw signal fires burning on the
hills between the agency and Bear River on
their return.
ARRIVED FROM THE FRONT.
At three this morning (about five o'clock New