Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-25
sas 9aily agress ana gatststas
vAnk1oN DAKOTA
sa.unda, Evening, Oct. Is, 1879.
TINE MURDER OF van,

the MURDER OF usle.
Psses1si Pets Ssill Ind 4.
sssts 6lssdy Escentrieilies-As ora.
Nance O0eer Assassinaaed.
Gen. Merritts Camp. White River A..
ency, COL, Oct. 81, via kawlins. Wvomins.
oct.22.-This encampment has ban throvn
INTO . state Of excitement snd horror bv The
tragic death Of Lieut.. William 3. Weir
ordinances officer for Cheyenne depo.. Who
~as killed by Indiana in q small canon
opening on the Grand river divide. abon,
twenty miles south Of this point. All ~,
clock Yesterday afternoon. The circnm.
s.ances are a. follows: Gen. Merritt. hamner.
I'd by stupid orders from the interior depari.
mena hes BEEN kept inactive here for .
week, waiting the result Of the labors Of an
alleged peace commission. A. the route
over which he first intended to proceed tn
Grand river was impracticable for WAGON.
ana as an open road would be imperatively'
necessary in the event of hostilities being
fenewed, the general on yesterday detailed
Lieut.. Hall. Of the 9Th cavalry, with the
sco1ts' Hume, Drace, and four others, to
nnd q better road to the south, il possible.
Lieut.. Weir, who had never been on !
campaign before, and who was
pa%sslonately fond of hunting, volunteer.
60 20 accompany the party. He
was allowed to do 90, and the little BODY Of
eight men left the camp in the morning.
Gen. Merritt did not wish to trust them to
Themselves, 90 he detailed Capt. Wessels
and Lients. Chase aud Hunter, With COM
Panies II and ] of the Sd cavalry to act "A
escort: Unfortunately, niether Liieuts. Hall
nor Weir were sufficiently impressed with
the dangerous state Of the country, and thev
u~naccountably neglected to communicate
With Capt. Vessels, taking a different route
than the one upon which that officer ex.
pected TO- find them. The result Vas that
the escort did not join the Hall party, and
we're left all day 10 profound Ignorance of
their fate. Capt. Vessels returned to camn
last night, disgusted, and Boon afterw.ri
Lieut.. Hall, with six men of the partv Who
originally started, returned and reported
that they had been dumped" BY Indians a,
l o'clock, and that Lieut.. Weir and the
scout Hume had become separated. and
we're missing: Lieut.. Hall explained that
when about fifteen miles from camp. L,ent
Weir and the ecout observed the tracks OF
black-tail deer, and, despite his remon.
strances, determined to follow their trail
Lieut. Hal continued south about two mile.
further, hearing some shots behind him
which he supposed we're fred BY Weir IND
Hume at the game. He had not proceeded
far, however, when he noticed several fresh
pony tracks crossing his road, and immedi.
ately gave the order to turn back and reioin
the two men who had parted COMPANY
Hardly was the resolution taken vhen !,
band Of about twenty mounted Indians cross
ed the divide and opened upon the partv
Lieut.. Hall retired his men and horses to \
neighboring %ravine, where he held out unit
night, killing two Indians, who, while thei,
comrades peppered the party from the bluffs
crept through the sage-brush and attempted
to pick of the beseiged, When darkness,
came Hall and his men mounted and charp,
ed out, but the Indians did not oppose them
having doubtless retired with their dead.
The fugitives reached camp about Ter
o'clock last night, and Immediately Maio,
Summer, with his battalion of the 9th cav
airy, started to look for Lieut.. Weir anc
the scout. The night was intensely dark
and some of the companies lost their va
in the confusion. They kept close, hovey
er, aud at daylight discovered the bodv q
Lieut.. Weir lying at the mouth of a smal
canon, about . quarter of q mile from ,b,
road taken BY Lieut.. Hall and two mile,
this side Of where the latter had his fight,
The unfortunate young soldier had evident,
ly been shot from behind, a bullet wound
piercing his head from rear to front. An,
other shot SCARED his RICH. cheek, and hi,
head vas somewhat battered by blows from
the butts Of guns. The corpse wa stripped
of all but an undershirt. A corduroy coat.
which belonged to the deceased, was found
lying near BY. No trace Of the scout Who
accompanied Lieut.. Weir could be found
He is . good Indian fighter aud may have
escaped. The horses of both men we're oh.
served running wild after the firing, 90 Il
Hume has escaped at all he must be on foot
The body Of Lieut.. Weir has been brought
back to camp, and will no doubt be sent IN
under escort.
The deceased was born at West Point
where his father was professor of dra wing
He vas half.brother of Professor John Weir
of Yale college. One of his sisters 10 mar
ried to Gen. Trueman Seymour, and anoth.
er to Col. Casey, Of the army. His young.
eat sister, who has the sympathy of all the
officers Of this command, kept house for him
at Cheyenne depot. This news will be ter.
rible for her. and for all the bereaved fami.
~. Lieut.. Weir was in person, one OF the
hsndsomest officers in the army. He was
only g years Of age. Gen. Merritt is over.
whelmed with grief at this disaster. Lieut.,
Weir was net ordered to join the expedition
for the relief Of Thornburg, but came GU,
.. a volunteer. 1t is supposed that the In.
dians who attacked the Hall party are only
Tue advance guard Of a stronger party com.
ing from Grand river. The command ia
held in readiness to act at a moments notice.
In view Of this new butchery, the Indian
department. ought to blush, if it has any
left.
ANNOUNCEMENT.