Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-07-21
Three Turkey Blzzards, Roasting
IN Z Dead Tree, their Apo
tites Satiated BY q
Horrible Feast.
A Second Expedition under Command Of cale.
\ Dsssasfv Rssuss h he Discovery
Of The Body d George
4. laAdphsre.

ton of which was made In my former let
ter, Mr.. Beveridge selected Aessrs. Cas-
sidy and Dwyre to follow Grow Creek
down as far a. Old Fort Hale where We
would oil meet for dinner. The remainder
Of the party took the wagon rosd and after
travelling it is miles turned to the right in
order to strike the creek again near the old
fort, and as tho exact locality Of that veneer.
able structure was unknown. MI. Martin
and your correspondent went afoot In the
lead for the purpose of making careful
search for it, agreeing should We find 1t to
signal our companions by firing q rifle
twice. Finally We reached the place where
Old Fort Hale formerly stood-at present
the site is marked BY a few half buried
logs and the old building half burned down.
We fred the signal, and picked up two
sticks, with my handkerchief we improvised
q flag which we fastened to the spot in or
der that our companions might recognize
the place. after which Mr.. Martin and my
self descended 10 the creek in search of the
murdered Landphere. We made a very
close search for two miles down the creek.
found some old camp fires. but nothing to
indicate that a murder had been commit
ted. Looking back toward the old post we
discovered that our fl,g had been removed,
80 retracing our steps We found our fellow
searchers whom we had left with the wa
gon. in possession oflhe abandoned fortress,
and also four Indians and a .quaw con-
versing With Mr.. Beveridge. About 800
yards above we also observed an Indian
camp that had been made since our arrival,
We learned that this band had been hunt.
ing and fishing along the creek above for
several miles and as they had discovered no
signs Of the murder we came to the CON
clu ion that if there had been such a tragedy
enacted 1t must have been between our pre-.
sent camp and Coon's rancho. We then
proceeded to dinner-a can of preserved
salmon, our last crumb of bread having
disappeared at b!eskfast-and while thus
engaged, Cassidy and Dwyre rode into
camp. Their search ss wellas our own had
been fruitless.
When we had finished our .almon, and
prepared for a further march, Mr.. Bever.
idge decided, in company with Mr.. Elliot,
to scour the creek from that point to Coon's
rancho, while the rest of Us with the wagon
struck back on the trail to the Firesteel
rord and thence to
Sam COOKS Rancho, F.
which We reached at 4 p. M, and there
awaited the arrival OF Messrs. Beyeridge
and Elliot, who came in two hours later,
Elliot reported that he struck a wagon trail
leading from the prairie toward the creek
shout four miles this side Of our dinuer
camp-the old fort-and at that point Bev.
eridge called to him from the opposite bank
and pointed to
THREE TURKEY BUZZARDs {
roosting high up in an aged cottonwood and
whetting their bills on a dead branch. This
circumstance led Elliot to believe that a
dead body was near by, and he made an
effort to cross the creek in search, but this
he could not do owing to high water and
quicksand. The ground was covered by a
dense growth of trees and bushes so that an
object could not be discerned FIVE yards dis
tant. After several unsuccessful efforts to
find a crossing, he finally abandoned the
search and came on to Coon's rancho where
he reported as l have stated, and expressed
his conviction earnestly that the murdered
Landphere would be found in the vicinity
of the place marked by those ominous
birds of carnivorous greed.
Our party being all together here We dis
cussed the situation. Mr.. BeveridRe was
inclined to think the turkey buzzards but
an accident, as he saw one of them fly from
the tree in the direction of the prairie, and
he argued that no rational turkey buzzard
would ever desert . human carcass as long
as a morsel Of putrid flesh remained to
pick At.
Cassidy coincided with Elliot and volun.
teersd to 60 with any other man and CONT
nue. the search.
Other members of the party were very
skeptical and some doubted even that there
had been a murder, as no official informa-
ton had been received by the authorities at
Grow Creek, and the Press and Dakotaian
account was all there was thus far to base
an opinion upon.
Mr.. Coon, proprietor of the rancho, was
then asked to state his opinion and to give
any facts that had come to his knowledge.
He stated that a party of three men with q
buggy, armed With Eve s%ix-shooters (three
colts and two self-cockers) passed his place
a 1 o'clock p. M, July 4th. Two of the
men we're walking and the other was driv.
ing. The men looked very dirty and mud
dy and the whole outfit seemed nearly play.
ed out. The two who We're walking stopped,
took . drink Of water, asked the way To
Brule City and the Whereabouts of Van
Meters rancho. There was no manifesto
ton Of unfnsndline.s or disagreement
among The men, and he could no. think one
Il ~