The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-10-10
THE dead SECRET"-OFFICIAL
MURDER OF THORNBURG.

The Omaha Republican OF late date
has an article under the above heading
in which it explains the cause of the kill
ing of Major Thornburg and thirteen
of his command, in Colorado, last week.
Our readers remember the account, and
that as yet no news has reached us Of
The fate of the remainder of the party,
now under the command of Capt. Payne.
II is probable, however, that before long
we shall hear from the party. 1t has been
expected that it would be reached Sun
day afternoon by troops which left Raw
Inns, on the line of the L. p. II. r., we
judge about seventy-tive miles north of
where the fight was. The Republican
says:
With 100 men he was conveying sup
ply train of 81 wagons to the White nv
er Ute agency. When ut Bear river, 60
miles from the agency, lie encountered
ten Indians who said they were hunting,
and were the white mems friend. Furth-
er on, at Williams fork, the same In-
dams were again met, and this time they
asked Major Thornburg TO accompany
them with an escort of five soldiers to the
anttlCN. AlsllOE i ilNlIIlDuIG. OIi COuSAlllf-
ton with his officers, declined, fearing
Justly, as it turned out that 1t was mere
ly 4 trap To catch the commander, and
permit the Indians to take his main body
unawares. He then concluded to march
to within hailing distance of the agency,
and there accept the proposition. Ad-
vancing to within twenty-five miles of
the agency, on entering canon, evil
dences of an ambush were discovered,
and under the guidance of Scout Ran
kin, whose experienced counsel Major
Thornburg had followed throughout, the
whole command was taken by another
trail around the ambuscade. Reaching
its flank, the ambassadors were diScov-
cred. Major Thornburg threw his COM
mand into position, and the Indians adj
vanced to within three hundred yards,
and halted.
Major IhOrRburg's orders 9rere not to
make tie first fire on the IBdidas bit TO
dtcdit attack from them.
The two lines faced each other for ten
minutes; and then Mr.. Bankin, who is
an old Indian fighter, seeing the danger
in which the command was placed
Glodre that a body IF Indians acre mOCiHg
into q ff0nkiag position, hurried to Major
ThOrnburg's side and advised him to
open fire at once, as shat ardS tie 0nlg
hope" Major Thornburg replied: My
God, 1 dare not! by orders are 310Sitice ;.
and If / Ut0ldtc them and surUiUe, court
ndItiaI and az ignOm5aiouS dismissal
nGy J0Ll0eo. 1 feel as though myself and
men GcOuid be murdered"
BY this time-making the most ofthis
momentous quarter hour-the Indians
had thanked the command completely
and opened the fire. The wagon train
was corraled three-fourths of a mile in
the rear. The cavalry was dismounted,
and fighting on foot, slowly retreated.
Maj. Thornburg, seeing the danger
threatened from the position of the In
dams, at once moved twenty men and
made charge on the Indians between
the command and the train. He sue
ceeded in cutting his way out, and had
retreated to within five hundred yards of
his wagon, when he fell dead, two bullets
piercing his brain. The remainder of
the command, then in retreat, succeeded
in reaching the corraled train, which
was by this time surrounded by Indians.
The command then, with much haste,
made breastwOrk of the wagons, and
held their position until Monday light,
when the Indians Withdrew. In the
engagement fourteen were killed and
thirty-five wounded, and every officer in
the command was shot, with the eXceD-
ton of Lieut.. Cherry, of the Fifth Cavity
Here we have gallant, experienced
and judicious soldier sent out to reDress
an Indian revolt brought on by govern
ment NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. He has ade-
quate force To protect and guard his
train against the whole body OF Indians
ut the agency. He Is on his way in the
face OF ii savage tribe whose military
policy is deception, ambuscade and mas
SnRrn Bnt hn fiuiaf fhot,,
they fight him. He must allow Indians
armed with Winchester rifles and album
dainty supplied with ammunition (ffom
| tie tTddtUg IOsD to ambush in front of
his command. The ambush discovered,
he must peacefully walk around it; and
when the murderers, finding themselves
outwitted, move to his front with mani
fest fear and trembling, still he must do
nothing to disturb or harrass them. lie
must let them, three to one, advance in
solid body to within $50 yards: must
stand, quietly and inoffensively, and see
them spread out and swarm uDon his
Hanks; still must wait and see them in his
rear; and, at last when they have gotten
him in their fatal meshes-when they con-
front him, three men to one on his front,
his flank and his rear-and when, all
their preparations completed, two of them
ride up to within a hundred yards, dis
mount, and with savage yell discharged
their rifles, hitting captain Payne, then
and not till then, could Thornburg order
charge. Then, and not till then, bonnd
with countless yards of red tape, she or
dered charge which he CALAMITY led
in person, and succeeded in cutting his
way out, and, when within about 500
yards of his wagon, he fell dead, with
two bullets through his brain"
1t was murder-cruel, causeless, I'M
necessary murder, butt was according
to the law and to the gospel of red tape.