Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-04-04
The Fate of the Cheyennes.
A terrible fate has oyertaken the Oh

tefr1Dle I0te mas Overtaken the Oney.
ennes, who, as before recorded, broke
guard at Fort Robinson, and defiantly
announced their purpose to fight to the
death before they.would be recaptured.
Captain II. w. Vessels, with four
companies of the Third Cavalry, made
the assault on the fugitives. It was de-
cided between Captain Vessels. COM
manding Company II, and Lieutenant
Chase, Company A, to charge the In
dams. The position of the Indians was
in an oblong hole about thirty feet long,
ten or twelve feet wide and five feet
deep, with ridges in it here and there,
where the invested Indians had dug out
some holes, so as to get down low from
the range OF fire, and to alternately step
up on the ridges to deliver theirs in
return. This was within few feet of
the edge of high bank which broke off
abruptly from the dry bed OF q branch
Of Indian Greek, thirty feet below, and
about forty miles from Fort Robinson
and three miles from Bluff Station, on
the Hat Greek road.
Captain Vessels said to the troops
before the movement commenced
1--WE have lost enough men now wait.
ing for these Indians, and we must
charge them"
The Indians were, in fact. surround
ed completely, but they were def mt to,
the last. The cavalrymen would go up
to the edge OF the pit, where the Chey-
ennes were held, and fire down at an
angle and then fall back to reload. The
smoke of the firing actually grew so
great that the soldiers had to pause
until it cleared away to see where the
pit was. At one time the Indians ceased
firing and commenced singing. It was
thought that they were either all wound
ed or wanted to surrender. An order
was given to cease firing, which had got
to be so oppressive from an apparent
want of opposition and the conviction
that it was superfuous, like beating q
dead carcass.
During the lull Captain Vessels
called on the Cheyennes still remain
ing to surrender, and said some words
in Sioux, such as Washte," but i'm
mediately the unsubdued Cheyennes
opened fire. Captain VESSELS and Ser
geant Reed. of Company HI, Third Cav
airy, were wounded by the volley. In
the case of Captain Vessels the ball
penetrated the forehead at the left side,
passing under the scalp, and causing q
painful but not serious wound his hat
and garments were also pierced in many
places. The firing again commenced,
and in half an hour all was over. The
edge of the pit was literally riddled
from the shower Of bullets rained upon
it. -.
Just before the final resistance of the
Cheyennes, three of them, the last alive,
jumped out of the pit and faced the
troops undaunted. One had pistol
and two had knives, which they brand.
ished like warriors while rushing at the
troops. One sprang to jump down the
but was speedily riddled
with balls, as were the other two.
When the smoke cleared away The pit
presented singular and horrible ap.
pearance. Huddled together in piles
were the twenty-three bodies oil the
slain. Among the nine still surviving
were two young Indian girls, aged four
teen and fifteen, covered with dust and
under the bodies OF young bucks who
had fallen lifeless upon them and at
first concealed them. They were saved
by digging in under the side of the
hole. One is named Blanche and used
to write her name while imprisoned
here with her people. The appearance
of the pit was as though it had been
filed with sand-bags. Lieut.. Chase
Immediately ordered company to fall
in, and sent detail into the deathly
chasm to pass out the bodies. Among
them were found three unhurt and
FIVE wounded females and one buck
wounded.
The carcasses were taken out rapidly,
and found to be completely riddled
with bullets. They were laid down
side by side, and looked like horrid
phantoms or defaced mummies. A few
were stripped, but most of them had on
the language of one Of the
soldiers handling them, Regular store
Clothes A number Of blankets and
soldiers overcoat and pantaloons, with
some bed covers, were among the rub
bish, while in the centre was good
stock of half-dried beef three feet high
and two wide. Some cattle had been
killed by them near by belonging to
the Whitcomb ranch. Carpenters were
detailed to make traverse to carry the
wounded to the wagons.
The fight lasted about half an hour.
a few half-starved bucks. seventeen in
all, held four companies in check and
killed three of their number, which,
added to the seven before mortally
wounded by them would make more
than half the force OF the enemy. The
unfortunate blunder of not placing
bars on the prison windows. in placing
an insufficient guard over them in Fort
Robinson and the absence of trained
upon their line of escape has
been sadly paid for in the loss Of good
men. Most of these men might have
been saved had different tactics been
by those in command while
the Indians. The bringing of
over one hundred and fifty men into
action to dislodge or subdue less than
ene-fifth of their fighting number pre-
SCENTS too much surface for the marks
capacity of o dozen or SO OF
g dead Shots" such as the Jheyennes.
Their arms, which were the best sport
ing rifles of calibres fifty and forty-four,
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