Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-24
IMAGINARY INDIANS.
j. L. Caneron Sees then Massacre
Ing ~ occupants Of Red
Lake tRanch.
Without Waiting to Investigate Hs
Skips Through 4 Window and
Flsss for His Life.
After Five Days Wandering Ia AlAsss .
Naked Condltloa He % Picked Up
aud Cared For.

A6tef Five Days WaAdofsn4 IL Almess .
Naked Cenaltloa He % Picked Up
aud Cared Fol.
Tho announcement BY telegraph, . few
days ago, that ]. L. Cameron, Of DEBORAH.
Iowa, was m%ysteriously missing from Peter
Nelson's Red Lake ranch, located about .
hundred and fifty miles up the Missouri
from Yankton, induced our travelling re-
porter. who was 1T Fort Randall when he
heard of the affair. to 60 to Red Lake and
investigate 1t.
From Peter Nelson the particulars of the
mysterious escapade were obtained. and .
short time afterwards Information came that
the missing mar had been found at Brule
City. where he was being cared for. This
hsppy termination Of the distressing affair
does not render
THE FACTS IN THE CASE
any the less interesting, and We give them
as they were forwarded by our reporter.
J. L. Cameron, is q surveyor with a
home at DEBORAH, Iowa. which he left on
the 9th inst. for Brule City, with the in
%tention of making locations for himself and
for others. He reached Brule City on the
18th inst.. going in via Rockport where he
procured . team and a wagon. Upon his
arrival at his destination he made applica-
ton to Charley Collins for /. position As
surveyor, Mr.. c. having previously adver-
tised in the Press and Dakotaian for q com.
petent man to do surveying in Brule couu.
ty. Mr.. Collins had just given the place to
Fred Myer and Mr.. Cameron seemed great
" disappointed at his failure to procure it.
On Tuesday evening of last week he left
Brule City and went to Red Lake, where
he stopped for the night with Mr.. Nelson.
This ranch occupies a lonely spot on the
prairie, fifteen miles away from any settle
ment or post. Mr.. Cameron said to Mr..
Nelson that it was his intention to look at
some land in the vicinity Of Red Lake and
would attend to it in the morning. After
this the two talked together until late,
when they retired. MI. Cameron occupying
. bed room alone. About ten rods from
the house, csmped upon the bank of
of . creek, was
APARTY OF INDIANS.
Who were accompanied BY Jack Sutley,
mail contractor on the Rosebud agency
route.
Between Y and three o'clock in the
morning Mr.. and Mrs. Nelson, who occu-
pied an adjoining room, heard the window
fall 10 Mr.. Cameron's room. but thought
little of the circumstance, supposing the
stick which held it up had slipped out and
and let it drop. At daylight Mr.. Nelson
rose and was going abont his daily duties
when he noticed that Mr.. Cameron's door
was open and at the ssme he cav that
II e WAS vAcANr
He made an investigation and
discovered that Cameron was not
in the house. but that sll his clothing
was lying on his bed. Being fearful that
something wrong had occurred during the
night, Mr.. Nelson aroused all the inmates
Of the bouse-his wife. the stage driver,
Nj. Burns Of Elk Point. and A. j. Greed.
an employee at the ranch. Together they
took an inventory of the missing mans eff.
fects and found that they consisted Of a bat,
pants. vest, stockings. boots, pocket book,
money to the amount Of $40 20, q set Of
surveyors instruments. an overcoat, a valise
containing articles of clothing, q buggy and
two horses. These articles were carefully
cared for and then Mr.. Nelson, with all the
force available, started to search for Mr..
Cameron. After the searching party was
organized he went to Fort Thompson, no.
titled the authorities there and attempted
"a. send q Telegram to Decorah relating the
circumstances of the affair. The telegraph
line VA down and he afterwards sent q
message to White Swan and 1t was from
there transmitted to it, destination.
THE WHO'LL COUNTRY WAS AROUSED
and searching parties were sent out from
oil the settlements about. Tho men who
volunteered for this duty lsbered faithfully
for several days, but were finally compelled
to give 1t up and let the mystery rest. This
was the condition of affairs last Sunday
night, when suddenly
THE OBJECT OF THEIR SEARCH APPEARED
at the house Of Andrew Peterson. in Brule
City, sixteen miles from Red Lake. He
vas clad in = shirt-nothing more, and had
in that condition wandered over the prairies
for Eve days without . morssl of food. He
was taken TO-; Mr.. Spaulding's store,
where hs was given something TO eat and
put to bed. It was there our reporter saw
him. He vas nervous, feverish-utterly
used up BY exposure and long fasting and
badly shaken mentally. In the course of q
conversation with our reporter, MI.
Cameron made the following
SINGULAR s~TATENENT: