Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-10-21

Salmon River Mountains, about
three-fourths Of a mile from the
river, ,clambered an isolated butte,
whose small top arose above its
neighbors. There, scattered O.
yer the narrow top, which was
less than twenty-five feet square,
were the remains of three men,
surrounded by all the evidences
Iof a hand-to-hand conflict.
Bleached bones were scattered
about, catridge-boxes, metal ar
row heads, rotting arrows and
two bent and broken muskets,
with short barrels like carbines,
and one rife barrel torn from its
stock matched in number the
three skulls, which were in per-
feet condition. The bones were
so numerous that at first they
were thought to be those of five
persons. An examination by an
anatomist, however, showed that
there were only three. The guns
were broken so as to be utterly
useless, and had probably been
used in clubbing and attackingan
enemy. The ramrods were twis-
ted as if in a vice, and one of
them was bent double. A less
reasonable suggestion is that,
having exhausted their ammu-
milton, the men, seeing certain
death before them, broke their
weapons over the rocks in order
to prevent their falling into the
hands of the Indians. 1--WE o.
pinions are expressed, however,
as to whether the party met
their death at the hands of In
dians or not, for the reason at
the time of the occurrence, prob
ably twelve or fifteen years ago,
a musket or gun Of any sort was
a prize to the Indian, especially
in the far-away Nez Perces
country, where the remains were
found, and the Indians would
never have left the guns, no
matter how much broken they
were, had they been able to take
them away. The spot Is near
the old mail road, which ran
along the Salmon River, and
which was frequented in many
spots by"gentlenen of the road"
who were on the lookout for
prospecting and hunting parties
quite as much as for chance
travellers and stage coaches, the
latter of which they did not Of
ten dare attack. A prospecting
party which had been lucky or
unlucky enough to pick up
few ounces would have been
well worth the killing
had they defended themselves.
The road agents, too, sometimes
5calped their victims, and other
wise mutilated them, and stuck
arrows into bullet wounds In or
der to leave an impression that
he work had been done by In
lians. Mr.. Oliver A. Gager Sc
cured one of the guns and some
IF the ribs and vertebr@ of the
victims. He says the general
belief in Idaho is that the men
lad been killed by the Nez Per-
;es. The gun may possibly
cad to the Identification of the
party, although scores of hunt
ne and prospecting parties have
disappeared in that region and
never been heard from. The
Weapon was probably a United
states musket which has been
II the confederate service, or
nay have been manufactured af-
er the outbreak of the war.
There is stamped in the rusted
ock"Fall e. Cunningham, Nash
lille. Tenn, On the barrel is
he stamp: pulaski, Il. G. 5. A.
L." The figures referring, it
5 supposed, to the calibre, and
iot to the date Of manufacture.
)n the trigger plate behind the
HELD there had been stamped
nto the brass, apparently with a
mall pointed cold chisel and
ammer, in upright dash lines,
he letters IS. II. t." which
lay have been the initials Of the
older or of the hunter. The
iglt had been flied out for
uniting purposes OH the plains.
IS only the war, brought arms
f this character out Of the hands
{ the Government and INTO the
ande of the people, the men
met their deaths after
S65. Another means of limit
lg the time ia the fact that the
indians of this region had no
fetal arrow heads before 1868,
hen they succeeded in purch-
sing a large quantity of hoop
nd scrap iron and old files III
Iontana. The affair is, howey-
:, placed back dozen years by
le bleached white of the hard
God Of the stocks. Of the guns,
'om which every trace Of var
ish had been taken by the
orm and sunshine. The fine,
ear, dry atmosphere OF the
I estern mountains has prevent
I onv GREAT PusfinO- THAT tho