Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-27
A FRONTIER CAREER.

Death at His Ranch in Wyoming of "Por-
tuguese" Phillips, the Indian ScOut-The
News Which lie Bore to the Outside
World of the Fetterman Massacre-Fort
Phil Kea,ney and the Howiins Redskins
Who Surrounded it In 1866.
A special correspondent of the Chicago
Times writing from Cheyenne, Wyoming,
says that John Phillips, better known as
"Portuguese' Phillips, one of the Oldest
frontiersmen in the west, died on his ranch
near that point few days ago. "He was
brave and daring, and as thoroughly post
ed as any of his craft" writes the cores
pondent, s'as any man that ever lived. His
brave deeds and daring escapes from the
Indians would fill a volume. He
was the first man to carry the
news of the terrible massacre of Capt. Fet-
terman and detachment of soldiers at the
old Fort Phil Kearney in 1856. This and
many similar exploits gave him great
fame. He lived quietly on ranch we'll
stocked in Wyoming territory for some
years past"
'Know Portuguese Phillips?" answered
an old army officer now residing in this
city, last night, when asked the question
by reporter for the Times; ''yes, have
eaten several meals with him on his ranch
on the Chug Water river. He was a great
genius, and has since been libeled in
Ranch 10y by the character they call Por-
tuguese Joe, though heaven only can tes-
t1fy that the resemblance is very slight in
deed. I have heard Phillips
TELL ABOUT HIS TRIP
from Fort Phil Re 4rney to Fort Laramie
that time. 1 was also over the same ground
in 1876. just ten years after, with the
Gen. Crook command, at the time Gen.
Custer was killed. We camped on the
spot where the cid Fort Phil Kearney
stood and I stood out on knoll and gazed
at the spot, about one mile away, where
those soldiers were massacred. The flag
staff and portion of the stockade still
stood there, and there was a little hill
called sentinel hill, at the base of which
some of the poor fellows who fell, pierced
by the deadly Sioux bullet, were buried.
At the time this massacre occurred, in
the fall of 1866, Col. Darlington COM
manded the fort. He went west to that
point about the junction of the Big and
Little Pinos rivers and the old Bozeman
trail, the year before and established the
fort. 1t was not desira BILE location,
though being in space of cleared ground
it was not easy for any ordinary band of
Indians to capture the fort proper.
THE TRAIL LED
from Fort Laramie to Fort Reno thence to
Fort Phil Kearney, then up to Fort c. s.
Smith, and on to Bozeman. All these
forts, except Fort Laramie, have been
abandoned long ago. 1t wound over In
curve TO the west, crossing both the Pinos
rivers TO reach Fort Phil Kearney. The
barracks and stockade within the fort we're
directly on the trail, which, after sweep
ing out south, made another curve
about a mile from the fort, just
where a hill and soma chap
paral hid the trail On the morning Of
the massacre hostile Indians had been
seen about the country, but in spite of this
no one thought much about them, and Col.
Darlington sent out small detail across
the Big Pinos into the ohapparal to chop
wood. They were surprised by band of
redskins, mostly Sioux, from Red Clouds
tribe. The fight occurred on the trail, and
was in plain view of the people at the fort.
Seeing his men surrounded, and not really
knowing how many Indians there were
about, Col. Darlington ordered out a de-
tachment Of soldiers under Capt. Fstter-
man, with Capts. Brown and Grummond
and several other officers to their rescue.
think there were over ninety three men,
officers and all, in the detail.
well, they started out bravely, but not
man of them ever came back to the fort
THE INDIANS
very cunningly drew them on along the
Bozeman trail south Of the fort until they
had reached that point about mile from
the fort where l was telling yoa tue trail
turxud around the little hill and disap-
peared from view of the fort, and there
they were surrounded by the yelling
demons. After close, desperate hand TO
hand fight all were slain. All this could
be plainly seen from the stocksie of the
fort, but its inmates could render the poor
men no assistance. The Indians must
have numbered fully three thousand and
were on the warpath at the time,
crossing over into the Powder river re-
gioD. They drew the soldiers on along the
trail, then swarmed out of the cbapparal
behind them in perfect cloud. TIE big
Pinos-by The way, thas wants 20 be pro-
nounced inst as though you were spelling
it "Piney"-river at the point opposite
the fort YES about as vide as our Chicago
river at Madison strest bridge, bat was
only about three feet deep. Tine Indians,
after messaereing the poor fellows, came
on IN j cioad to besiege the fort Tnsy
were repulse6 at tbs river, bat kept up the
siege. 1. looked as though thsy would
starye out the people at the fort. Then
1t was tina. John Philips, the
SCOUT AND FRoxrIEzsMAN,
got out of the fort ut night and started for
Fort Laramie to bear the news of their
danger to civilization. No one outside the
little bsnd penned up IL the fort knew of
this terrible massacre. Phillips got away
in the night, but was discovered the next
day and pursued by the Indians. He was
a long time reaching the other fort, and
at one time was nearly lassoed. Before
the rescuing party could be started Red
Cloud marched away, and the command
left for safety. Col. Darlington was
brought before military court of inq uiry
for the massacre, but YVES acquitted, and
retired on half pay. 1 guess it was SIMPLY
post gossip.
SPY the way, there was a queer incident
grew out of that massacre. and. thouoh