Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1884-01-17
!, .na1sn massacre

rrha uaassagre az o~iacnSasnS Ferry,
~, rsa INF one Of many scenes of
hlnod that marked the intercourse ofthe
two races ior several years. The ferry
80 es,ahlishedi in the spring nf 1851 and
was under she charge Gf the man from
w,bor, 4 derived its name, who was siv-
inc there win bis wife and three as
sistants. The proprietors were Gwin r.
Tompkirs and Charles McDermit, the
latter Of WHOM, afterwards became q col
onaI in the army s.dfell in battle with
indians ii Nevada in 1866. The mana
car and his wife occupied q small shake
shanty not far from the river bank.
wb;la the three assistants slept in a tent
go ~ getween these was an open
ssaaa head for a kitchen and dining
rnn,n Mrs. Blackburn was a noble
woman az that pioneer class who have
hean led by love tc follow the foot
stems Of their idol into the very heart of
tha wilderness. She noticed one day
lint the stock OF bullets was nearly ex-
hausted. and with the usual promptness
Of such people 1t once mosded q
large quantity. Some would
calIit providen ial, and so II was--a prov
idential ~preeaation. The ferry had never
been m~olested by the Indians and they
felt no unusual alarm, and set that very
njylt had been fixed upon for a massa-
ere Of them ali. As the evening shad-
ows blended in q universal gloom the
Indians gathered in the forest about the
abide Oh their intended vIcti.ls and
waited until their eyes were closed In
peaceful siumber and the place was
wrapped IN a mantle Of silence.
When the night was so far advanced
that they fell Tree from the interruption
OF belated trayelers, the sayages crept
stea lily to the tent where the three
men lay sleeping, and commenced the
work OF death. Besides bows aud ar
rows these Indisns were armed with
long knives, guns not yet having fallen
into their possession. Two Of the men
were instantly killed. while the third,
badly wounded, sprang to his feet and
rushed toward the cabin, crying leu,ily
for help. He had taken but u few steps
when he fell under the blows of a dozen
Indians who had remained outside the
tent. Aroused from their sluInber by
the cry and ;s0uude Of struggle, the in
mates Of tire cabin hastily barricade | the
the aoOra and pwpared for defense. Their
arms consisted oft rifles and a revolt
yer, and thslks to the woman's care. a
plentiful supply Of bullets. The night
wis darkand The foe could not be seen,
but their continued yells and volleys OF
arrows were even the mor horrible on
that account. Blackburn maintained an
~inces-ant - al diressions, his wife
reloading tht Weapons as fast as be dis
charged thsgn. All that long and ter
rible night Ne defense was made, unit
the yells l,drrt about daybreak and
the enemy Cep1fted.
Early iii the morning A.. Haynes, VII
liam Yen gand William Little appeared
the opposite side Of the river, and
shouted to. arouse the ferrym IN. Back
emerged from the house and
walked down to the boat, saying.
"I'm glad 20 see you. hoys. They are
all killed but myself and wife,
AS ne ffprriesa them over he related
the Diet ,iss OF the attach and how the de,
Tense had been made. "Did you xii
any OF the deyiis??, asked one.
II don't know the night WAS dark,
could not sHe.V
"Well, let us take a shin around and
sec what We can find. They always carr,
off their dead and wounded, aud yor
never can tell whether any are killed Of
not"
Z "Here is one they didn't cart off"
said one, as he noticed a body about ITO
yardsfrom tile house. NO be aided,
lit il a white man.
They na,tened to It, turned up the
face to get a better view, aud Blackburn
exclaimed, Great God! it is my father
Tile old gentleman had moi 6 his
son for ten years, AMI had followed him
to California He started rom Trinidad
with a pack train, which ramped thai
night some ten miles from the serry.
Too eager to wait, the anxious father
pushed on alone and fell beneath savage
knives in front of his SONS cabin.