The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-06-28

-GrAphlc story Of Danger and COur.
age.
The kindness of kinsman of the late
Howard Schuyler has furnished us with
the following interesting story of the
perils of engineering life on the Plains
only fifteen years ago:
I'm recent letter from - he in
forms me of your request that should
write out In detail the story of Towards
miraculous escape from the Indians, as
/ bad narrated it to you. If it is
matter of interestto you, it will certainly
be pleasure to me SO to do.
I'm the month of June, 1869, when
the grass and flowers on the plains of
Kansas and Colorado were nearly knee
high, the result of unusually abundant
rains, which left clear pools of water in
all the little arroyos, corps of Kansas
Pacific engineers under the leadership
of Howard Schuyler, were engaged in
making certain preliminary SURVEYS in
the vicinity Of the terminal town of
Phil Sheridan, near the border line of
the two States. They had been out on
q trip of several months in the direction
of Denver, and had returned to the end
of the track to begin the definite loca-
ton, which we afterward carried
through to Denver. At this time had
been with the party some two or three
months, taking my novitiate in engi-
neeriDg, and was occupying the posi-
ton of rodmaD. Prior to commencing
the location, we were running some
rapid trial lines north of Sheridan, and
BY the 10Th of June were some fifteen
or twenty miles out in roll
ing country, where the heads
of the Smoky Hill and Republic
can Forks of the Kansas River inter-
lock. On the evening before our camp
had been brought up to the end of our
work. and we started out bright and
early on this memorable Saturday
morning, SO that by ten o'clock we
were several miles away from camp.
In all our work we had been accom-
panied by an escort of fifteen infantry
soldiers, under the charge of Lieuten-
ant, acting in the capacity of a camp
guard, who, while they were very useful
in guarding our base of supplies, were
of no protection to us in the field. Our
party numbered thirteen all told, two
OF whom remained in camp as cook and
teamster. The working party was
therefore reduced to eleven, including
Howard, whose custom it was to ride
several miles ahead, looking out the
line and indicating it by building sod
mounds two or three feet high with a
shovel. We followed from one mound
to the next, measuring angles and dis
tances and leveling the ground. Our
progress was as rapid almost as a man
would walk at moderate pace, and
we were exceedingly vulnerable to at
tack. as we were all separated, strung
out over a distance of a mile or more.
while Howard was always out of SIGHT
and several miles ahead, but HAVING
been out several months without seeing
any Indian signs we had no suspicion
of danger and did not dream there
were any Indians in the country. We
afterwards knew that they had been
watching us some days and were simply
waiting for the most favorable opnor.
tunity to make the attack. HAVING evil
IDENTITY planned to kill Howard first and
THEN come back along the line picking
OIL the rest of the party one by one.
In pursuance of this plan they Law in
wait until they had corncred him in A
trap when they fired a shot, striking his
horse in the hip; and looking around
he saw long line Of the red painted
devils on three sides of him, while on
the fourth, in the direction of his party.
was half a mile or more of broken
ground, cut up by deep narrow ravines.
1t took but moment to decide his line
OF acton; Putting spurs to his horse
nc turned to the only loophole of es-
cape, and, to the surprise of the Irdiaps. |
went leaping over the ravines, one after
the other. at the risk of his life, but
with the assurance that they could not
follow him, rs none Of their ponies
were equal to the work. and to keep up |
the pursuit they were obliged to make |
a long detour.
Having once got clear of the broken
ground, Howard, looking back. found /
himself well ahead, and was congratu-
lating himself on so easy an escape,
vben hesaw directly before him, spring. !,