The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-05-22
A PeriIOuS Adventure.

Ierls Of engineering life on the
plains only fifteen years ago:
SIN recent letter from - hC
informs me of your request that
should write out in detail the
story of Howard's miraculous es
cape from the Indians, as l had mar.
rated it to you. If it is matter Of
interest to you, it will certainly be
a pleasure to me to do SO.
"In 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, a corps of Kansas
Pacific engineers under the leader
ship of Howard Schuyler, were en-
gagged in making certain prelimina-
ry surveys in the vicinity of the
terminal town of Phil Sheridan,
near the border line of the two
states. They had been out on a
trip of several months in the direc-
tion of Denver, and had returned to
the end of the track to begin the
definite location, which we after
ward carried through to Denver.
At this time l had been with the
party some two or three months,
taking my novitiate in engineering,
and was occupying the position of
rodman. Prior to commencing the
location, we were running some rap
id trial lines north of Sheridan, and
by the 18th of June were some fif-
teen or twenty miles out in a roll
ing country, where the heads of the
Smoky Hill and Republican Forks
of the Kansas river interlock. 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 Satur
day morning, so that by ten o'clock
we were several miles away from
camp. In all our work we had been
accompanied by an escort of fifteen
infantry soldiers, under the charge
of lieutenant, acting in the ca
pacity of 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, two of
whom remained in camp as cook
and teamster. The working party
was therefore reduced to eleven, in
Guiding 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 shovel. We
followed from one mound to the
next, measuring angles and distan-
ces and leveling the ground. Our
progress was as rapid almost as
man would walk at a moderate
pace, and we were exceedingly vul-
nerable to attack, as we were all
separated, strung out over dis
tance of mile or more, while How
ard was always out CT sight and
several miles ahead, bat 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 opportunity to
make the attack, having evidently
planned to kill Howard first and
then come back along the line pick
ing off the rest of the party one by
one.
In pursuance of this plan they
lay in wait until they had cornered
him in a trap when they fired
shot, striking his horse in the hip;
and looking around he saw a long
line of 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 ra-
vines, 1t took but moment to
decide his line of action. Putting
spurs to his horse he turned to the
only loophole Of escape, and to the
surprise of the Indians, went leap
ing over the ravines, one after the
other, at the risk of his life, but
with the assurance that they could
not follow him, as none of their po-
MES were equal to the work, and to
keep up the pursuit they were OBJ
hged to make long detour.
Having once got clear of the bro
ken ground. Howard, looking back,
found himself well ahead, and was
congratulating himself on so easy
an escape, when he saw directly be-
for him, springing out of the grass,
a formidable array of Indians, in
tercepting his flight; those pursu-
ing in the rear closed up, and al
most before he could realize the sit
uation he found himself again en-
trapped, this time by line of In
dians that entirely encircled him,
numbering about one hundred, as
he could judge. They rapidly mar
rowed the limits of the circle, and
began taunting him with all manner
of insults, and telling him of the
tortures that awaited him and of
the slow roasting that they pro-
posed to give him. For several
minutes he sat on his horse trying
to reconcile himself to the certainty
that death was before him, but
when the first struggle was over all
trembling ceased and with as true
an aim as ever huntsman lev
eled at deer, he drew up his rifle
and fired at the nearest man, kill
ing him instantly. Earlier in the
fight he had realized that he was
more lightly armed than usual, hav-
ing that morning left his belt, with
a brace of pistols and box of car
tridges, in camp to be cleaned, TAX
ing only his Winchester carbine,
carrying twelve shots. He now de
termined to sell his life as dearly
as possible, and, counting every
shot, to be sure that he saved one
for himself as dsrnisr resort in
case of capture, since death by his
own hand was preferable to slow
7N-saa y,anpn hn shot