The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-05-14
A PE2ILOUS ADVENTURE

A PE2ILOUS ADVENTURE.
The kindness of a klnsman 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:
In q recent letter from - he informs
me your request that I should write out
in detail the story of Towards miraculous
escape from the Indians, as ] had nal.
rated it to you. If it is a matter of in
terest to you, it will certainly be q
pleasure to me so to do.
In the month Of June, 1869, when
the grass and flowers IN 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 leadership of
Howard Schuyler. were engaged in
making certain preliminary surveysin 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 direction of Den
yer, and had returned to the end of the
track to begin the definite location,
which we afterward carried through to
Denver. At this time l had been with
the party some two or three months, tax.
ing my novitiate in engineering, and was
occupying the position of rodman. Prior
to commencing the location, we were
running some rapid trial lines north Of
Sheridan, and by the June 10 were
some fifteen 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 u camp had been brought up to
the end of our work, and we started out
bright and early on this memorable Sat
urday morning, so that by 10 o'clock we
were several miles away from camp. In
all cur work we had been accompanied
by an escort of fifteen infantry soldiers,
under the charge of a lieutenant, acting
in the capacity of u camp-guard, who,
while they were very useful in guarding
our base of supplies, were of no protec-
ton to US in the field. Our party num-
bered thirteen all told, two of whom re-
manned in camp as cook and teamster.
The working party was therefore reduced
to eleven, including Howard, whose GUS
tom it was to ride several miles ahead,
boxing out the line and indicating it
b. building sod mounds two or three
fe.t high with a shovel. We followed
from one mound to the next, measuring
angles and distances and leveling the
ground. Our progress was as rapid al
most as a man would walk at a moderate
pace, and we were exceedingly vulnera-
bic to attack, rs we were all separate,
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 was an Indian in the coun-
try. We afterward 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 n e.
In pursuance of this plan they lay in
wait until they had cornered him in a
trap when they fred a shot, stripping his
horse in the hip; and looking around he
saw a long line of the red painted devils
on three sides of him, while on the
fourth, in the direction of his party,
was half q mile or more of broken
ground, cut up by deep, narrow
ravlnes. 1t took but a moment to decide
o,s line of action. Putting spurs to his
horse he turned to the only loophole of
escape, and, to the surprise of the In
dams, went leaping over the r~avines, one
after the other, at the risk of his life. but
with the assurance that they could not
follow him, as 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 we'll ahead, and was congratu-
lating himself on 50 easy an escape,
when he saw directly before him, spring
ing out of the grass, a formidable array
of Indians, intercepting his flight; those
pursuing in the rear closed up, and al
most before he could realize the situation
he found himself again entrapped, this
time by a line of Indians that entirely
encircled him, numbering about 100, as
nearly as he could judge. They rapidly
narrowed the limits of the circle, and be-
gan taunting him with all manner of in.
suits, and telling him of the fortunes that
awaited him and of the slow roasting
that they proposed to give him. Fol-
several minutes he sat on his horse,
irving to reconcile himself to the Ger.
tainty that death was before him, but
when the first struggle was over all
trembling ceased, and with as true an
aim as ever huntsman leveled at q
deer, he drew up his rifle, and fired at
the nearest man, killing him instantly.
Earlier in the fight he had realized that
he was more lightly armed than usual,
having that morning left his belt, with a
brace of pistols and q box of cartridges.
in camr to be cleaned, taking only his
Winchester carbine, carrying twelve shots.
He now determined to sell his life as
dearly as possible, and, counting every
shot, to be sure that he saved one for
himself as a dernier resort in case OF
capture, since death by his own hand
was preferable to torture. Twice more
he shot in quick succession without fatal
effect, when he suddenly put spurs to
his horse and dashed through the line.
At this moment there was a general
scramble and rush for him, some trying
for him with their spears, others Selling
his legs and trying to unhorse him. He
succeeded in the twinkling of an eye in
throwing them all off, and even killed q
second man riding at his side, putting
his gun against his (he Indian's) body
and blazing away, the blood squirting
over Towards buckskin leggings, saddle
and horse. The instant he freed him
self from them and got clear alone on
omen ground ahead of them, where they
we're not in danger of killing each other
nshooting at him, they fired a vollev OF
bullets and arrows at him. None of them
hit him, and up to this moment he was en-
tirely unframed. Had his horse been
fortunate this would doubtless
have ended the fight, as the horse was a
fine, bigh-spirited animal, superior to
pny of the Indian ponies. But the first
received at the beginning OF hostili-
les had cut 8 small artery, and from
this the blood was pumping out a steady
,tresm, that, together with his violent
,rs,f:ons. was fast sapping his strength.