The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1885-10-20
AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS.
The Bones Of Snelis the Tfabber
Burted--StOry of the Deaths ut
qs Four Brave. Men In the Wind
Ssft River Canon.

SSft River Canon.
Lauder IVY. IT, Special to Kansas City Times
The irrce eddies and Wild whirlpool
Of the Wind Riv,r Canon have al length
cast out the poor remains OF thei. prev
and The skeleton OF Saell, the trapper.
has been lad In y rude but revered grave
The bones just returned to their parent
dust have been battered and bruised
since The fall OF 1869. In 1868 Smell
was one of q party OF seven trappers
and trailefs who crossed the Montana
and took Government service at Fort
Hamtaugh. A year later they ass sied
lin, the establishment OF Post Brown;
where Lauder now sands, IN in The fall
four OF the party fitted themselves for o
winters hunt for peltries on The hanks
of the Big Wind River. Smell made one
Iof The party, and Tom Spence. Bod
Woode and Tom CLARK we're his m
panions. Locating camp late in the fell
upon The hanks of Wind River, within
sound Of the war OF its waters as the,
entered the tremendous caLon, they be
gan the taking of furs.
Around the tepee fires OF the Arapa.
hoes has been gathered the story of the
tragic sequel. The first snew had no
vet fallen when one morning the trap.
pers set out upon their daily tramp Of
inspection Of their snsres. Woodie and
Smell, on foot, started into I'm can, on
Spence ssddled bis roam mare and said
lie would ride 10 the more distsnt trap,
ON Badwater, while Cook was to keep
camp. Suddenly the wboop OF the Ara
pshoes rentEihe air, and cloud. Of ihos,l
ferocious savages swoeped down upot
the camp. Cook was killed as he tried
to reach Spence, who was still in sight,
but be died gamely. and two Warrior
lay .hesides him. Spence was al once
chased. The speed OF his mare gave
him hopes Of escape, but the Indians
knew the animal and each warrior in the
chase had lei horse. A run Of seven
miles and Spence was shot from hi.
mare, mortally hurt. He turned as the
yelling enemies approached, drew head
on the lesding warrior and died g:imly
with savage dea,h-crv in bis ears. =
In the meantime Woodie and Smell
had run, with dnzen -ssvages at their
heels, to the shel'eriug rocks tha, mark
ed the mouth Of the canon. just be
fore reaching shelter Shell was bad,
hit., He kept up, however. and ss they
gained the rocks Woodie halted and
checked the Indians, while Smell. mad
his way further into the secteting bowl.
ders. W oodie was armed with q large
sized Sbarp's, had plerty Of ammuoi,
ton and was dead shot. His check
my the Indians consisted 10 dropping
the foremost 10 bis tracks. The pause
was not long. The Arspahoes agar
!. came on. Again Woodie's a. trough,
its Indian, and again there was pause
Thus the brave ttapper held bis foe d
bay all day long, and when night drew
near be adsscaped swound and was fu
. Of hope.
i With numbers doubled by the ,returr
2 Of Tue party who Tad Killed Spence. anf
enraged and ashamed at their repulse
hy'asingle' man, the Indians atsundow VI
made Bnal rush. Two OF the leading
warriors fell before the deadly Gre OF To,
4 Sbarp's, and t6eh trampled, eashet
and .bloodvcorpse was all there was lef
s OF the hero trapper. The Arapahoel
stilfepeak OF him with respect. Sx o
I their hravest fen that dav before hie ia
tai aim, and his scalp still occupies th,
highest peg in the chieftain's tepee.
Smell vas found by the Indians mex
morning creeping among the rocks thu
overhang the canon. He sill feebly
tried to escape. Drawing himself pain
fplIv upward, be reached the top of
cliff that projected over the cauon's va
tiers. Here be was visible for an instsn
and then disappeared. never to be see,
again. The recent finding and bufviu,
s OF his bones adds the grave OF the las
victim to the other three, Spence. Cool
| and Woodie having boen hurried 10 th,
: spring succeeding their death. isg q
4