The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1886-12-08
For the River Press.
VISION OF A MASSACRE.
BY HENRY MACDONALD.

Francis or a Catherine of Sienna have
heen apparently able TO impress the stig-
,,ata On their living bodies; the visions of
shepherd girl drove the English out of
France. and the visions ola Mohamed have
changed the whole current of the stream
Of history. Though medicine has names
for these alterations, and the physiologist
be able to place his finger on the very
nerve that occasions them, still the fact Of
their influence remains the same. They
can nerve the weakest or appall the firm
est mind.
have had such an experience, which l
will relate, and in order that the situation
NAV be understood [ will give short his
torv of the events which led up to it.
IN the fall Of 1868, [ had, first with
nartv Of four others, and afterwards with
a single partner, been killing wolves IN the
country tributary to the mouth OF the
Musselshell river. SO many OF us TO-
pether attracted too much notice as we were
obliged to have horses or team OF some
kind, and were consequently subject 70
constant attack from hostile Indians. At
ter several skirmishes and losing Two
horses / determined to go it alone that
winter, I took plenty Of ammunition,
coffee and salt, which [ cached III different
places. had an overcoat for bedding,
and followed the buffalo and lived and
silent on the prairie like the animals. La
the worst storms 7 sought the shelter OF
the brush or of some washed out cavern
common in the bad lands
iii March met Joe BushaWay, gIgan-
tic Frenchman, as gallant and brave a
man as ever fired rifle, and formed
partnership with him to cut wood and put
In ice on the Missouri river to sell TO the
nassing steamboats,. He had with him
= Dan Fitzgerald, we'll known in Benton,
stalwart, rollicking, jolly Irishman, but
"a awkward that he could scarcely run
hundred yards without falling or cock a
revolver without using both his huge
hands.
We camped just below the mouth Of the
Fonrcnette, on the Missouri, and built a
cabin and stockade, well supplied with
port holes. There was wrecked steam
boat short distance from us; we took the
smokestack and formed a fire place and
chimney out of it, and of the lumber we
Aoored our cabin and otherwise furnished
itaccordinp to our notions in palatlal style.
We went up to Musselshella and hired three
men, Long, Foster and Jordan and re-
turned to our camp.
"A few days afterwards we were almost
o,,t of meat and went out to kill a buffa-
10. A band was in sight two or three
miles off. and as / went towards them !
noticed something running them, SO
went back to camp and told the men. |
thought there was war party close TO us
and we had better stay in camp day ol
two. we stayed in camp the next day and
as we saw nothing we concluded fhey nae
naused The others went out to chop:
took nv rifle and started across the river
to kill some meat. About two m1ies IRON
our camp saw band OF buffalo grazing
and annroached them and killed one.
had barely fired when heard scattering
yolley i'm direction of camp. L thought a
tiret band of buffalo or elk had come neal
our camp and that Joe and the men hae
onened fire on them, but the more
thought of it the more it troubled me ane
determined to make for the brush on tht
river. follow it down to opposite ou
stockade and from there watch our camp
knew that everything was all right
should see some one. waited all tina
day and did not see living SOUL Whei
night came determined 10 cross the rive
and find out the fate of my companions
The cabin formed bastion on one corne
Of the stockade. and as / cautiously ap
preached could perceive faint gimme
of light through one of the port holes.
erept silently up to it but could discer'
nothing; presently heard Joe's voice.
then smoke and told Joe to let me in. AT
ter what appeared to me long Tune n
unharred the stockade gate and | saw II
was crippled. As went into the caDln
saw big Dan lying on the bed and aske
Joe what had happened. He told me tina
after I had gone hunting he had taken h1
axe and had started to chop. lie wa
probably the best chopper in Montana, bu
that morning he had not been CHOPIN
more than twenty minutes When ms aA
glanced and cut into almost one-thifa
his foot. He went into the cabin, wraI
ped up his foot and had scarcely laid mn
self down ON his bed when he heard ca
firing. The men we're chopping not oVe
ahundred yards from the stoekade an
had already stacked up quite NUMBER
cribs of wood. Joe's Henry rifle Wf
hanging directly over bis bed; ne graspe
it and hurried to the gate OF the s1ocAau'