Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-03-03

Ter. He was to watch until midn;cb,
and then call on one Of the youn0 NJ,
but at IL o'clock he quietly sronea1 ~
garrison and whispered the news thst
. large number of Indians had arrived
We we're scarcely awake before haino
made aware that our fort was being IN.
spected by spies. When We had care
fully pulled the plugs from the loop
holes we could see and hear them NOV
ing about in large numbers By and
by we heard number of them on the
roof. They were probably Investigate
ing to see how to burn us out At A
signal from Miller we took up our guns,
carefully poEed the muzzles through
the loophoies in the planks, and at an
other signal all fred. We killed or
wounded two Indians by the volley, and
the others hastily departed. Half an
hour later two or three of the reds
crept up to the barricade in front of
our door with arms full OF light wood,
and started a fire. The posts were
only half seasoned, anl all that after
noon I had kept them wet with water.
They charred little under the flames,
but the fire would not take hold. From
the number of Indians we could see,
and to judge by the yells of those out
OF sight, our enemy numbered at least
fifty. After trying us with fire, they
drew off to wait for daylight, and the
most of them probably went to sleep.
When daylight came our enemies
were reinforced by band of twelve.
About an hour after daylight the In.
dams sent forward white prisoner
with white flag to demand our sur-
render. He came up within thirty feet
of our barricade, and then halted and
told US what he had been commanded
to do. A dozen or more Indians had
their rifles on him, ready to shoot in
case he attempted to play them false.
He was big, powerful fellow, and ]
never saw such grief and anxiety in
human countenance. In voice loud
enough for the Indians to hear, he de-
manded our surrender, but in whispers
he warned us not to, as every one of us
would be butchered Miller replied to
him from loophole, telling him to go
back to the Indians and ask their best
terms. When he returned he was to
come as close as possible, and at sig.
nal he was to spring forward and the
door would be opened for him. He
was pretty cool fellow, in spite of all
his suferings He returned to the In
dams, consulted for few minutes, and
when he came back to us he approached
within twenty-five feet before they
shouted to him to halt. Then he told
us that we would be permitted to take
one of the teams and leave the country
that the Indians all loved us; that all
they wanted was their land. We had
our guns ready to cover him and saw
him draw long breath just before
the signal came. AS Miller
uttered q whistle one of the men
pulled open the door and at the same
instant the stranger made spring for
shelter. It was veritable spring for
life. The Indians fired at him, but too
late, and he pitched in among us with
out scratch. Then began q siege
which lasted nine days, and in which
over forty Indians were killed and
wounded. They gathered in the quarry
as expected, and Miller exploded the
torpedo and killed four and badly
wounded dozen. They tried every
possible way to burn us out, and on
one of these occasions, when they were
congregated together, Miller sprang
another of his mines and killed several
of them. Five or six different times
they displayed a flag of truce and
sought to coax or threaten us to sur
render, but Miller was wise enough to
refuse to trust them From first to
last they fired ABOUT 1000 bullets at
our fort, over 100 were lodged in the
door, but none of Us we're wounded.
The besieging force never numbered
less than thirty five, and one day the
was over one hundred. On the
ninth day troops came and drove the
fends of, and it was only then we
learned of the widespread devastation.
Not house nor barn had been left
for miles and miles in any d.
rection. Crops had been destroyed,
stock shot down, and settlers butchered
or driven off all over great section OF
the State. We had been the only ones
outside of the towns to make q fight,
and by our standing siege we kept
large force of the savages from going
against the settlers.
Superior Man.
st. Peter-Who comes here7
A reporter.