Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-09-12

eral years been fugitive from Justice
and if he can be caught only waits 8
sentence before going to the peniten
tiary. Bemis and Hutchinson are,
understand, living in affluence, will
none to mOleSt or make them afraid
and apparently without any prospect OF
worldly punishment: if so, their case
seems TO refute the doctrine of Inger.
sol and demonstrate the absolute neces-
Sity for hell.
1t is said troubles do not come singly
The incursion and excursion of thieves
was followed by little Indian business
which made matters decidedly uncom.
Portable in this locality. On the 18th
of June, 1874, the following communi.
cation was sent to the governor:
SIR:-The Indians are raiding Bar.
Der county, and have this day killed one
OF our citizens that we know of and
probably more.
Kiowa was attacked yesterday and a
number of horses run off. Four tribes
are on the war-path and threaten tC
clean out the Medicine river country.
The lives of the people are in danger.
We need immediate assistance.
(Signed) VIM. NJ. FRIEDLEY,
q. w. ELLIS,
o. d. MERRIMAN,
REV. G. w. KELLER,
IL. JONES,
A. WINsToNE,
B. III. REED,
G. L. Rigg,
J. r. EASILY,
w. +. CRISP,
II. MOORE,
j. MOORE,
On the 10Th of June this was follow
ed by communication signed by NJ
w. Sutton, B. p Ayers and Jacob
Swank stating that three persons, to-
wit: Isaac Kline, j. Martin and Elijah
Kennedy, had been killed, scalped and
mutllated i'll the vicinity of Medicine
Lodge and that the Indians were either
Cheyennes or Arapahoes.
This correspondence was followed by
petition quite numerouSly signed, re-
questing the Governor to organize a
home militia company, with Cyrus NJ.
Kicker as captain. The company was
so organized. Kicker commissioned as
captain and John Moseley, Eli Smith
and G. L. Rigg lieutenants. A stockade
was built, people gathered in from the
surrounding country and Medicine
Lodge was prepared for war.
The first actual blood was shed by
this militia company on August 7th,
1874. AS this transaction occasioned
considerable stir in official circles at the
time, l will give both sides of the story
as told by Capt, Kicker, of the militia,
on the one side and Edward Z. Smith,
commissioner of Indian affairs, on the
other
The Captain states in his report to
Adjutant General Morris under date of
August 7, 1874, that on his return from
Wichita he found the people greatly ex-
cited over rnmOrS that were coming in
daily of more and more Indians being
seen around and that from their actions
they were all on the war-path. He says
further: "A few days ago forty of them
made their appearance in front of the
Stockade at kiowa, sixteen miles south
of this point Medicine Lodge), where /
have twenty-five men on duty. and ex-
amined the location of the same very
closely. From there they moved east
and north through the cedar hills.
From what can learn they are the same
band that captured two teams from
Virgins short time since. They set
lire to and burned off all the range on
the route. To satisfy myself in regard
to the correctness and truth of these
reports, l, with Lieutenant Moseley and
this morning and travelled north west
about fifteen miles, when l encountered
forty or fifty young braves of the Usage
tribe. Six of them advanced toward us
while the balance formed for battle on
hill south of us. l halted my COM
mand and made signs for the forward
ones to advance, which they did, CON-
ing up to us with their bows strung and
arrows In their hands, guns and revoIv-
erS cooked. l ordered them to give up
their arms. Three of them did so, the
other three refusing to understand me.
L then Through Lieut.. Moseley, who
acted as interpreter) requested them to
have the braves dismount and advance:
but in place of this thinking, perhaps.
that we could not understand them)
they ordered them not to come but to
lire into my men. which was immedi-
ately done; the others made a dash to
stampede my horses.
We then commenced firing on them
and had an exciting time for few mo-
ments. The Indians retreated south,
and not having force enough l was un-
able TO pursue them far, as they had re-
Inducements close at hand, and !
thought it prudent to return, which i
did i'll safety. had one man severely
wounded in the head; the Indians lost
live killed and several wounded. l
captured some mules and ponies from
them"
Complaint seems to have been made
to the Department of the Interior i'm re-
gard to this matter. Agents were sent
out to investigate and as result about
a year afterward Edward p. Smith.
commissioner of Indian affair, wrote
the Hon. Columbus Delano, at that
time secretary of the interior, the fol-
lowing statement of the case as he re-
garded it:
lone year ago a party of Usage In
dians, about thirty in number-men
women and children-belongin to the
bands OF Black Dog" and s.Big Chief 2,
were peaceably engaged in hunting in
hunting in the buffalo country. I'm the
south western part of Kansas. upon
what was a part of their former reser-
Vation when they were attacked by
about forty Kansas citizens, under COM
mand OF one Captain Kicker, who were
afterward ordered upon duty as militia
by the governor OF Kansas. the order
being ante-dated SO as to cover the out
rage. Four of the Osages were muir
dered and their property, consisting of
sixty ponies, saddles, brides, blankets
and other camp equipage. was plum
dered and carried of by the so-calied
militia. The facts in the case are
abundantly substantiated by the affida-
Wits of more than fifteen reputable citi-
zens. who were eye-witnesses to the
transaction; and on their testimony it
is palpably evident that the affair was
a cold-bl00ded murder, followed by theft
and robbery. = i am nov
informed by the agent that these Usage
Indians are deeply grieyed and incensed
The customary morning and evening
walls of the widows and orphans are
still kept up in the Usage villages, and