Wichita eagle., 1888-11-08
THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE

To the Editor OF the Daily Eagle.
HAPPY Hollow, Oct. 3d. feel just
| like the fellow who went TO see his girl,
and the first word he said to her was:
Il have a few words OF adjuration to be
delivered to your kind komperdunc-
ton if you have no detection" Now
Willie you are Gigestlng these few
words / VIII proceed with my lesson.
| | had been to Illinois on a Through
and returned to Denver about June 10,
| Just after the Hungate5 We're murdered.
the city was still excited; no soldiers
there, only few who had returned
from furlough. / reported to Captain
/ Manard; he said he wanted me on provost
duty and to ride express. There We're
no government horses there; he (tlan-
ard), and [ went on the market and [
bought fine charger for S115 cash, had
him by the month.
| | was started with message to Fort
| Lyon but found relay at Bents old fort
SO stopped there. Two days later the
relay returned and | started back to
| Denver with instructions to make Den
yer In forty-eight hours-200 miles-and
| made it, | saw Indian fires away OF
at night, but nearer the first night. l
would ride about fifteen miles, then stop
and rest my horse for perhaps two hours,
not longer. There was house occa-
sionaliy where | could get some refresh
ments for myself and morse. | started
from Bent's fort at shutdown and the sec
ond day at shutdown | rode into Denver.
Then IN a few DAYS | was sent down
the Platte river Tor some government
mules; it was 125 miles down the Plat.
| got the mules. and came back twenty
five miles TO the mouth OF the Byjo creek
and | got my dinner at the camp. After
dinner | concluded that | would not re-
turn by the same road | went but that |
would take the stage route. went
about twenty miles that night and when
the stage came along they reported that
the Indians that afternoon had come 10
the ranch and drove off all the stock,
even stage stock, but had hurt no one.
only scalped the herder. was glad that
! had come the stage route for the In
dians had come right along the other
road TO the ranch, but felt safe enough.
They had crossed the Platt and went
north. got to Denver all right but
got TO see Fremonts orchard and Fort
Lupten. F'remont's orchard Is nothing
more than some cottonwood trees that
are set in rows, low and scrubby. cover
ing only a few acres of ground not very
far from the Platte river: no other tim
Der near, but quite sand ridge on the
east.
Chivington found there must be
troops kept at Denver. Not long after
nv trip for the government mules there
came ten men soaring the southern I'M
iforms (but were nothing but guerrillasl,
into the South Park, fifty miles west of
Denver and robbed the passengers, cut
the stage wheels TO pieces and took the
harness and told the passengers not TO
send word 10 Denver, but they managed
to get word there the next day. There
was detachment of sixty troops sent
out with Lieutenant Shoufs III command
tie came to me and asked me If |
would ike to go along lShoupe was my
first lieutenant). l said yes; 50 he went
TO CAPTAIN Manard and got me reieas-
ed and took me with him; also the mar
shall of the state OF Colorado Went along.
Well, the second day we got on track
or rather they got track OF US and got IN
behind US and struck Tor the valley.
The miners had got after them had
fight and three gue-ritIas were Killed ana
the captain Of the gang was wounded;
and only three miners hurt Then they
divided up in two gangs: three of them
got in the dark cat from Canon City m
10 the deep creek Shoupe and track
ed the men through the sand for several
miles. Ne person was living near.
About a mile from where the creek
empties into the Arkansas W.. a family
living and Just below were some soldiers
ouarterei. We ted the family
that if three pen called there