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

powerful state, that if ever these line
would have a special application it is &
this section and this state.
10 at evenings mellow close.
Mustered here the savage foes.
But when mornings sun arose.
Cities filed the land"
The grand peace council was held
late in October, If remember rightly
However, it was in session some week:
and may have run in November, OF
possibly comm eDced late in September
reported the council for the New
York World and the New York Tri.
bune. and on my way | received q
dispatch from WILDER F. Story, asking
me to report for his paper, the Chicago
Times, which l did in addition to my
other work.
The personnel of our party who
went out TO treat with the Indians, was
somewhat remarkable and notable.
Let me first speak of the press gang
the most important part of the outfit
of course. There was the well known
subsequently great African explorer
Henry NJ. Stanley; Thomas w. Knox
Of the New York Herald, who has
written so many magazine articles and
books on Siberia and the northern
countries; Col. Burt, of the Cincinnati
1
Stanley represented the Cincinnati Com
mercial. We newspaper fellows tented
together, tent being assigned us by
General Sherman. We had the best
the government could afford, including
perhaps, those things not used on the
plains OF Kansas since the passage of
the amendment, though my memory is
a little dim on that branch of the sub
ject. Stanley was undoubtedly the
biggest liar of the newspaper crowd.
He impressed me as being a lazy fellow.
rather good natured aud fond of telling
stories, particular his exploits in the
| Old World and his hair breadth escapes
among the Arabs. | presume that
Stanley has since become a Christian
and as truthful as Kansas editor.
since that time, but none of us credited
his yarns as he ratified them off by the
yard about his wonderful deeds among
the BedoulnS. Knox was the best liked
of any of the boys. He was courtly.
| gentlemanly and truthful. Asa writer
and journalist of veracity, he seemed to
have been modelled on the Kansas plan.
On the commission were General
| Sherman, General SanbOrn. General
! Hraney, Senator Henderson and COM
missioner of Indian affairs, Taylor, of
TennesSee-father of the Taylor boys
who ran for Governor on opposing
tickets at the last election. TAYLOR. by
the way, is the only noted politician |
have ever known to remember an editor
after he was out of sight. l got ac
| quainted with Taylor on one of these
expeditions, and long time afterward
when the Sac and Fox and Pottowato-
mIe Indians were to be located in the
| Indian Territory, Commissioner TAYLOR
| appointed me one of the commissioners
without solicitation from Senator,
| Representative, OF Governor, or my
self.
The council was called. as YOU know,
after many bloody tragedies that had
been enacted on these western plains
The blOOdthirsty Cheyennes in revolt
of that suicidal and nonsensical policy
that for a time ruled the maudlin SEN
timentalistS OF the east, and an imprac-
tical congress, and which sought To
tear the wild deniZens of the northern
hills and prairies, from the graves OF
their ancestors, aud t6 plant ,hem in
miasmatic regions, had torn themselves
away from the hOWcSiCk grounds. to
them. of the Indian rerut0ry. and
sweeping like sOutherH siln0Ou. or the
hot winds OF July and August across
our western Kansas prairi5s. deluGed
them with blood. The sad stories of
settlers scalped, of the German and
other families murdered, of western
Kansas ravaged and plundered, at last
aroused the sleepy Indian bureau at
Washington, and Col. Thomas Murphy.
superintendent of Kansas Indians,
brave Irish Republican and as noble
soul as ever spun an Irish story, or un-
flinchingly took a glass of grOg, was
sent out early in the spring of 1867 to
lfrnf hnr haaI Ind Nan.. in
most perilOus adventure, none but
brave man would have undertaken it.
Col. Murphy cOralled the Indians at
Medicine Lodge, you doubtless all
know where the council grounds are.
''Of the incidents of the trip | will
say nothing. We left the cars at Els
worth; the great Santa Fe was not
then built. This gigantic and imperial
corporation was then only a maggot,
so to speak, incubating in the prolific
brain of Col. G. K. Holiday, of Topeka.
Touching the countless millions of
buffalo we saw and counted, (?) have
told you before and will not repeat.
The great valley was grand; colossal
imperial in its majestic splendor, and
unrivaled beauty. The bronzed glOries
Of an autumn sun had tinged its scanty
foliage with colors of gold and flecked
were only seen in the absolutely perfect
days of autumn in Kansas before the
white man appeared.
ut was great council on the part of
the Indians. They were assembled en-
masSe. 1t is said that there were 1900
present. They had their squaws and
their pappooses. They were at first
sullen, morose and not disposed to
treat; they were hungry and mad.
They were filled, and after feasting
they become better natured. 1t was at
this council that l heard Satanta, in
the presence of General Sherman.
boast of the men he had killed and the
horses he had stolen ''up at Larned.'
He then rode a big black horse with L.
5. branded on his flank. Satanta was
a fiery speaker, vehement, impetuOus,
tumultuOuS rs torrent, generally be-
lieved to be common liar and a most
cOnsumate scoundrel. Kicking Bird
was second chief and afterward became
principal chief. He was a good Indian.
slept in the same tent with him. He
saved my life and the life of my friend,
Col. Murphy, but as this incident is
only important to ourselves, | pass it
by.
"On one occasion we came very near
being gobbled up by the Indians and
probably would have been, but for the
presence of two old Indian fighters,
Gov. Sam Crawford and General
Harney. 1t was a dull, dreary day.
Listlessly and lazily the drops of rain
driZzIed all day long. Towards even
ing the Indians became restless. They
moved about sullenly. sluggishly and
slow. They would not came into the
council. Gov. Crawford called General
Harney's attention to the unpleasant
signs. which to his practiced eye were
plainly risible. The General drew up
his troops in a hollow square; plac-
ing the commission in the center and
turned gastliRg gun straight upon
the camp of the Indians, and the mas
I sacre at the lava beds in California was
southern Kansas.