Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-30
POWDER RIVER EXPEDITION.
Thrilling Account of General Con-
ner's Raid on the Indians.
sAaeARlrles OF THE REDSKINS.
Nick o'Brien's Plucky Charge on an
Overwhelming Host-Indian War
Dances-Sioux and Pawneca
BattIe--Fights with Grizzlies.
Captain Paimer's story.


taken from the memoranda of that cam
paign made by Captain H. f. Palmer,
one OF the officers in command, and de-
ecribes his first experiences with the
Indians and their methods of warfare:
''In August, 1864, / was detailed to
take n detachment of soldiers to Fort
Kearney. On our way out near Big
Sandy, now Alexandria, Thayer county,
Nebraska, We met n party OF freighters
and stage coach passengers on horse
back, and number of ranchmen
valley. They told us that the
Indians were just in their rear and had
massacred large number OF people
none knew how many. We pushed on
to the Little Blue and next day in pass
ing Eubank's ranch sickening sight
met our eyes. Three little children,
from three to seven years old, had becn
TAKEN BY THE HEELS
and swung around against the rough
logs of the cabin, beating their heads
to n perfect jell. The young woman en-
ployed in the family WAS found staked
out on the prairie, tied by her hands
and feet, naked, her body full of arrows
and horribly mangled. Not far from
her lay the body of Eubank, his head
cut off and his body fearfully mutilated.
The buildings had been fired aud the
ruins were yet smoking.
NEARLY the same scene OF deSolution
and murder was witnessed at Spring
Ranch. This raid on the Blue was
made by Cheyennes under the command
OF Black Kettle, One-Eyed George
Bent, Two Face and others. Mrs Eu-
bank ana Miss Laura Roper were car
ried away captlves and were not ran
somed until the following January.
had known Mrs. Eubank for three
years, having met her in the spring of
1861, just after she had moved from
Ohio to brave the dangers of pioneer
life. She was u fine-looking woman,
full Of youth, beauty and strength, but
Il short time married, and with bright
prospects for the future. After her
rescue from the redskins hardly knew
her. She was crushed in spirit and
ALMOST A MANIAC.
Her hair was gray, her face gave cvi-
dence of painful suffering and her back
was Il mass of raw sores from her neck
to the waist where she had been beaten.
The lives of Chief Two Face and two
warriors paid the penalty for the in
human cruelties she had suffered az we
strung them up to the nearest tree when
they came after the ransom money.
IA few days later the military and
stage station at Julesburg was attacked
by the Indians. Captain Nick O'Brien
was in command of the troops which
numbered all told fifty-ono men. Tho
Indians, composed of Sioux and Chey-
ennes to the number of one thousand, =,
ran the stage into the station killing q
man and horse. Captain O'Brien left
q sergeant and twelve men in the fort
to handle the two pieces of artillery.
and left with the remaining thirty
nine men to face the thousand
blood-thirsty savages. AS the handful
OF men neared the top Of the hill they
saw the oyerpowering host that they
were to meet, but never hinched. The
Indians charged upon them with great
equal ferceness, and in brief contest
left
Sixty REDSKINS LYING DEAD
on the plain. Fourteen soldiers were
killed, and fearing that the remainder
might meet the same fate. Captain
O'Brien ordered his force to fall back.
which they did in good order. The in
dians attempted to cut them off from
the fort, and came very near doing so.
The men finally gained the fort and
held the enemy ut bay with the artil-
lery-twO mountain howitzers.
might put an end to the conflict and
when morning came again it was dis
covered that the Indians had left the
scene. The soldiers went out to find the
bodies OF their dead comrades and dis
covered them mutilated beyond recog-
milton, their fingers, toes and ears cut
Off, their mouths tiled with powder and
ignited and every conceivable indig-
:. atty committed on their persons"
SAT Laramie General Moonlight Or
ganized an expedition to punish these
marauding Indians, but the raid proved
failure through the grossest misman-
agement. In the following summer
General Conner sent out force of 40i
soldiers and l45 Indians to do the work
delegated to Moonlight. The troops
left Laramie July 80, and on the six
teenth OF the following month discov-
cred.
WAR PARTY OF SIOUX,
and the soldiers gave them running
fight, the Pawnees under command OF
Captain North being in the van. Our
war party outnumbered the enemy, and
the Pawnees. thirsty for blood and de-
sitous OF getting even with their old
enemy, the Sioux, rode-like mad devils
dropped useless paraphernelia, and
rushed into the fight half naked ,whoop-
ing, lowling and shooting. Twenty
four scalps were taken and considerable
plunder. The Pawnees were on horse
buck twenty-four hours and did not
leave the trail until they overlook the
enemy. On their retunn to camp they
exhibited the most savage signs
OF delight, riding with the
bloody scalps tied to the end OF
sticks, whooping and yelling like
SO many demons In the evening they
had u war dance instead of retiring to
rest, although they had been up more
than thirty hours. The war dance was
the most savage-scene had ever wit.
messed. The participants formed cir.
Gle aud danced around fire, holding
up bloody scalps, brandishing their
hatchets and exhibiting the spoils of
the fight During the dance they kept
bowling hoo yah, hoo yah, hoo yah,
hoo YAH accompanying their voices
with the din of the tom tom, a rude
sort OF drum. They kept up the
dance, Mt first much to our amusement
until long after midnight and were
then only quieted after considerable
persuasion by their commander. This
war dance was
KEPT UP EVERY NIGHT
III nelnak hnI