Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-11-20
REVENGED.
How Two Scouts Got the Upper
Hand OF the Hostiles.


is fully two hundred. It is on record that
the first dispatch passing between those
posts was carried In my pocket, and that at
q time when hostile Indians almost be-
sieged both forts. It was on this ride, and
about forty miles above Sully, that a
strange incident occurred. From Fort
Union to Yanktown, a distance Of six hun
dred miles, the Missouri runs along chain
of mountains on the east, while on the
west side there is scarcely o hill to be
found While the route down the east
bank Is naturally more difficult, it is also
more sheltered, aud that was the route /
took on the occasion referred 70. While
there were plenty Of Indians in the mount
aims and in the mountain valleys, there
were more Of them on the plains, and my
journey was considered such q forlorn
hope that wagers were made at Fort Lin
coin that would never be heard of again.
had a mustang which had Travelled over
moro OF the country than any man living,
and, In all matters pertaining to frontier
life, he was as well posted as four men out
OF tive Armed with Winchester and re-
volver, and rather proud to have been the
one selected out Of five scouts TO make the
trip, left Fort Lincoln just at dusk one
evening In July, and proceeded Eve
miles down the river before crossing over
n TCCOuuOlSSduCC lOICO - udy VI bWO UC-
fore had driven the hostiles back, but /
might count on finding them within seven
or eight miles. had scarcely forded the
river when q mule, which had evidently
been in hiding in thicket near by, came
forward with low whinny and appeared
greatly pleased to see US. A brief inspec-
ton proved that he belonged to a scout
named Abner johnson, who had been dis
patched from Fort Lincoln to Fort Ran
some, hundred and fifty miles to the east,
ten or twelve days before. The saddle was
in place, blanket, coffee-pot and other arti-
cles secured as usual, and the bride was
intact. l was satisfied that Johnson had
been shot from the saddle. Nothing could
have induced the mule to run away from
him while alive. The animal, as 1 figured
it, was making for the fort, and was about
fording the stream when the noise of our
passage alarmed him and he hid himself TO
see whether it was friend or enemy. i
sought to drive him into the water and on
his way, but he was determined TO accom-
pany me, and, after finding him obstinate,
slipped the iron bit out OF his mouth, that
he might snatch at the grass, and rode on,
with him a close follower.
Between the river and the foothills there
was a level varying in width from fifty to
Eve hundred feet. This was grown TO
grass. Along the bank Of the stream, with
hardly break for miles and miles, was q
line Of trees and bushes The foothills
were covered with scrub growth, and be-
tween them and the base of the range there
was fair travelling and good cover. At
every mile or two there were breaks in the
foothills by which one could turn In from
the level l did not intend TO travel far
that night, the main object being TO get be-
h-N fIoI linz fulra ~
next morning. Up to the time of crossing
the river my mustangs feet had been muf-
fed with oat sacks, so that he could leave
no trail. There had been no rain for two or
three weeks, and no living Indian could
have traced me. Once across the
stream l removed the bags. l should
leave plain trail, but must there
after trust to luck and my own sagacity. 1t
was a starlight night, and as rode forward
/ routed up a deer or other wild game
every fifty rods. This satisfied me that no
Indians were near, and continued my ride
until midnight. BY this time was at least
twenty miles below the fort, and l went
into camp TO walt for daylight Going into
camp consisted OF unsaddlng the two ami
mails, rolling myself in q blanket, and
pumping down at the roots OF q cotton
wood. l was asleep in five minutes, and
The animals were close at hand, aud each
had his nose I'm the air aud was seeming
like dog. l was hardly on my feet before
smelled fire. There was light breeze
blowing up the valley, and the campfire
was below me, or In the direction l pro-
posed TO go. / moved into the belt OF tim
Der and began to crawl forward for an OBJ
servation, and after going about quarter
of a mile saw the smoke. waited Eve
minutes before advancing nearer, but see-
ing no movement, crept forward. l saw
the body OF a white man lying on the ground
under the trees. i knew 1t was, by the
dress, and now, thinking that l had come
upon q Government scout or some white
hunter, rose up and advanced into the
camp. No man ever made more appalling
discovery. 1t was the body Of Abnel
johnson, dead and horribly mutilated and be
tween him and the river, a distance of twenty
feet, lay the dead bodies of nine IndiaI
warriors. While q glance suficed to prov,
that they were dead, it took me some tim
TO satisfy myself as TO the cause, inall
found a stone bottle, holding about tw
quarts, which ] remembered to have seel
In Johnson's possession. 1t had contalne
whisky, but was now empty, The poStur
Of the bodies was proof that every warrio
had died Of poison, but did not know unit
~
before leaving Fort Ransome on his return
he seemed TO have q presentiment that b
would be captured, and he bought tw
quarts Of whisky and dosed it with strycf
nine, knowing that 1t would surely reveng
him.
johnson had evidently been driven out c
his direct course. AS ] saw by scpptin
over the ground he was well In the lead {
his nine pursuers when a chance shot frol
a rife struck him in the right hip and tnn
bled him from his saddle. His mule ha
gone on and the Indians had gone ini
camp to torture the wounded man. The
had cut OF his left ear, gashed his cheeks
severed three or four toes, and inficte
other cruelties when the poison which the
had lmbibed in the whisky began to work
There must have been Q high old TIM
among them for half an hour, durinJ
which interval the prisoner probably blet
TO death Johnsons eyes were wide open
and il the eyes Of the dead can reflect an!
thing his surely reflected exultation. Thu
monies of the Indians were in q grass
dell q quarter OF mile away, and eacl
were hobbled. It seemed an awful wicke'
thing to do, but / approached each one II
turn aud drove my knife 70 bis heart. Thel
I gathered up saddles and blankets ant
larlats aud flung them into the river. 4 tool
the rifles, tomahawks, knives, wampuu
and headdresses of the nine warriors anC
made up a load for the mule, and afte
covering Johnson's body with brush ant
stones to keep il from the vultures, wen
forward on my journey. which was com
pleted without further incident wortl
mentioning
A couple OF years later was transieFPes
70 Fort Davis, in the Guadalupe Mountain
Of Texas, and ia the Apache country.
commission was sent to the East to locat.
q post on the Rio Pecos river, and as tn
country was full Of hostiles the party wa
made pretty strong. There were six scouts
thirty private soldiers, three or four Officers
end some soVes OF eight prosDectors ant