Omaha daily bee., 1889-01-27

Kearney was at the crossing of Pinev
creek, a rapid mountain stream of clear,
cold water and now stocked with trout.
A farm covers the parade ground, and
hardly Il vestige of the old fort remains.
| called at the farmers house. Mr.. Eos
ter, and to my surprise found he knew
little about Old Phil Kearny or Fetter-
man 5 massacre. Yes" he said in re-
ply to a question. she knew there had
been u fort there once, and some men
had been killed, but it was IL long time
ago, before he came to this country, and
he knew little about IT, He had
bought the land and the parade
ground was now a wheat field. The
golden grain was waving in the
breeze and the bright sun
shine streamed down over meadow
and field. Mr.. Foster had cut
down the flagstaff, but said he could
show me where it had stood, as the
stump was still in the ground. He
did not half like our going into the
grain, but was finally persuaded to ac-
company us. We found where the flag
staff had stood, and knowing the form
of the fort, | could from the staff readily
imagine how the buildings had stood.
| found the line officers quarters and
walked up it to the site Of the command
ing officers quarters, where Colonel
Darlington and his wife had spent SO
many anxious, sad, and unhappy days
and nights. | stood on the very spot
oven which had been the bedroom of
the beautiful but fiery Mrs. Grummond
and to which she returned IA sad and
lonely widow the night after the mas5a-
ere. Her house was next to Colonel
Clearinghouse, and | walked to the spot
and stood on the same earth that her
Fn,t had ,pnSCnl InnI,n than tWpDtU
years ago, on the day whcn she gave
Colonel Darlington such a tongue lash
ing for the loss of her husband. 1t all
| came back to me, each house rose again
before me and stood there with the
hundred incidents connected with it
and its inmates. | reflected so long
Farmer Foster said: 81 guess we will
get Il cold dinner if we do not hurry
buck tC the house"
Over beyond the fort was the grave
ward where the massacred men lie
buried. 1t was on the slope of the hill
and IA full quarter of IA mile from the
fort. Once it had been fenced but the
fire had burned the grass and some Of
the posts, and then the place being
partly fallen down the farmers soon
helped out the fire by hauling away the
rest OF the posts and palings. The
| place was o open and the cattle had
trampled over and dungcd upon the
graves. 1t made me mad to think the
government would allow the graves of
brave soldiers who surrendered their
lives in its defense TO be thus neglected
and d~esecrated. | wrote IA hot letter to
the war department expressing my feel
ings, but | reckon il will do no good.
Some Of the graves had been opened
and the bodies taken out, but only n
few. The officers graves were all
there except Grummond's, which stood
| open and deserted. His wife took his
remains back east with her TO Tenncs-
see when she went home after the mas
saCre. The bodies or enlisted men lie
in one common grave, "A trench fifty feet
! long by eight wide and seven deep. The
earth had been heaped up in Il long
mound over the dead and was still
raised except in n or two places
whe it has sunk as earth does in
graves where the coffin has rotted
away. | should think from the appear
ance of the ground the collins are still
in a good state of preservation, and the
bodies well preserved.
The form of the grave is as follows:
ENLISTED MEN. OFFICERS.
-. ...'' '''''''''''' ''''''''" :""'":
~ IlIII nm - :III:
:"''.''.,, ...,......''.'..'' '.'""'
have a diagram of the enlisted mems
grave, from Colonel Darlington, giving
the order, number, and names OF the
men and their company and regiment
- AL. "a NC ~