Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-11

these things were going on the Indians
sent out scouts, who came near to the
military camp OF the whites, but were
not allowed to enter or to discover their
real strength. These scouts returned
to camp. The third day passed and the
Indians had failed to keep their word.
They sent a flag of truce, with the in
formation that the chiefs had reconsid-
cred the matter aud had decided to
abandon for the present their inten-
ton of molesting the whites. The
military discipline OF the little
handful of whites during these
trying days, was under the following
officers: William G.. Bowman, captain;
William E. Lee, first lieutenant; John
A.. KOuntze, second lieutenant.
A year previous to this incident and
before the Fremont colony was founded
these Indians had
TERRORIZED THE SETTLERS
at F~ontenelle, which was then id Dodge
county and the county seat. They had
on more than one occasion gone up the
Elkhorn river to the vicinity Of Fonta-
nellie and given the colony a little scare.
Tt was in the latter part of June, 1855,
that the first real conflict between the
Pawnees and the Dodge county settlers
took place. On a Saturday evening
while Mr.. Porter and wife and George
Demaree were going home from where
they had beer breaking prairie on Bell
creek (now in Washington county, they
were overtaken by a heavy rain storm
which made it hard travelling and
which had swollen the little streams.
They decided to go into camp for the
night. Sunday morning they heard re-
ports OF guns at a little lake not far of
and supposed it was ONE members Of
the Fontenelle colony down there
shooting fish, which was a very
common sport. They went down
to see them n to their amazement
found a large number of Indians there.
One of the Indians, a daredevil sort OF
a fellow, rode up TO Demoree and took
his hat. DemOree started for his
wagon with the remark that he would
get his gun and shoot that Indian. In
a few minutes another Indian rode has
tily up and dwelling his musket, crack
went the old fiint-lock and the bullet
pierced Demoree in the head. Porter,
who was just beyond him, at that mo-
ment turned to survey the situation and
just as he did SO the same bullet which
had crushed through Demoree's brain
also penetrated Porter's breast, and
both men fell dead from the same fatal
bullet. Mrs. Porter was bending over
the form OF her dying husband when
another Indian rode up and motioned
her away. AS she left she saw the
Indians
sCALPING DEMOREE
but left her husband untouched. She
Invested herself OF all the clothing she
could spare and sped to the T~ontenville
camp with ali the speed she could COM
mand, frenzied with the bloody scene
she had just been an eye witness to and
her brain on fire. When she arrived
at the camp and told her story the ex-
element ran high. There was a
general scramble of the women and
children for place Of safety, while the
men fastened for their guns and other
weapons, some of them even arming
themselves with pitch forks.
The Indians Ind followed close after
Mrs. Porter, and when they arrived
they saw the ~Fontenellers hurrying to
and fro with guns in hand, and con-
cluded not to remain and give them
battle. The red skins zeal a retreat
and were followed a short distance by
a small company of whites. They es-
capped through the brush and across the
river. After this the settlers went out
and brought in the dead bodies of POr-
| ter and Demoree. AS they came into
| the settlement bearing their dead com
| rades, who had been so wantonly slain,
there was a strange minglng Of fear,