Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-09-25
TWO SCOUTS REVENGED.

both on the upper Missouri river. b q bse
line Of 100 miles, but the distance AZ rider
has To make it is fully 100 1t Is On record
that the first dispatch passing between those
pnsts was carried In my pocket, and
that at time when hostile Indians al
most besieged both forts 1t WIS on this
ride, and about forty miles above Sally, that
. strange incident occurred From Fort
Union To Yankton, distance Of 40 miles,
the Missouri runs along chain Of noun
tains ON the east, while on the west siie there
ID scarcely a bill TO 30 found. While the
route down the east bank is naturally more
difficult, 1t Is also more sheltered. and that
was the route ! took ON the occasion refer
rei To. While there we're plenty Of Indians
in the mountains and mountain valleys, there
were more Of thsfn on the plains, and my
journey was considered such forlorn hope
that wagers wers made at Fort Lincoln that
| would never BIS heard Of again
| had mustang which had travelled over
more Of the country than any man living,
and in all matters pertaining to frontier life
be WAS as well posted as four men out Of Ave.
Armed with Winchester and revolver, 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 five miles down the river before
crossing over. A reconnaissance In force
day or two before had driven the bostiies
back but | might count on finding them
within .sven or eight miles | had scarcely
foried the river, when mule. which hal
evidently been in hiding in "a thicket near by,
came forward with low whinny and ap
peared greatly pleased 10 A brief in
sTectiou proved that ne belonged to scout
named Abner johnson. who had been dis
patched from Fort Lincoln to Fort Ransome,
$50 miles 30 the east, ten or twelve days be
fore The saddle was in place, blanket,
coffee pot and other articles secured Us usual
and the bride was intact. was satisfied
that johnson had been shot from the saddle
Nothing could have induced tie mule to run
away from him while alive. The animal, as
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 !
sought to drive him into the water and on his
way, but he was determined TO accompany
me, aud, after finding him obstinate, slipped
the iron bit out Of his mouth, that he might
snatch at the grass and rode of. with him
close follower.
Between the river and the foothills there
was level varying in width from 10 to 800
feet. This was grown to grass. Along the
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s'io ms anu ",s"n " VI avn ioi "afu
'.,'.a.1r ~, a' Eng aDou'
ia W . u'''C N'" .ue ''''o"e "ai'eu
nv hNA''N etiN uhRih- htditI, but
~ n'o',',isu' rep '''"h," "a"
auo 10Y ~ ""',e ''',a,l !. ing ' tne GROUND
u'iu', 'n' tieesI h"e" Ii was oy 'he oress'
anu nv '"'i'A's ia" ooiii. upo" gov
e'"i''e"' SUI VI S"nie ""i'e hunter, rose
up anu aiNaii''u mo iiie canP' NO man
e'e' n''ie ih"re apPaiilns discovery IL
was 'ne oohy VI Ap'iei Johnson, dead ana
- ,i'.s a'.- o'"e' ni'n anu 'he
'' 'Ve'' ny .ne uetAu
os VI IN ''"e iuuian "a'iiois' "n,ie q
4 W pio,e ''io. ."ey we're oeau'
=. =, sVNN - 'i',o sen % y"
,"1 t"u'' "na''' ''un" d 'u''e oo'.ie'
bered to have seen in Johnson's possession.
IL had contained whisky, but was now empty.
The posture OF the bodies was proof that
every warrior bad died Of poison, but | did
not know until month that johnson fixed
up the dose before leaving Fort Ransome on
his return. He seemed to have presentiment
that he would be captured, and he bought
two quarts Of whisky and dosed it with
strychnine, knowing that 1t would surely re-
venge him.
johnson had evidently been driven out Of
his direct course. As saw by scouting over
the ground he was well in the lead of his nine
pursuers when a chance shot from a rifle
struck him in the right hip and tumbled him
from his saddle. His mule had como on and
the Indians had gone into camp to torture
the wounded man. They had cut of his left
ear, gashed his cheeks severed three or four
toes, and inflicted other cruelties when the
poison which they bad imbibed in the whisky
began TO work There must have been high
old time among them for half an hour during
which interval the prisoner probably bled to
death Johnson's eyes were wide open, and
If the eyes Of the dead can reflect anything
his surely reflected exuitation The ponies
Of the Indians were in grassy dell quarter
of mile away. and each was hobbled 1t
seemed an awful wicked thing to do, but
approached each one In turn ana drove my
knife TO ms heart linen gathered up sad
dies ana o'anke's ana iariats ana nnng tnem
INTO the river took the rines' tomahA"ks'
KNIVES wampum, and headdresses OF the nine
Warriors ana MADE up ioah ior tne NUE.
ana AFTER covering Jonhsons oody WIN