The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-10-30
INDIAN FIGHTING.
Major Russelrs Lively Experience
with the Oheyennes.
Attacked by Red Men in Colorado Be
tween Morgan nnd Fort sedgwicK-A
Good story About q Minister'S
Alleged Narrow Escape.

'"There was some Indian fighting in
1867, as remember" said Major W. II.
Russell as he sat in the rotunda of the
Palmer House, to Chicago Tribune re-
porter. ''l remember the Cheyennes
were raising Cain along the overland
stage route, attacking stages, plunder-
ing stations and mail bags, and chop
ping down telegraph wires. This was
in Colorado, between Fort Morgan and
Fort Sedgwick. went out with COM
pany of sixty men to re-establish the
route. We had just got beyond place
called Moore's, sort of station for the
stage line, and stage came up as we
lay in camp after hard days march.
The Indians had been crawling around
trying to surprise us, but no Indian
fighter is ever surprised, and ! was
ready for them. The men on the stage
were for going on, but I said: 4
wouldn't If were you, for there's about
sixty Of those devils hiding among the
sand-hills over yonder.' The stage
driver knew his business and went back
to Moore's. I told them was going to
march in the morning at five o'clock.
There was woman with her children in
the stage, too, by the way. Tho men
were indignant at turning back, but the
driver had the advantage. Well, next
morning about 7:30 o'clock we saw the
stage-coach behind US in the sand hills
and out popped the Indians. Part of us
got back and drove them off. The In
dian doesn't fight unless he has clearly
the best of 1t from the start. Well, you
ought to have seen the civilians that
were so hot to go ahead the night be-
fore. They were shaking hands with
everybody and crying and carrying on
The woman with the children sat inside
the stage all the time, cool as a cucum-
Der and never cheeped.
swell, we went on and found that the
stage coming east from Denver on the
strength of the report that l was going
to clear the line and re-establish the
stations, putting two Of my men at each
place, had been attacked and the driver
and the horses killed. The mail-bags
had all been rifled and such envelopes
as looked as If they might have money
in them were ripped open. l shall al
ways believe there was a renegade white
man among them. But there was no
trace Of any passenger killed. And now
comes the funny part Of the story.
"After we got into camp again as !
was smoking after supper long, lanky,
muddy man came up and introduced
himself as Mr.. So-and-So-I forget his
name nova minister from Denver,
and wanted to borrow q rife 80 he
could take the stage on East Says he:
\ was on that stage that the Indians
got yesterday looked at him as
much as to say: Tell that to dog
robber.' He saw I didn't take any stock
in his story, and he said: 4 suppose
you hardly believe me- WELL says I,
''if you weren't minister Of the Cos
pei I should say you were dashed liar
"Then he told me his story. He was
the only passenger, and as 1t was hot
day he had his shoes and coat of and
was doing, when 'bangr 'bsngr went q
lot Of guns and he looked out and saw .
crowd Of Indians whooping and digging
out for the stage coach. He saw the
driver keel over, shot through the head,
and the horses swerve from the road of
on to the prairie. His first impulse was
to get the lines and fetch the horses
back into the road, and he believed he
could beat the Indians in race. So he
climbed out of the window and got upon
the box, but the lines had dropped on
the ground and the four horses were
just more than streaking it. He climbed
down on the pole to pick up the lines,
the Indians popping away at him all
the time, and just then the coach struck
wallow, q sort Of gutter about two
feet wide and perhaps nine inches deep,
and down he went into the mud
and the stage went on without
him. WELL thinks he, its all
up with ne now. They'll torture
me, sure.' But whether they
thought he was dead or that they would
come back after him, they rode around
him, anyhow, and made for tho coach.
Then the thought came to him that he
might give them the slip. Il prayed to
God Almighty for all was WORTH he
said, and then I slid along ON my
stomach in the mud till got to where
the ground sloped down toward the
Platte river. But they saw me and
three Of them came after me on their
ponies. Well. SIR says he, 4 had only
my socks on and that place was as full
Of cactus thorns as fax hackle, but
got away from there in q hurry, tell
YOU Twas pretty good swimmer and
II could get into the water 1 was
pretty near all right. just then the
three Indians stopped and looked west
turned, too, and there were two men
with guns coming down the river bank
on my side as If to out me of. But I
had prayed and wasn't going to give
up then, SO made . bee-line for the
river and got on the other side and was
shaking myself when heard some
body holler in English: Come over! We
won't hurt you.' 1 told them was just
as safe where I was Then they hol-
Tered back that they were two soldiers
from Fort Sedgwick come out hunting,
end would you believe it. they hadn't.
heard that there were Indians In the
neighborhood.'