The St. Johns herald., 1890-04-17
Bitter Revenge.

eighty winters, died recently near the ancient town of Santa Fe. New Mexico, says the Denver Rocky Mountain News. The man was Joe Lamon, one of the early pioneers of Colorado, and who enjoyed the distinction of having killed the last Indian in the great Sand creek battle, in Southeastern Colorado, in 1864 when 400 or 800 Arapahoes and Apaches were killed by the Colorado troops. Many old-timers in Colorado will recall LamUn. Just before the war he removed from Illinois and settled down in the Arkansas valley. He had large family, and they took up several claims adjacent to the homestead. In those days but little attention was paid to farming as cattle rais- ing was then very profitable.
 When band of Indians went on the warpath they terrorized the set- tiers along the Platte and Arkansas river for months, and finally in the fall they began their fiendish mas sacre. They would sweep down on the settlements, murder all the in habilants, whose scalps dangled at the belt of some of the red devils when they left the scene of the but chery after burning all their houses and barns. The horrible depreda- tions were continued for months and hundreds of whites were cruel ly murdered. The savages man. aged to outwit the troops all through the year, and as winter approached they became suddenly peaceable and started for Fort Lyons, intend ing to go into winter quarters near tha place. Their profiers for peace were made for no other purpose than to secure blankets and provis- ions from the fort. Before they reached their destination, Colonel Chivington, who was in command of the Colorado troops, learned of the whereabouts of the blood-thirs- ty band. In twelve hours the First snd Second regiments were in the saddle and several hundred men under brave leader, all armed to the teeth, were soon on their way to the Arkansas valley to avenge the wholesale slaughter of the whites. Chivington knew every foot of the country where the dep relations had been committed and knew the course the Indians would follow on their march. In order to intercept them he took the troops across the divide and headed right for that section of the country in which the town of Chivington is now located. The troops marched day and night, the settlers along the trail furnishing them with fresh horses and provisions.
 The willy redskins had learned by some means that they were being pursued, and kept scouts in the rear on the trail in order to warn them of the approach of the soldiers, hoping to reach Fort Lyons before being overtaken, and once there they would make treaty of peace. For once the red butchers were caught in their own trap. Colonel Chivington made no attempt to fol- low the trail of the Indians, but cut directly across the valley, and consequently while the scouts were keeping a sharp lookout, the troops swept down to Sand creek, where the Indians were camping.
 The Indians were discovered just after night fall on a clear winter evening, and preparations were at once made for the battle. The h. dians went through their usual war dance, as they had murdered two families just few days before, and the fresh scalps of their victims hung before the tepee of one of the chiefs. The wretches little dream