The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-13
A Story Of Murder by Cheyenne
Indians and Retributive
Vengeance.
Fully One Hundred and Fifty Red.
ekins Fell by the Rifle and Knife
Of the Destroyer.
Woman nor Child Escaped the Fury Of the
Missourian-His End not
Known.

packed his family and a few household
goods into covered wagon and headed due
west from Omaha to find place to please
him somewhere along the Platte. He had
with him his wife, boy IA years OF age
and girl of 10. and a boy of II whom he
had picked up and adopted. saunderson
was native Missourian, and his starting
off alone proved him to be man of nerve.
He was over SIX feet tall, long limbed, and
about 40 years old, says the New York Sun.
At the date named one passed into the
Indian country very quickly from any point
on the upper Missouri. The lone emigrant
family kept going and going, avoiding the
Indians by some strange luck, and finally
brought up on the Loup Fork of the Platte
river, near the center Of the
then territory of Nebraska. What fol-
lowed was told to me by Saunderson.
The family were living in wagon placed
near . small clump of trees. while hut
was being built for q permanent residence.
One night the horses broke away and in
the morning Saunderson started out to re-
cover them. They led him chase of nine
or ten miles, and, owing to his losing his
way, it was mid-afternoon before he re-
We u IL
Indians had attacked the camp, and every
member of the family had been killed and
scalped. The buzzards were gathering
when he arrived. The wagon and all ita
contents had been burned, but q lot of
powder, lead and caps had been removed
from the wagon to the grove, and this pack
age had been overlooked by the redskins.
rifle and shotgun had been left with the
wagon, and Saunderson made out that four
Indians had been killed or badly wounded
before they got to close quarters. When
he had buried the bodies he took a solemn
oath to devote the rest of his life to re-
venge, and how that oath was kept is q
familiar history to many Indian fighters
and scouts. .1t,ts f-
Luckily for Saunderson, he was soon
Joined by strong party of hunters, who
were bound for the Laramie mountains,
and he was with them for three weeks be:
fore reaching Fort Laramie. They gave
could, and when he had traded about his
armament consisted of heavy rifle, two
Colts revolvers and hunting knife. ]
was then attached to the fort es 4 scout,
and when found that no argument could
move him from his purpose, gave him all
skin, helped him to mould 500 bullets, fur
nished him with reliable compass, and
rode with him for two days to the south
into the Cheyenne country. This tribe had
done him no wrong, but it was hostile, and
one Indian was the same as another to him.
I found the man moody and uncommuni-
cative, but I knew the torture he was
suffering and could excuse his demeanor
1t was three months before he returned to
the fort, and he then had the scalps OF
twenty-one Indians to prove that he had
not been wasting time. He was in more
cheerful mood now, and I managed tc
secure the particulars of some of his -ad-
ventures. .s
Soon after left him he discovered the
trail of village on the move. This he fol-
lowed until he found the Indians on a
creek in long and narrow valley. He hid
his horse and spare baggage away in a cave
and prowled about in search of prey. The
herd of ponies was pastured above the vii
lage, and the white mans first victim was
an old man who was acting as one of the
herders. He was digging root with stick
when Saunderson crept up to him and hit
him such blow with a club that he fell
down dead. He carried the body half a
dark ravine, but not until after he had Sc
cured the scalp luck. He then made half
circuit to the other end of the valley.
where he found boy herder about 16 years
old lying at full length on the grass asleep.
This tribe of Indians had no more fear of
an elephant. Only the warriors had ever
seen one, unless it was some poor prisoner
brought in to be tortured. Saunderson
crawled upon the sleepinp::sentinel and killed
him with stone, and his body was carried
to the same ravine.
The two Indians were killed before noon.
The ponies fed to the south, and it was not
until they were long way up the valley
that any one in camp took the alarm. Then
four or five squaws and boys started out to
turn the herd back, and Saunderson fol-
lowed them, having the cover of the thick
cts along the foothills. The Indians scat
tered considerably in surrounding the herd,
which was now full of frolic, and as the
white man pressed forward through dense
thicket, across which wild game had made
beaten path, he suddenly came face to
face with squaw. On the impulse of the
moment, and scarce realizing what he did,
he struck her with his fist. The blow prob
ably broke her jaw, as she did not cry out.
She was knocked down, but she scrambled
up and made determined attack on her
foe. She had no weapons of any sort, but
she seized Saunderson and downed him and
got such grip on his throat that he had to
exert all his strength to break it, He flung
her OH, and in turn got the same grin. Int
she bit and clawed him in a ferocioua man
ner. and when he had choked the life out of
her she still had her fingers in his hair.
This body went to keep company with the
others, and then Saunderson withdrew to a
safer position. The mysterious disappear
ance of three people from the village kicked
up great excitement before evening, but
although hundred Indians scattered about
to search for them they found no clue to the
myaterv NaYk dav SaundarSon sacut al Tho