Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-08-24

| whims and notions, and now and then the
! devil in him would flash out in a way to
| make us keep as far away from him as
| possible. He never mentioned home or
| wife or children as other men did, and
| when he heard them speak of such things
| he would go off by himself and sulk like a
wounded animal. 1 always believed he had
| been married and had a happy home, but
! that he had suffered some great wrong and
| was brooding over it.
The emigrant family consisted OF hus-
band, wife and three small children. The
! horses were jaded and poor, the wife and
! children thoroughly worn out, and the
husband bitterly repented of the enter
! prise. We were in hard luck Mt Robinson's
Bend just then, but we could spare them 9
Big Joe. He had one of his fits on that
day, and When asked to contribute he
cursed the emigrant for a fool and hoped
him all sorts of bad luck. Wife and chill
dren were frightened by his violent speech.
and the husband, though realizing that all
the rest OF us made him welcome, hitched
up his team and drove on within an hour.
An hour before shutdown courier came
into camp from Washoe Flats, to the east,
and reported another raid by the Indians.
They had killed three prospectors out from
Washoe and he himself had barely escaped.
Big Joe heard his statements along with
the rest of us, but we had nothing to say
remember that he sat on "A rock, chin in
his hands and his eyes on the ground, and
when the rest of us went to supper he still
held his place. Twilight was coming down
when he arose and walked to his shanty,
and four or five minutes later he reappeared
with his rifle in hand His face had lost
much of its ugliness by this time, and we
dared to question him.
"Whar am l goin." he echoed as he
looked to see il the rifle was in order. 81 m
goin down the trail to find that family and
bring 'em back here. The fool orter knowed
more than to drive on"
But YOU abused him, Joe"
81 didn't mean it for abuse. Folks hadn't
orter be too mighty sensitive out this way.
You are a nice set of men to let that family
go drivin plump into the arms OF the in
fernal redskins! Why didn't you smooth
it over with the highstrung tenderfoots
Why didn't you insist on his stayings"
We'll go with you, Joe-a dozen OF us. ="
mo, I'll go alone. II driv 'em away
I'll also bring 'em back. II l hurt his
feelins I'll AK his pardon"
The emigrants would be camped at the
spring, three miles away, and they would
fall an easy prey to the Indians il attacked.
We felt that we ought to go along with
Joe, but he insisted on going alone. be-
| neve ne meant 10 DeS pdTUon loI
his rudeness. and our company would have
embarrassed him. The night came on dark
and cloudy, and n matter of precaution
we posted sentinels about the camp. Not
one of us slept till past midnight, waiting
for Joe TO return with the family. 1t was
a plain trail down to the spring, and it
wouldn't take him over three-quarters of
an hour to reach the camp. Allow half an
hour for hitching up and n full hour for
rot rpiDC and they nIlUht have been in
by II. We finally concluded that they had
decided to wait for daylight to return, and
those not detailed for guard duty turned in.
In the gray of morning the camp was
aroused by the report that rifle firing had
been family heard in the direction of the
spring. As soon as it was light enough
to pick our way twenty men started out
We looked for signs of Joe or the wagon
all the way down the trail, but found not h
ing We finally reached the spring to find
our worst fears confirmed The emigrants
horses lay dead on the grass, their threats
cut with Indian knives The wagon had
been fired and was now pretty well burned
up. On the grass near the smoldering camp
fire lay the emigrant, his scalp torn off and
half n dozen arrows bristling in his dead
body. Thirty feet away lay his wife
tomahawked and scalped. Beside her was
the youngest child, its head crushed by a
blow from n war club. All the bodies
were yet warm. To the south, just at the
edge of Jhicket and at the foot of lone
tree, we found Big Joe and she other two
children. When the attack came, or when
he realized that successful resistance could
not be made, the miner had tried to save
the little ones. He had been shot and
scslped; the poor children had been toms-
hawked.
We had gathered about the body of Big
Joe, horror stricken at the swift and
bloody butchery, when he suddenly opened
his eyes and we could see his chest heave.
Water was brought and he drank it, and
as his head was propped up he whispered:
Were they all wiped out7"
Yes, every one but you"
II couldn't git him to go back, he
gasped with painful effort, land $3.50
staid to die with EN-"
More water was offered him, but as 1t
touched his lips he fell back dead.
NJ. QUAD.