Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-10-09
DEApMAN,s HOME.
The Deadly Work Done by a Savage
Band.

Band.
We arrived at the crossing of the Niobra-
IA river at 8 O'Clock in the afternoon, and
were then so far behind the Indian band we
were pursuing that it was determined to
give up the chase and wait there for Cap
tain Frayne's detachment to come in from
the west. We were making camp when a
dog came out of thicket on our right and
began bowling. Everybody saw at a glance
that it was settlers dog, and everybody
realized in an instant what his actions sig
nified. Every man of the 200 stood looking
at the animal, when he ceased bowling and
came forward. He was a gaunt, fierce look
ing beast, and many of the men held their
carbines ready to shoot as he came trotting
up and halted at the feet of the major Aft
er a long look into the officers face the dog
threw up his head and howled again-a
long drawn, quavering howl which sent a
chill over every man, and even made the
horses look up from their feed.
Captain, detail a sergeant and five men
to follow the dog said the major as he
turned to the commander of + troop. II
think there's pioneers cabin on the far
side of the thicket. If nothing is to be
found within half a mile, let man return
and report, and I will send out larger
force"
ed bowling and exhibited signs that he I'M
derstood. As we mounted he trotted away
at the head of the detail and led us straight
for the thicket. 1t proved to be fringe or
curtain hiding a lovely little valley, and as
soon as We passed through it we saw the
cabin of a pioneer half a mile away. We
wheeled into line, opened out in skirmish-
ing order and approached the cabin at a
walk. When half the distance had been
passed, we saw wolf sneak out from the
cover of the cabin and run for the brush
covered hillside. y moment later two great
vultures which were perched on the roof
and perhaps asleep took wing and flew
heavily away.
There are dead men in there!' whispered
the sergeant as we came to a halt. See
there! 1t was an Indian attack, and they
tried to burn the people out. Look at the
bullet holes. See that trickle of blood I'M
der the door,
The dog advanced to the door, snuffed at
the blood and then threw up his head and
howled dismally.
we must use this log to break the door
in, continued the sergeant. The Indians
brought il here, but the fire was too hot.
See where the wolves have licked the blood
off the grass. There has been a terrible
fight here. Now, then, altogether and
heave, That's Northumberland the
door gives way
We dropped the log and retreated a step
or two, while the excited dog sprang into
the cabin and whined and barked and final
" gave utterance to howl so full of
lamentation that some of the men closed
their ears to the sound. Every man was
palefaced and trembling. The sergeant
should be the first to look in, but he hest
tated, and it was only after II great effort
that he pulled himself together and ad-
vanced. On the rough floor, as if they had
crawled together to die, were four men, u
woman and two children, the latter about
: and years old respectively. TWAS a log
cabin, with boards instead of sash and
glass at the windows. and there were hun
dreds of crevices between the logs through
which a bullet might find its way. How
long the fight had lasted we could not de-
termine, but all there had been dead for "a
hours at least.
You can see how it was" said the ser
geant after sending off man to the com
mand. Three of these men came down
the trail ahead of the Indians, fleeing for
their lives and warning other settlers.
When they turned in here, the red devils
We're close after them, and the only thing
to do was to fight Look at the bullet
nOleS. zee now many WOUNDS e3Cn one
has, The Indians fired from every direc-
ton, even down through the roof. 1t must
have been an all day fight, and the last
man or two was able to handle a gun when
the Indians got the alarm and left. There
was the husband and father. In his dying
hour he lay down his rife and crept over
to his dead wife and children and flung his
arms over them. What that on the floor"
We removed the boards from the two
windows to let in more light, and on the
white surface of Il split log used a floor
board we found a scrawl traced i'll blood.
There lay the splinter which had been used
as a pen, and within six inches of it were
the fingers of a dead man. In the semi
darkness of day or the gloom of night his
rude pen had painfully and roughly written
in his own blood the words:
'Over 200 Injuns. All wiped out but me,
| and I'm hard hit. Send word to-
That was all. The splinter fell from his
| fingers, and he sank down and died We
gave them burial in the grassy valley and
burned the cabin, and as we broke camp the
| dog went with us, fierce, wild eyed and wolf
| ish, but knowing that he was among
| friends. NJ QUAD.