Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-05-10
TERRIBLE REVENGE.
Blankets Destroyed
 hf s.aras of Indians.

,,nox-Infected Blankets Destroyeo
 Scores of Indians
 ,,, Ferris, the veteran stage driver,
 in the early fifties drove the stage
 tbe overland route between lnde-
 ,dence. Mo, and Santa Fe, was re-
 :aa some of his interesting experi- ass'a +o a group of friends the other '3 sz svben he told story, the circum- A css of which will be recalled by
 VI of the pioneer citizens of St. 11nnf .;s and the western country.
 I'M <sTba smallpox outbreak among the <s,,,nanche Indians in the year of 1855, sssd he. acaused stir throughout the - ss+ern country. I carried the first
 s s.rs of that devastating plague to the s;da world. I was making one s1 Nj NJ regular trips from Santa Fe to In. 3@nandence. ',' when I stopped at small ssa dino post situated on the Neosho ,;rar There was great excite ..sant among the few white set. f1srs at the post, and when l s<nn hired the cause of the commotion l % told that smallpox had been rag |s,rr for several weeks among the h. .5s ms who thickly populated that sec tnn was taken to the place where {be dead redskins had been buried, there were hundreds of newly 2srmed mounds, each of which repre- S.n ted victim of the scourge.
 x .,smal1-pox had up to that time been }<n unknown disease among these ln- S;ans. and the outbreak was the reSult I5f one of the most terrible schemes of 2avenpe have ever seen recorded. In xbe spring of 1855 two young men of
 sealthy families, whose names have @pw forgotten, went out from St. Eouis to the plains for the purpose of Bending a few months, the object of |{he trip being for the benefit of one of |fbe young mems health. They reached Council Grove safely and decided to re 3aain there short time. They de- '1ided to get taste of the sport of |hnutinQ buffalo, which at that {ime came within twenty or thirty miles of Council Grove i'll large mum. bers. Accordingly they left Council Grove one morning early on two Reeks' hunt. They were mounted on |rood horses, which soon attracted the 6ovetous eyes of struggling bands of In- diaus whom they met. On the third day After the young men left Coneil Grove fhey came upon a large herd of buffalo, and they had an exciting chase. The Invalid young man killed one of the Animals and had dismounted to view his prize when a big, strapping Indian rode out of a clump of cottonwood frees and without warning shot the White man down and then proceeded to take his scalp. The companion of the murdered man witnessed the horrible crime and thinking that similar fate awaited him if he tarried in that section, put spurs to his horse and headed in the direction of Council Grove He was closely pursued by the Indian, who had ex- changed his mount for that of the man he had just killed. After a hard and long ride the white man escaped and reached Council Grove in an exhausted condition. 4 party was at once or ganized to go out and bring i'll the re- mains of the murdered man, and it was led to the spot by the survivor The body was found to be horribly mutt lated, and it had been stripped of every particle of raiment The companion of the murdered man vowed that he would have revenge upon the whole tribe of Indians for the foul deed which one of the members had committed, and he kept his VOW.
 "He returned to St. Louis, and when he arrived in that city he learned that the hospital there contained mum Der of cases of smallpox. He made the acquintance of one of the attendants of the hospital, and induced the latter to sell him a nuMber of blankets which had been used te eever the smallpox patients. He then boxed these blankets up secu.ely and shipped them to Council Grove. hy went ont and personally disssibuted the infected blankets among the Indians gratis, and received much praise from the Indians and people generally for his phi lanthrophy. When the necessary time had elapsed after receivin 2 the blankets there was gen. eral outbreak of smallpox among the Indians. The disease spread rapidly and they died by the score. As soon as an Indian would feel the fever which attends the disease coming on he would make bee line for the Neosho river into which he would plunge. He would die in short time after getting out ot the water
 ''The young man from St. Louis who brought out and distributed the blan kets remained at Council Grove unti he saw the outbreak of smallpox fairly started, and then returned to his home The United States government set or foot an investigation as to the cause o. the outbreak, and it was soon discov cred that iJ was caused from the blan kets which had been brought from St Louis. A large reward was offered fol the arrest of the young man who hac started the terrible epidemic, but Il, left the country as soon as he found that he was wanted, and is said to hay, made his way to Canada. He never re turned to St. Louis, so far as I know. St. Louis Globe Democrat.
 Guarding the Bank.