Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-07-20
HARVEY & SON.


and eat scanty meal of wild meat
or anything they CHANGED to find on
their march. After nine days hard
ride they met band of Lipan In
dams who told them they knew
where the Ncxicans were campcd.
They were camped on the muddy
waters lnow the Brazos river. The
I.ipans guided them to the camp of
the Ncxicans. Ii was three months
before the last of the greasers was
burned at the stake. The Osagcs
gave their friends, the I.ipans, all OF
the ponies and other property found
with the Nexicans and returned to
their village to mourn the loss Of
their people. This is the story told
Ivy the Indians and from recent dis
covcrics il sounds like true tale.
The lands where part of this hap
pencd and where these mines are
located now belongs to the Peoria
tribe of Indians. They purchased
the lands from the Quapaw tribe of
Indians by treaty in 1867 and located
on them at once.
Near these old mines are cave
and spring, known to many az
Cave Spring. In 1871 a party OF
young men of the Peoria tribe at
tempted to explore this cave. but
after travelling some distance their
lights gave out and by means of "a
string they took a back track, and
no one else ever attempted to pry
into the mysteries of the cave until
the 4th of July, this year, when n
party of young people were picnic
ing at the spring. One of the young
men made n wager that he could go
farther into the cave than any other
man in the crowd. The wager was
put up and he started. In about
two hours he came out as pale az
death and could not tell what he
had seen. All he could say was:
Boys! Awful things in that hole!
| can't tell what did see. but I'll
lead crowd and we will know ALL"
The crowd was made up and the fol-
lowing named gentlemen composed
it: Sam Peery, Tom Pcckham, DIR.
J. S. Linley, Jim McGannon, Ben
Mudeatcr, John S. Cheyne, Jas. h.
Moore, ]. T.. NcNaughton, ID. l..
Peery, Frank Beaver and James l..
Palmer. The members of the party
were duly sworn in by John S.
Cheyne, notary public. and it was an
awful oath he administered to this
small. but brave and daring band of
mystic hunters. La Fitte used this
same oath for his band of pirates
when his ship plowed the waters of
the briny Gulf of Mexico.
On the sth of July at 1890 o'clock
by the watch this band entered the
cHve and were lost TO the world for
the time being.
This is the story as told by the
party when they returned after be-
ing in the cave 40 hours and Is min
utes:
When we first entered the mouth
of the cave the wind was cold and
we were compelled 10 draw on our
overcoats and gloves. We soon
came TO small passage where the
large men were pulled through by
the smaller ones. After passing
through this small space we came
to a room about 10 steps wide by 40
long. This was rather rough,
ragged affair. We then came to n
passage about ten feet wide and
after travelling about 600 yards this
opened out TO about 80 feet wide and
made a turn to the northeast. All
at once we stepped onto n smooth,
level floor and although il was rock
ii was as slick as glass. The beau
ties of this room can only be appre-
ciated when seen. The Mammoth
Cave of Kentucky and the Luray
caverns of Oergnid sank into insig-
nificance when this room was be.
held by these men, its first visitors
that the world today knows any
thing about. The man who wrote
the Arabian Knights alone could
tell it's beauty, grandeur and mag
nificence. The lights in the hands
of the men reflected back their light
and all but died out for shame at
their own dullness. To the right, to
the left, overhead or under foot-it
was everywhere. The walls looked
as If they were ON fire with waver-
ing, dazzling, glittering blaze; over
head, onyx, onychite and crystalized
quartz in more colors than the bow