Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-06-25
10. e sIosx I


g d. 5s3.s
B There IS assptott ia Kansas which
I. contains all TINT us ortal Sc 50 81.
Confed erate officers. THOR death
was tragic in the extreme, accompa.
MED as Il was BY all tho horrors aid
barbarities Of Indian warfare. =5. n. !.
Early il the conflict between the
north and south Confederates were
dominant in the Indian Territory
and we'll nigh succeeded in suppress.
il. ing every spark of loyalty among
the Indians there and in, Kansas
along the southern border. Several
bands of the Usage tribe, however,
remained loyal. They wero hunted
out by the rangers from Texas and
the guerrillas from Arkansas and
finally sought refuge within Union
territory. On the marcel: to tho north
many Of them travelled on foot dis
tance of 300 miles. A great number
froze to death on the route, and their
!: bodies, with only a shroud of snow.
were left where they fell to feed the
hungry wolves.
Finally the bands, under White
Wing and Little. Bear, arrived on the
Yerdigris river and established their
camp on the spot where the town of
Neodesha now stands. Indeed "Neo-
desha" is an Usage word and means
meeting of the waters The 10y
atty of White Wing and Little Bear
had been accomplished largely
through the teachings of Father
Shoemaker, the venerable priest in
charge of the Usage mission, who
has long since been gathered to his
fathers. Driven into the Union by
the persecution of the southerners,
1t is not difficult to understand that
the Osages were vindictive to an ex-
traordinary extent toward Confetler-
ates and lost no opportunity to
wreak barbarous vengeance.
The Confederates constantly had
emissaries out among the western
tribes seeking to lead them into re.
volt against the Federal government.
The Osages assumed it as their part
of the great conflict to intercept
these emissaries and hold the In
dams of Kansas, Colorado and New
Mexico loyal to the north.
Some time in 1862 a party of Con-
federate officers, none of whom held
less rank than that of lieutenant,
were commissioned by tho Confeder-
ate government to proceed west
through Kansas to New Mexico and
organize the wild plains Indians into
marauding parties, whose business
it should be to intercept government
trains and harass the movement of
Federal troops from the west over
land. A part of these officers were
also commissioned to organize and
enroll the southern sympathizers
among the whites in Colorado and
Now Mexico and if possible march
out few regiments to the seat of
war.
This party of Confederate officers
attempted to pass through the Usage
reservation along the Verdigris riv-
or, but were met near the mouth of
Drum creek by small band of the
Indians, who demanded their sur
render. Instead of surrendering the
Confederates opened fire and killed
two of the Osages and put the re-
mainder to fight. Fitting along
Just out of rife shot, the Indians
gradually lured their victims into
the main camp of White Wing and
Little Bear, where they were sur
rounded by an overwhelming force
and put to death with all the afro
oious cruelties the Infatuated tribe
could conjure. Not man escaped.
So complete was the ambush that
not an Indian was killed in the en-
counter. Such as were not killed
outright were put to torture after
the custom of the tribe, and after
death the bodies were mutilated be-
yond recognition.
At that time the government was
maintaining a military post at Hum
boldt, and when the news of the
massacre came an officer with de-
tachment of troops was sent out to
investigate the ARRAY. The officer
in command of that detachment was
Lieutenant w. A. Johnson, now
presiding judge of the appellate
court for the southern department of
Kansas.
When Lieutenant johnson arrived
ON the scene, shocking sight met
his vision. The dead Confederates
had all been beheaded and their
heads were piled up in an indiscrim~
mate mass, 50 that it was impossi-
bic to discover to which body head
belonged. The bodies we're buried
side by side by the troops. The pa
pers found on them clearly explained
their mission in the west, and it is
mobable that the bloody work of the
Osages on that day prevented Sc
rious uprising in the western terri
tories, which might have cost rivers
of blood to subdue.
The Kansas histories contain moth,
ing of this massacre. Its details Can
only be gathered from the lips OF
men whose memories have become