Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-07-27

route, and their bodies, with only
shroud of snow, were left where they
fell to feed the hungry wolves. Final
ly, the bands, under White Wing and
Little Bear, arrived on the Verdigris
river and established their camp on
the spot where the town of Neodesha
now stands. Indeed, "Neodesha" is an
Usage word and means meeting of
the waters" The loyalty of White
Wing and Little Bear had been accom-
plished 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, it
Is not difficult to understand that the
Osages were vindictive to an extraor-
dinary extent toward confederates, and
lost no opportunity to wreak barbar-
GUS 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
SlhlSSdTlto dlu uOlu Illo lhtlldlo VI
Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico
loyal to the north.
Some time in 1862 party of confed-
crate officers, none of whom held less
rank than that of lieutenant, were
commissioned by the confederate gov
ernment to proceed west through Kan
sas 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 overland. A part of these Of
ficers were also commissioned to organ
ize and enroll the southern sympa-
thizers among the whites in Colorado
and New Mexico. and, if possible,
march out few regiments to the seat
of war
This party of confederate officers at
tempted to pass through the Usage res
ervation along the Verdigris river, but
were met near the mouth of Drum
creek by small band of the Indians,
who demanded their surrender. In
stead of surrendering the confederates
opened fire, and killed two of the
Usages and put the remainder to fight.
Fitting along just out of rifle shot,
the Indians gradually lured their vic
Tins into the main camp of White
Wing and Little Bear, where they
were surrounded by an overwhelming
force and put to death with all the
atrocious cruelties the infuriated tribe
could conjure. Not man escaped. So
complete was the ambush that not an
In -. -.
Such as were not killed outright We're
put to torture after the custom of the
tribe, and after death the bodies were
mutilated beyond recognition.
At that time the government was
maintaining a military post at Hum
boldt, and when the news of the mas
sacre came an officer, with de-
tachment of troops, was sent out to in
vestigate the affray. The officer in
command of that detachment was
Lieut.. w. A. Johnson, now presiding
judge of the appellate court for the
southern department of Kansas.
When Lieut. Johnson arrived on the
scene shocking sight met his vision
The dead copfederates had all been be
headed and their heads were piled ur
in an indiscriminate mass, so that il
was impossible to discover to which
body head belonged. The bodies
were buried side by side by the troops
THE papers found on them clearly ez
planned their mission in the west, ant
1t is probable that the bloody work o.
the Osages on that day prevented ,
serious uprising in the western terri
tories, which might have cost rivers o
blood to subdue.
The Kansas histories contain nothing
of this massacre. Its details can onl,
be gathered from the lips of mel
whose memories have become dimme,
by the lapse of time. 1t is now i'm