Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-21
4 MOUND OF ROCKS.
II MARKS THE LAST RESTING PLACE
OF A SQUAD OF cAvAIRYMEN.

OF A SQUAD OF cAvAlRYMEN.
Fatal Inprudsnee a . Young Army on
osr Insxpsris.ced In I,diaa Fighting.
a Search For Missing Cow Csss The
Lives - Ihirfy-one Soldiers.
"There il . pile of rocks probably 80
feet in length about nine miles from
Fort Laramie, in Wyoming, which
marks the last resting place of detach-
ment Of cavalry" said q retired army
officer the other day. "In passing it
many times I have always experienced
peculiar sensation. for the poor fellows
who lie buried there came to their death
through the overzealous ideas of a
young West Point officer, inexperienced
in Indian fighting. You know it was
only the other day that a young officer
in western Colorado came in conflict
with some game wardens while engaged
in running the Uintah Utes back to their
reservation in Utah. Caution comes
with age as much in the army as in civil
life.
''It was in 1853 that old Fort Lara
mie held a garrison of two companies
entirely too small for the most in those
lively days, when the Cheyennes and
Arapahoes, Sioux and Pawnees were
rowing around the country at war among
themselves and occasionally pitching
into the whites who were crossing the
plains. 1t was the year when Brigham
Young with his band Of Mormons was
travelling out to Salt Lake from Nauyoo,
Ills. They camped one night about nine
miles from Fort Laramie, near where a
band of Indians had established their
village during the hunting season. The
next day they marched into the fort and
reported that the Indians had killed one
of their cows. The commandment ut the
post promptly sent a young lieutenant
out for an inspection, giving him 80
cavalrymen.
ut was the lieutenant g first commits
sion for active duty, and he felt the
great importance of the mission. He de.
termined to discover who killed that
COW or perish in the attempt. Entering
the Indian village, he rode at the head
of his detachment up to the chiefs tepee
and began his investigation. Turkey
Feather, the chief, declared that no COW
had been killed. The lieutenant insisted
that the Mormons were one COW short
and demanded that the guilty Indian be
brought out. Several subchiefs were
called up, and they likewise disclaimed
any knowledge Of the COW.
"The young lieutenant insisted upon
having scapegoat delivered over to
him, and pulling out his watch he dra-
matically announced to Turkey Feather
that he would give him just five min
utes in which to deliver up the guilty
Indian, at the expiration of which time
he would fire upon the village. This
made Turkey Feather indignant, and he
retired to his tent in disgust. Without
thinking of the consequences the young
lieutenant, having given his word, felt
himself bound to carry it ont, and ac-
cordingly when the five minutes were
up he gave the order to fire. The In
dians greatly outnumbered the little de-
tachment, and in their anger it was the
work of a few minutes to lay low every
man in that small band, including the
young lieutenant.
During the night succeeding this
massacre one surviving wounded soldier
picked himself up and managed to make
his way to the camp, nine miles dis
tant, where the story was told. The
commandant at the post at first was in
clined to flee from the country with his
limited force, believing that the Indians
would surround the garrison in the
morning to obtain revenge. While the
commandment was planning a way Of es-
cape an Irish private named McGrath
approached the captain and roundly
swore that he had never run from an
Indian in his life, and he did not pro-
pose to do it at this time. His display
of grit had such an effect ON the captain
that he decided to stay and give the In
dams warm reception should they ap-
proach the post. The entire garrison
went on picket duty that night, the
women taking arms also and going out
to the picket line. About noon the next
day, the Indians not appearing, the cap
tain sent a trooper toward the scene of
the massacre to learn what the Indians
were doing. The trooper cautiously
made his way to the scene. only to dis
cover that the Indians, frightened at
what they had done, had packed up and
disappeared over the plains The vic
Tins of this unfortunate massacre were
buried where they fell, and that mound
Of rocks, visible to this day. was erected
over their common grave. denver