Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-05-07

&ss pleasant hom e 8
surrounded by fruit and shade Trees
the spires of magnificent churches, lm-
posing brick and stone business builo-
ings and commodious school houses, 1t
is hard to realize that only few short
years ago possibly the very ground on
which one walks was drenched with
the blood ot brave men, the forerun-
ners of the enlightened civilization of
the present.
The death of Isaac V. Cowan, at his
home in Neosho county On April Goth.
recalls one of the most terrible Indian
massacres of the west in early Times.
1t was in 1864, and Mr.. Cowan was
working with a government frelghtlng
crew. This crew started on trip from
Fort LeaveDworth, over the old Santa
Fe trail, for New Mexico, but never
reached its destination. Cowan was
one of four or five men who escaped
the tomahawk CT the red men. The
story ofrsae massacre, which was writ
ten up by one OF the survivors and
published in the st. Louis Republic, is
as follows:
The train consisted of 80 freight
wagons and 35 men. Elmore Crow,
lean, wiry old spec ulator, native of
Illinois. was proprietor Or contractor;
James Riggs was wagonmaster or cap
tain, aud John Hyle, a man who had
seen lots of service on the frontier, wa S
assistant wagonmaster. The rekt of
ths party was made up Of teamsters
employed by Grow. The train was en-
gagged in hauling Government stores
from Fort Leavenworth, Kas., to Fort
Union, n. NJ, distance of 900 miles,
and half the distance had been accom-
plished.
Not far from the present site OF
Great Bend, On the north side of the
river and near the mouth of a stream
known as Walnut creek, was military
outpost, Fort Zarah. 1t was 35 miles
from Fort Larned, and was in reality
only stage station garrisoned by
about 40 soldiers. A thick clump OF
walnut trees grew at the mouth of the
creek from which its name was
derived. Scattering plum bushes and
grapevines skirted its banks on either
side.
About half past eight o'clock on this
eventful morning, when the advance Of
the long train came in sight Of Fort
Zarah. one of the teamsters detected a
body of Indians emerging from a
thicket of plum bushes about five miles
distant up the creek. The train was
then about two or three miles from
Fort Zarah, which was directly on their
line of travel. The Indians rode il a
gallop across the plains and made fol
the head of the train. They rode in
nubroken order in double file, and
when at distance of mile or SO the
teamsters discovered them TO be Kio-
was and Brule Sioux warriors. about
100 in number dressed out in all the
toggery of the warpath.
Still maintaining the order of their
march in double column, the red war
riors galloped up to the head OF the
train. where a division was made, and
one half of their number rode down
each side of the long line of wagons.
They were all armed, a few of the
leading braves carrying rifles, but the
most of them had singie-barreled,
smoothe-bo guns CT bows and arrows.
and a few carried spears. They per
mitted no sign of hostile intention to
escape them. and as they rode down
the lines at smart gallop they stopped
long enough to shake hands with each
teamster and utter the single word
ssHow2' in their cultural, broken way.
The trainmen, FROM old experienced
Jack Hyle down TO the merest lad, fell
completely into the trap which had
been SO adroitlY laid for them and were
entirely surrounded and hemmed in
before the willy Indians revealed their
treacherous designs. Without FIRE