Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-02
The Only Survivor of Kansas
Indian Massacre.
TEE MAN WITH FOURTEEN LIVES
The Bill for His Relief Often In
troduced in Congress.
A REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE

Plumb told about the man who is to be ben
Gifted IL the bill becomes law: He intro
duced bills of the same character in the FIJI
tieth and earlier Congresses, but they failed
OF signature Of the President. The bill, in
troduced by Senator Vest, is for a pension
to Robert MCGEE who was scalped by the
Indians while i'll the employ of the govern
ment. The story told the writer by
Senator Plumb shortly before his death
Is interesting and pathetic. In 1864 a
slender stripping of lad, fifteen years of
age. came wandering into Leavenworth
Kan, seeking employment. His parents
had died en- route to the plains of Kansas
and he was thrown on his own resources
The times were troublous ones.
Companies We're being mustered for from
tier service against the Indians, and Rob-
ert MCGEE volunteered and went with the
others to Fort Leavenworth to be mus
tered in, but was rejected because of his
youth and diminutive stature.
The base OF supplies for frontier posts
was then at Leavenworth, and the govern
ment was at that time loading a wagon
train for Fort Union, New Mexico, and the
contractor, H. c. Barrett, found difficulty
In securing teamsters. Among others, Rob-
ert McGee was engaged as he supposed,
as teamster for a government train.
This wagon train was finally equipped
and left Fort Leavenworth July l. 1864
with an escort of government troops. The
wagon train was just eighteen days out
on the Santa Fe trail, and had traYersed
only little more than 800 miles OF the
LOO There had been insignificant Skin
mishes with rowing bands of Indians but
nothing to cause alarm. and the vicinity of
Fort Larned was deemed sufficient protec-
ton from serious danger. The day had
been hot and the mules and men were
nfn1n nly g.
of July IS a halt was called, and the train
went into camp. The escorting troops
stacked arms about half a mile distant
from the wagon train and In full view of
1t. The outfit should have been on the
lookout for surprises. and probably would
have been but for the silly tradition that
Indians never attack in the full light of
day; SO the teamsters and outriders pre-
pared TO take their ease.
The Brules and Blackfoot Sioux were at
that time raiding Kansas, and ruin lay in
their wake. The Brules We're under the
command of Chief Little Turtle At 4
O'Clock Of the afternoon of July Is, 1864
$50 Brule Sioux, under Little Turtle, with
wild whoops, swooped down from the hills
upon the wagon train, and of all the small
army of men in its employ Robert MCGEE
alone came out alive to tell the story. All
the others were shot dead as they lay or
sat about the mess and were given no
time to defend themselves. The mules
went to swell the herds of the yelling
demons, the wagon covers Were torn in
shreds, the -four emptied from the sacks
upon the open plain and the wagons were
destroyed
Prey of the Chief.
Robert MCGEE was attacked by Little
Turtle himself and knocked to the ground
by one blow of his tomahawk. AS he lay
there, partially stunned and bleeding, Lit
tie Turtle fired two poisoned arrows
~, 10,
ground. Then in a transport of fiendish-
ness he took Roberts own pistol and shot
him, the bullet lodging in the backbone
Not quite satisfied that he had done a
good job, he stopped and running a knife
around his head, lifted sXty-four square
irches of scalp, trimming it off just back
of the ears Thinking him dead by this
time. Little Turtle abandoned him, but
others of the band in passing cut him
with their knives and poked holes in him
with their long lances. The others in the
train were killed outright and most horri-
bly, nlutilated.
After the Indians had done all the DEVIL
try they could. they rode whooping away.
and the troops, who from their vantage
ground had witnessed tie whole business,
came up to investigate and ascertain
whether the Sioux had been properly met
or not by the Inflated men of the wagon
train. In relating the story, Senator
Plumb said he was not sure, but he
thought that the officer in command of
the troops was court-martialed and dis
missed in disgrace from the service, and
that he never gave any satisfactory eX-
PLANTATION why he failed to come to the
rescue of the poor teamSterS. The only
party they took in the fracas was to bury
tie dead. When they undertook to nut
MCGEE under ground they found q lively
corpse despite the fact that he was scalp
ed and had fourteen distinct wounds any
one OF which would have terminated the
life of the average man, and besides tina:
he had four minor wounds.
Returned to Life.
After burying the teamsters the soldiers
FASTENED TO Fort Larned, thirty miles dis
tant where young Mcgee was put under
the care of the pest surgeon. 1t was three
months before he was able to be moved.
He had during that time fair command of
his mental faculties and was able to tell
all the incidents of the attack. Barrett,
the contractor, who had remained in
Leavenworth, Immediately on hearing Of
the disaster that had befallen his train put
in a claim for big damages from the gov
eminent, and was awarded q sum that
made him independent, but he utterly re-
fused to do anything for the boy who was
the sole survivor CT the massacre
Recognized by the Administration,
McGees claims were laid before :he
President, and in October of 1854 Mr.
Lincoln sent MIN q letter ana pass by
special envoy, telling him to come to
Washington as soon as he was able to
travel, and he would see that his wrongs
were righted. Gen. Curtis who was then
in command, saw him soon after he was
Ecalped and gave him a standing order on
the government for rations and clothing
and DR.. Clark, a surgeon at Fort Larned
recommended in his official report of the
case that the Brule Sioux be assessed
$4,000 for the benefit Of the maltreated
lad.
When MCGEE recovered sufficiently to
move about, his mind, which had been re-
markedly clear up to that time, began to
cloud, and he became possessed OF a desire
to hunt Sioux to the death. In one Of his
fret Zied spells the pass and letter of Presi-
dent Lincoln. and the order given him by
General Curtis, were stolen from him, and
neither the President nor the army took any
further notice Of him.
An Indian Slayer.
For a dozen years after receiving his in
juries MCGEE was wanderer. He sought
the companionship OF various tribes of In
dams. learning many languages and dia-
1ects. friendly to all except the Brule Sioux,
of whom Little Turtle was still chief. These
Brules he hunted mercilessly, and when one
day 1t was found that Little Turtle was
wiped OUT it was said that the biggest
notch on McGee's gun barrel marked the
full measure of his revenge. A long mark
far the chief and nine shorter ones for the