The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-10
DETAILS OF THE AWFUL DEED
FENCE RAILS AND DRY WOOD PILED
ABOUT THE RED MEMS FEET,
The Match Applied and the Alleged
Murderers Slowly Cremated-Up-
rising of Indians Probable.

]
beings the frames of Markus McGeisey and
| Palmer Simpson, the two Seminole Indians
| who a few days ago murdered Mrs. James
| simmons, are still declining in chains
against the blackened trunk of an oak tree
| in the Seminole nation, where on Friday
night they met their death in the most aw-
| full manner conceivable at the hands OF an
| Oklahoma mob. The hesh is burned from
| the bones and lies in greasy and ill-smell-
| ing particles in the ashes on the ground
The fingers and hands are burned from the
frames, and the CHASTITY skeletons, bereft
Of feet and ankles, stand on blackened
bones in the ashes on the ground Every
vestige of hair and flesh are burned from
! the heads, and the clinched teeth of the
dead men show the great determination to
endure their awful punishment in silence
with which the red men died. The scene is
a fascinating one for the curious and has
been visited by many people since yesterday
morning
Additional details of the horrible work OF
| the mob near Maud Postoffce in the Sem
mole nation last Friday night were received
here to-day. According to this information.
| the mob's work is not yet finished. and will
| only be completed when four more Indians
| have been dealt with in the same manner
| as McGeisey and Simpson. The citizens
| posse was securing the country for the four
men when the messenger left Maud. and it
| is probable that some of the quartet have
| by this time paid the penalty decreed by
| the maddened populace.
The crime which led to the burning of the
| two men was committed on last Thursday.
| Markus McGeisey was the owner of some,
| property On his land lived a white family
named Simmons. During the absence of the
husband on Thursday McGeisey went to the
| simmons cabin and asked for a drink of
water Mrs. Simmons was at home with
her four small children. The Indian was
| given the water and he then asked for
saddle. On being refused the saddle, Nc
| Ceisey grabbed the woman, who had her
baby in her arms, and dragged her out OF
| the house. When she attempted to run
away the Indian seized a Winchester and
dealt her blow on the head, crushing her
skull. The woman died instantly. The
murdered woman's husband did not return
| home Thursday evening and the children
were unable to remove the body into the
| house from where it had fallen in the yard.
| The little ones stood up and watched their
| mothers corpse until the bitter cold COM
PEELED them to relax their vigil and seek
! shelter from the weather in the cabin. Dur
ing the night the body was almost devoured
by hogs.
| The news of the murder spread rapidly
| Friday morning, ana the whole populace
| for twenty miles around was aroused. About
| twenty Indians were arrested. The Oldest
| child told the crowd that McGeisey was the
! guilty man, and a posse of twenty deter
mined men went to arrest him. Simpson
| was at McGeisey's home when the posse
arrived, and both were taken into custody
| 49,
strung up by the neck. On being let down
and given an opportunity to talk both con-
fessed to the crime, and named four others
| who they declared were equally guilty. 1t
| developed that the Indians desired to get
| rid of certain white settlers, and that Nc
| Geisey had been hired to do the murder.
| Posses were at once sent in search of the
other four Indians, and it was decided to
have a wholesale lynching as soon as they
/ could be captured. AS night came on, how
| ever, and the other four were not captured,
| the farmers changed their plans and deter
mined to dispose of McGeisey and Simpson
without further delay The feeling against
| them was so bitter that the crowd would
not be satisfied with the ordinary method
| of 1ynching, and it was voted to burn them
at the stake. The victims were accordingly
| chained to a post oak tree. Fence rails and
|
in few minutes the Indians were wrapped
| in roaring flames while the timbers cracked
beneath their feet. Never a word did the
| Indians utter while being roasted alive.
| They apparently saw that they were power
| less to resist and endured their lots like
stoics. The crowd was composed of not
| over thirty men, and the work was done
in a quiet but thoroughly determined man
| ner. Posses continued the search for the
other four Indians. and it is very probable
| that if captured they will be delat with in a.
| like manner. The gentleman bringing this
| information states that there is grave fears
| of an outbreak among the Indians, and that
he believes bloodshed is certain to follow.
SemfnOIes May Go on Warpath.
| MUSKOGEE, /. T., Jan. S.-An alarming
| state of riot prevails in the Seminole nation
| and unless immediate steps are taken by
| the United States authorities a bloody In
| dian uprising may result. This is on account
| of the burning of two Indians by whites
| near Maud. Late tonight Dr. c. p Linn,
| chief physician of the Seminole nation, tel
| egraphed to both Indian Agent Wisdom and
| Marshall Bennett for assistance in quelling
| the state of war that prevails in the nation.
| He confirmed the news of the stake burn
ing and gave the names of the sufferers.
/ Both the Indians came from respectable
| Seminole families and their fearful death
| has aroused their friends and relatives to
frenzy. DR.. Linn had just arrived from the
scene Of the burning and states that both
| bodies were burned and mutilated in hor-
| rible manner and are unrecognizable All
| the authorities here recognize that the sit
uaton is nearer bordering upon dangerous
Indian uprising than any in recent years
| and are taking prompt measures to ouelI IL.
| "DAkOTA SLIM SAVED.