The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-06
AN INDIAN SCOUT.
s. E. Yoeman Participated in Early
State Troubles.

s z. Yoeman, who is now on trial
for his life in the Shawnee county dis
trict court for the shooting of David
7. jackson last summer. is one of the
survivors of the Battle of the Blue, and
fought only a short distance from
where the Topeka company was en-
gagged in that fight which is famous in
the annals of Kansas.
Mr. Yoeman was a scout at the time
"A short time afterwards he was cap
tured, with two other scouts, by some
of Prices raiders. The other scouts
were killed and YOeman would doubt
less have suffered the same fate had
not he given his captOrs the slip
The night he was captured was in
tensely dark After his companions had
been killed he was placed on horse
and the troopers started back to camp
with him Those in front led his horse,
while one of the troopers rode by his
side, but 1t was so dark that at times
it was impossible to see three feet
away. During one of these dark per
iOds Mr.. Yoeman slipped silently from
his horse on the opposite side from the
trooper and sank down by the roadside
The troopers went two or three hun
dred yards before they discovered that
he was gone and by that time he had
got some distance away from the road
Part of the troopers returned and
searched for him and several times
came within a short distance from
where he was concealed, but they at
length gave up the hunt and YOeman
got back to the Union lines.
When the Santa Fe first began to
push out into the great southwest from
I1mp0ria Mr.. YOeman was one of the
scouts who assisted the surveying par
ties. In those days he was well known
as a plainsman and an Indian fighter.
1t was the original intention to run
the railroad across the Arkansas river
below Hutchinson to save following
the river around north by Great Bend.
YOemau was the scout who conducted
one of the surveying parties through
this territory He warned the survey
ors that the country was filled with
hostile Indians, but this made no diff
ference. One day the chief surveyor
and Yoeman went forward on tour
of inspection. They aScended an emf
nence a mile or two from their camp
and saw some distance away what the
surveyor pronounced to be buffalOes,
but what YOeman said were Indians In
camp, and hostile ones at that
The surveyor said he proposed to find
out for certain, and going back to the
camp he called for some one to vOlun-
teer to so and see. YOeman said he
would go as far as any man and at
length another member of the party
agreed to accompany him if given the
chief surveyors swift horse. When the
two got close enough to see for sure
that the objects We're really Indians.
the other man turned back but YOeman
announced his determination to go
ahead and parley with the Indians.
When they saw him coming the In
dams began to vanish, and when he
was short distance from their camp a
party of them. mounted, rushed sud
denly out a ravine and began circIng
around him Some of them as they
rushed by would craze him with their
spears While others would rush at him
with their revOlvers IeveIed but would
shoot into the air just as they came
close to him.
This sort of thing was sport for the
Indians but not for the white man.
Noeman at length saw an Indian whom
ne knew and succeeded in making him
listen to what he had to say. He told
them that there was a troop of United
States cavalry with the surveyors four
miles away, and that if they killed him
the cavalry would wipe the band out Of
existence This had a quieting effect
on the savages and he at length got an
audience with their chief. inviting him
TO their camp. The chief came, a few
presents were given him, and the sur
veyOrs were allowed to go on their way
in peace.