New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-09
THE GORDON MASSACRE.
A TALE OF EARLY PIONEER DAYS.
CAPTAIN w r. DRANNAN RECALLS THE BURN
ING OF THE EMIGRANT TRAIN AND ihE
cAPrUBS OF A RENEGADE WHITE

INC OF THE EM1GRANT TRAIN AND THE
cAPrUruE OF A RENEGADE WHITE.
From The Chicago Record.
T, tho snrng Of 1850 / went to Fort kearney
ror tho nurDose of plotting a train across the
nIains lust what time in the month got there
do not remember, but it was early IN May, anu
the train waiting there LOT su'ue ,r,no,
arrived | made contract with the eniera !i
that evening to go with thefn 10 Tic ioo' "a ''-
Sierra Nevada Mountains. 1850,
In this outfit Of emigrants was Henry Goroon
whose home was in Christian county LIMOS,
got intimately acquainted with MN peLoie Va
cot through He had his own saddle morse, ana
verv often he would ride with me Tor hours
when was on duty. He told me ne was not go
ing 10 California to dig gold, but was looklne
for a better climate than his home IN LIMOS
and If the California country suited MN, NE cal
culated to move his family to the western COAST"
Instead Of taking his family west at once DE-
Gordon had intended to DO. ne fenaineo ia
Christian County until the fall OF lSoZ. RaVlhe
been elected Sheriff of the county. After serv-
ing out his term Of office he sold his farm ana
stock and persuaded some OF his neghDOrS 10
accompany him West About this time man
of the name of Myers made his appearance IN
Mr. Gordon's neghborhood and pretended 10 ran
desperately in love with Miss Mary GORDON the
Oldest daughter. She rejected him from the
start A day or two before Mr.. Gordon got
ready to start this man Myers called on Miss
Gordon and insisted that she become his wife
She gave him a pontblank refusal and told
him DOSitlVey that S1e WOulQ nave HOlHlHB W
do with him He then told her he would meet
her in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains where
she would crawl on her knees ana beg 10 De-
come his wife.
After making all arrangements Mr.. Gordon.
his family and friends pulled out for California
by way of NewMexico, known at that time as
the Butterield route. | was in Nevada. work
ing Government scout our quarters we're
in the southeastern part Of Nevada. and
camped on the north side Of the Glover
Valley Mountains.
When returned to quarters early one morn
ing Colonel Elliott told me that James Davis
my first assistant. had been on top of the noun
tain about O'Clock that night. and had seen
what he supposed to be an emigrant train on
fire in Choke Cherry Canyon that he also imag-
ined he had heard number of gunshots.
had Davis call another scout named Ma
loney and it was not long before the three Of us
were in our saddles and on our way to Choke
Cherry Canyon. We rode along together until
daylight. when / halted and gave each man
his route to take. also telling them the road
would take.
Before had got to the station where we were
all 10 meet ran into band of Indians having
a scalp darce. l dashed into them and
ceeded in getting two scalps. which found to
the head Of a man, the other from a woman.
Soon Davis came to me. He had heard shoot
ing. and knowing that it was on my route. he
supposed had got into trouble.
TRAILING A NO. BOOT.
He said to me: Captain. 1 have seen the
track Of q No. boot this morning. made by a
white man. and he is with band Of Indians
who have a barefooted prisoner with them. The
man wearing the boots is not prisoner. though
he is white"
m self had crossed and recrossed this same
boot track during the morning but | had not
seen anything Of the track of hare foot. l
told Davis that the man evidently was some
scoundrel assisting the Indians in their depreda-
tons.
IF you come on to this man and he is not
prisoner" | said. treat him as you would an
Indian: don't ask him to surrender but once, and
do not allow him to take any advantage of you
We now went on. arriving at the station
haf-hour behind time While wondering what
had become Of MalOney. we heard two pistol
shots in the direction that MaOney should be
coming. We believed that Maloney was in
trouble, and went to his relief quickly as
possible. Maloney had struck the track of a
bare foot. made by white woman. and had dis
mounted his horse in order TO trail better. when
the Indians sprang on him from ambush and
took his pistols away from him. When we
got to him he was tied fast. and the Indians had
begun to build fire around him.
We had a fight with the Indians but finally
drove them way from Maoney. taking two
scalpS. After Maloney released we mount
ed horses and started to trail this lone bare
foot. This Wednesday evening the next
after the burning of the train. We followed
tho track until dark, and went into camp on
the trail. | sent Davis off to the northwest.
and when about ok miles away he found an
Indian encampment so situated he could not
crawl into it to see just what was there. The
next morning. as SOon as 1t was light enough To
see a trail took up the track Of this lone
person again. one man would play back and
forth between the trail were following and
the trail that the boOt-track was making. My
idea was to keep track of both parties at the
same time We were not strong enough to fol-
low up both tracks separately. and MANAGED 1t
this way. SO that [ would not weaken my force.
FOLLOWING A BARE FOOT.
We trailed all day Thursday. Late Thursday