The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-21
DUG UP SKELETONS
w. R. Cooper Finds Evidence
of an Early Tragedy.
SANDS OF THE CIMARR0N
Blown Away, Exposing SkeI-
etons and Weapons.

r. n. Cooper Of this city made q very
important discovery last Sunday two
miles from Wynoka, o. T., and today or
tomorrow his collection Of skulls. human
skeletons, horse pistols and old flint
lock muskets, will arrive in this city and
be put on exhibition to be investigated.
discussed and explained by old timers
who are acquainted with the nature and
manner of tragedies Of the past on the
open prairies Of the wild country Of Okla
homa and Kansas. Mr.. Cooper Is a
brother-in-law Of J. H. Rice. a stone
mason at the new Congrega tional church.
He works with the railroad fence gang
and last Sunday while the employees were
laying of at wynoka Mr.. Cooper and q
friend named Carter concluded to go
fishing in the Cimarron. Near the place
they selected was q mammoth sand bill.
The sand had been blown for ages along
the banks until 1t was stacked up in
great tall hills, and the scene is described
as q most lonely place. The wind had
blown out a large basin and IN the basin
water was standing, evidently coming
from a living spring.
Mr.. Carter put In the time fishing in
the basin Of clear water while Mr.. Cooper
roved about over the hills to see what
the wind could do with loose sand. He
saw the end OF gun barrel sticking out
Of the ground. II proved to be an old
fashioned fiint-lock gun. and was so
badly rusted that the hammer would not
work. The hammer was left standing
just as IL It had been drawn ready to
fire. Mr.. Cooper began raking around in
the sand and succeeded in unearthing
the metal parts Of two more muskets, be-
sides part of an old horse-pistol. In the
sans excavation which the winds had
made were discovered two skulls and
parts of many other skeletons. Through
one OF the skulls Is a bullet hole, and
when Mr.. Cooper picked the skull UP he
also found the flattened bullet just under
1t, which shows that the head OF the vic
tim had never been moved from where
the tragedy took place. A little ways
east of this was found the other skull
and a few yards from the skulls laid the
part Of another skeleton, consisting Of
backbone to which several ribs were at
tached. These were hard enough to lift
about without breaking, but many other
bones which were unearthed were so
badly decomposed that they crumbled
with the least movement and could not
be handled. A little exposure to the sun
whitened the bones that were unearthed.
The relics were carefully prepared and
taken to wynoka and placed upon the
train for transportation to this city.
They created a great deal OF comment
at wynoka, and large searching parties
were organized to make a more thor
ough search Of the place, and Il may be
that some valuable finds will be made.
Old timers in that locality seemed to
think that the place had been the scene
Of terrible border tragedy in the early
days between emigrants and Indians,
while others thought It likely that there
had been a fight between emlgrants and
border rufians during the gold excite
ment of 40 and the victims had been
buried in the sand which the winds Of
years had blown away and exposed the
remains OF the dead. Mr.. Cooper has al
ready been offered good sums OF money
for his relics. but he will not dispose Of
them for awhile.