The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-26
G. {. GOODYEAR
TELLS A STORY
OF TRAGEDY
Helped to Load the Wagon of
Pat hennesSey.
HIS FATE HINTED AT
When He Was Given a Rife
on the COWSkin.

nave TedQ the lcllcT u ". u. ~ Gil
pie, and also one from William Malaley
in reference to the murder of Patrick
Hennessey and his companions. and hav-
ing some knowledge of the events they
transpired and being on the ground soon
after and hearing Mosher tell his story
while it was still fresh in his mind,
thought it might be of interest to some
people, and have written down to the
best of my recollection what l saw and
part of what 1 heard from others at
that time.
In the month of June I hired out to
George Latin to drive a team from
Wichita, Kansas, to FIT. Sill. After load
ing our wagons we pulled out of town
and camped on the west side of the river
at Wichita The next day which was
Sunday. we pulled to Cowskin creek,
eight miles southwest of Wichita. and
there, on Sunday noon, we loaded the
wagons of Hennessey, Tom Galloway
and the man called The Dutchman'
from off our wagons, all the loads con
sisting of sugar in barrels and green
coffee in sacks. The fourth man OF the
party was from Leavenworth. named
Ed Cook. and had no team, but was
going down to one of the Indian agen-
cies on business of his own.
George Latin gave Hennessey a Win
chester, saying to him: Pat. don't you
let the red devils get you; and Pat re-
Piled: Not as long as l have load to
throw into them They drove off and
we also broke camp and rolled on down
the trail, but we never saw them again
and nothing occurred with US until the
morning of the 5th of July.
about Z o'clock we pulled up to the
Pond creek ranch and there, filled wiz.
panic stricken people, was the stage
from the agency. Among them was In
dian Agent Miles, who, after telling US
of the murder of Hennessey's party,
gave our wagon boss orders to remain
at Pond creek until troops were sent to
escort US to the agency, and without
more words, the stage pulled out for
Caldwell in a hurry. All the men at
Hopkins ranch at Pond creek went
along with the stage except the herder,
who, when he was told that the train
was to stay there. said that he would
stay also. Minor Hall and another man
from the Skeleton ranch were follow
ing the stage, intent upon getting UP to
Caldwell These people were all well
armed, and to see them leave caused
no little excitement among our drivers
and brought wildly to our minds the
foolishness of driving teams at $50 per
month down among the Indians when we
could make as much or more money at
home in Kansas without the risk of be-
ing killed by the Indians.
I'VE only had one old Spencer rife and
four or five revolvers in the whole train.
which consisted of eighteen large wagons
with from three to five yoke of cattle to
each wagon and twenty men. including
the boss and night herder. We lay at
Pond creek two weeks, during which
time thirteen Of our drivers. taking the
north star for their guide and also TAX
ing sundry goods and chattels from the
store, left and went back to Kansas. In
about two weeks a company OF soldiers
arrived and. having been reinforced by
Latin and some men he brought with
him from Kansas, as well as by some
Mexicans who had been up with cattle
and were going back to Texas, the train
pulled south again. All the time We
were at Pond creek there was no travel
on the TRAN and the only team that went
ahmead OF us was three men in a buck
board who went down the tran night
or two before we pulled out. The trail
was very hot, dry and dusty. and we
made slow progress, but ! think We made
Duffalo Springs at noon of the third day
Anyhow. we did get there. The keeper
of the ranch. named Mosher. and
helper were there. and the story he told
at that time was this:
The stage coming north (the one we
met at Pond creelc) brought the news
of the massacre and after the stage had
left he CAosher) and two men who were
there went out 10 the place, about eight
miles south. with a team and wagon and
buried Hennessey as best they could in
a hollow between two ridges made by
cattle or wagon tracks. and brought in
the bodies OF the other three men and
bt RED them just south Of the spring IN
a sort Of washout. Hosher said that
the bodies were mutilsted in a manner
too horrible to describe IN public print.
and that Henuessey was burnt he also
said that when the party left the corral
in the morning Galloway was crying;
that none OF them wanted 10 go. but the
Dutchmaa, and he was determined 10 go
or II he had to go alone. saying that
he had been over the trail many times
and never vas hurt and that he did not
believe there were any Indians on the
tran anyhow They all-SIosher. Hen
Messy. Galloway and Cook. tried 70 per
suade him 10 des.st. but u no purposes.
The Duichman was going on, and the
others would not let him 90 alone. So
they su went-te meet their doom. The
next news that Mosher had vas brought
by the stage. upon which Mr. Malaley
said he was. TO the effect that they were
all killed and lying out there OF the
prairie We came o the place the next
morning and the wagon that Henressey
drove wss stin there and at the rear
end we're signs Of a Ere corr and cats
we're scattered around IN the short grass
ard big PIE OF candied sugar was ihsr.
that looked Ike they had built 4 Ere
and ampsied a barrel % sugar OF top %
il There were bullet holes through the
wagon bed II several places What was
LETT OF the ether wagon WAS there. While
Mosher had taken the third iato TIE
ranch. There was nothing left y their
loads.
From the appearance Il TIE wagons
We concluded that the Indians Jay 70 the
west OF the tran. where the lard breaks
SWAY towards Turkey creek. ana thes-
wagons coming sloEg the tran II Easy