The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-28
SCALP.
Now in Rooms of the Nebraska
State Historical Society.

LiiNSoiA : OIiCSpo4INASl4|C VI lie
Chicago Inter-Ocean.)
a true account of the man Who was
scalped and lived to tell the story has
been filed with the Nebraska State His
torlcal Society and the indisputable
proof is a wrinkled scalp in a hermeti-
cally sealed case. 1t is one of the cur
osities in the museum of the Omaha
Public Library.
The scalp once adorned the head of
William Thompson, and was torn from
its natural resting place in an India
attack on the employees of the Union
Pacific Railway August 6, 1867. The
attack was made a short distance from
thC present site of Kearney, Neb., and
IL that city lives Moses H. Sydenham,
veteran Journalist, who printed the first
newspaper in the state, and he is the
authority for the authenticity Of the
incident.
In a personal interview Thompson de-
scribed to Mr.. Sydenham his sensations
while the scalping knife of the savages
was removing the scalp.
Thompson was one of the five men Or
dered out of the Plum Creek Station on
August 5 to repair the telegraph line
Q short distance from Kearney. On the
afternoon of the next day they encoun-
tered the savages. The first suggestion
OF danger was a pile of ties on he rail-
road track.
They had no sooner stopped the hand
| car said Mr.. Sydenham, that rifle
| shots were heard and bullets whizZed
by them. The prairie grass along the
Plat River seemed alive with Indians,
| all in war paint. These rushed upon
| the five linemen, who aimed a few shots
at the Indians and then ran for cover.
"A shot from one of the pursuers hit
Thompson in the right ARM, but he kept
on running. Finally he was felled with
a blow from a tomahawk. For a mo-
n'ent he lay stunned, and then he recov-
cred sufficiently to realize what the In
dian was doing He determined to re-
main perfectly quiet and to this decis-
ion he probably owed his life.
INDIAN YIELDS THE KNIFE.
With the dizziness Of an expert
Thompson said, the savage grabbed my
scalp lock in one hand, cutting around
it again and again until the edges of
the skin were lOosened. Then he tore
it free. The sensation was about the
same as if some one had passed a red
hot iron over my head After the air
touched the wound the pain was almost
uncomfortable. l never felt anything
that hurt SO much. I had to bite my
tongue to keep from putting my hand
On the wound. L wanted to see how
much Of the top of my head was left
1.-THE indian left Thompson and hur-
ried on in pursuit of the others. Just
as he turned to go he tucked the hair
of the scalp under his girdle. In his
hurry it was insecurity fastened and
fell into the grass. The piece of scalp
was just about as big as a mans hand.
| In the distance the Indians pursued the
flying linemen. lust as Thompson pre-
pared to crawl into the grass he was
| roughly seized, a hand clutched his hair
| again, and once more he felt the knife.
He felt that another Indian was scalp
ing him. After removing a couple of
riches of the scalp the Indian rushed
on.
Ito me pain of the wounds was soon
added the tortue of thirst. Thompson
relt dizzy and unable to rise. He heard
he Indians moving near. He lay per-
fectly still and saw that a freight train
was approaching in the distance. The
Indians had placed ties on the track,
Thompson dared not flag the train,
which was steadily approaching. It
crashed into the ties and the Indians
surrounded the defenceless train crew.
Several cars and the engine were de-
rallied. The Indians found a barrel OF
Whiskey among the freight and as
darkness came Thompson heard their
frenZied yells. They fired the derailed
cars, and from the grass Thompson
saw the fireman and engineer thrown
:nto the flames.
ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS.
r- :1- -
the scalp lock and crawled away. He
met a rescuing party from Omaha il
the morning. The charred bodies Of the
fireman and the engineer We're taker
from the debris and conveyed to Oma,
ha. None of the other linemen or mem
bers of the train crew could be found
They were never heard of again.
When Thompson arrived in Omaha
Dr. r. c. Moore took charge Of tn
case. Antiseptic surgery was then un
known and there was great danger O.
blood poisoning. However. the wounC
was don up in sweet oil and soor
healed.
Thompson went TO Melburn, Eng
lard, as soon as he recovered. \ few
years ago DR.. Moore received a Iette
from him. Thompson said that he wa
t getting old, n few people believed th'
scdIplnS story. he wanted 10 KNOW l
the doctor wanted a slight token Of tn
| case. DR.. Moore replied in the afir
NATIVE. and o after he received tn
dried and wrinkled scalp. He recog
n!zed it at one and has given it to tn
Omaha Public Library"
Mr.. Sydenham regards the incident a
worthy of permanent record, as Thomp
sen is the only man in the history o
the state who has survived a scalpins
experience. His account has been givel
to J. Amos Barrett, secretary of tn,
Nebraska State Historical Society, anC
VIII be kept among the records in tn,
library building OF the State Univer
sity-
Bank Man Dead.