Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-10-19
FROM IOWA TO
MONTANAIN'64
Continued from first page.)

me 1~6-year-old girl. The father of
This captive girl was the only one left
TO tell the sad story; his wife and
one daughter had been killed with
the others. That night the Indians
stole and ran of all of Beers oxen and
Il few oxen belonging TO a little trad,
er at Little Laramie. The following
morning Beers mounted all the men
he could, pursued and overlook the
Indians, who fled, and the cattle were
all recovered.
We had IN our train ~forty-fiye wag-
ons, three hundred head OF stock. anu
ninety men, women and children.
When we came to Dug or Barrel
springs at the head of Bitter creek,
the water. the earth and the grass
was so strongly ~lmpregnated with al.
kali we decided that ii kept the whole
train together travelling down that So
miles of Bitter creek, many of the OK.
eli would famish on the way. We
therefore divided the train up into sec.
tons. We already had some seriously
sick persons in the train. and to trav.
ell with a slow moving train on this
| Nltth III July vi hu6usL was tANtth'
ingly hard on the people in good health
but it was intolerable on the sick. Our
walker and Hardenbrook'sl section
of the train was the hindmost section
OF all, we having waited until all the
others pulled out. In fact, that was
the only way we could have broken up
that train, for no other division would
have waited until all the others had
gone forward and out of sight. Al
though nearly all of the members of
that train were strangers to each 9th
er when il vas organized at Fort
Kearney. they having lived close to-
pether. worked together and helped
each other so long, il was now hard
TO part. and still harder because il
was made necessary at this time on
account of the hardness of the coun-
try over which we had TO travel, all
knowing that it was best for him or
her TO pull u and go his or her own
way. whether they wished or not.
And although it had been decided in
the early morning that it was abso-
lutely necessary TO make several di
visions of this train, and the stock
had stirred up the alkali soil in the
corral until it was three inches deep.
yet all remained there during the
whole forenoon. No one wanted to
separate and break the strong ties of
friendship that had been formed and
iorty-tive women and children of this
train. There was not much talking
done that forenoon, but there was a
great deal of looking at n another,
and a continual deep down thinking,
the uppermost thought being that we
should never meet again in this life.
The parting under ordinary circum-
stances and when they would come to
the forks of the road they must take
to reach their severa, destinations,
would have been hard enough. though
that was expected, and their minds
were partially prepared for il; but to
separate this day and at this place
came to the people of that place like
a thunder clap from a clear sky when
least expected. and above all, least de.
sired. After dinner certain men hav-
ing six wagons hitched up and pulled
out, then at intervals other little train
formations pulled into the road. Par
ties having five wagons wanted to re.
main with us, which made seventeen
wagons in the last division. After all
the others had moved out We hitched
up and drove three miles just to get
a new camping place. During all this
separation there was hardly a word
spoken. Each knew the work he or
she had to do. and they did it silent.
~. Those who moved out at first
would at frequent intervals look back
TO see those behind, and those behind
would keep their eyes on those who
would soon pass out of sight, all want
ing TO see even their wagons as long
as they could, and when they had got
ten the last sight they would all
breathe a deep sigh. A sadder and
heavier hearted people | think | never
saw. Everything done in the trains
was done with such perfect system
that everyone knew exactly what he
rn she should do, that not a word was
necessary from anyone in preparing q
train for moving. This train was brok'
en- into fragments. as ii were, on july
9Th, 1865.
We aimed TO camp al Rock springs
on the night of August 9TH, but befor'
arriving there we received a message
that John Huffstedler had shot an
killed Arthur Frazier four miles west
of Rock Springs. These " men b.
longed to the first six wagons tina
had pulled out from the old train on
July 9th. We were advised that al
the old train except our division wer5
in camp there. and they wanted us t.
come up as soon as we could. We
Travelled after dark to get there. know
ing that We would not travel the mex
day, and that the people there coult
tell us the best place to put our cat
tie. At this time we had two yeri
sick women in our division. Mrs. Har
~denbrook and a Miss Kirfoot, and also
three men in the hospital. lmmedi
ately after breakfast on the morning
of August 9th all the men in the train
met in mass. They elected Mr.. kir
foot, of Missouri, judge, a Mr.. Kirkland
was appointed prosecutor; a sheriff
was also elected. who proceeded "a
summon twelve jurors. All the evi
dence was taken and il was taken care
fully. The jury was instructed to take
the evidence and arrive al a verdict
The jury retired into a little coulee
near by, my humble self being elected
foreman. We reported a verdict OF
justifiable homicide. The trial was
completed before dinner and now the
train must go through the process OF
segregation again. Some of the wagons
pulled out that afternoon and all 9th
ers except our division the next morn
ing: we remained until the next after
noon. On the afternoon OF August Sth
we arrived at Green river. 1t was re
garded that the Indian belt for 1856,
extended from TT. Kearny TO Greer
river. a distance of eight hundred
miles. Stage coaches were running
sometimes and sometimes they wer,