Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1906-10-12
A letter FROM
AN OLD timer.
Marshal Wilson Appealed To For An
Historical Correction.
SURVIVOR OF A MASSACRE.
DIVER. Grant County,
New Mexico, Oct. |. 1906.
10 the City Marshal.
Great Bend, Kansas.

you. but it's like this: Find en-
closed clipping from the Kan
Sas City Star. written by crank
by the name of Carpenter. had
to laugh when | read it. Now I
am an old stage man. and drove
stage from Fort Larned to old
Fort Bent in 1861 to 1863. and
know all the old boys on the road
and old Peter Kelly well-trav-
eled with MIN often but never
heard of that fight Carpenter tells
about. The stage was attacked
near Cow creek late in the fall of
1863. | had Just left and was
driving from old Fort Union to
Los Vegas at the time. And the
>lme year was the Sand Creek
battle.
Now Carpenter asys they used
horses. There was nary n horse
on the road; all mules. And he
goes to state about going to Fort
Dodge. Fort Dodge was not es-
tablished until 1864. And about
Zarah Station being east of Great
Bend. Now Zarah used to be
called Tillison Trading Post, in
1859 and 1860, for | lived there
with George H. Peacock, in his
employ, and in 1860, on the 9th
day of September. Santanta the
great Kiawa chief, massacred all
except myself. | was the only
of the massacre. Zarah
was west Of Great Bend and near
the mouth of the Walnut creek.
Old Pete Kelly never was in no
Indian fight. He was an honest
old lrishman, could not read or
write but was strictly honest.
Now in bis letter Carpenter
says the proprietors we're Bar
low & Sanderson." The owners
we're Robert & Cotrel and a
silent pardner by the name of
Stewart. / worked for Barlow
& Sanderson as long as they staged
it in New Mexico. But some
times these Smart Alecks" write
up articles and have EN- pub
lished, when they never was in
two thousand miles of the place.
/ think there is very few of the
old stagers left. They have about
all gone over the Great Divide.
Never did ] dream in 1860 that
would see the day that in and
around Walnut Greek would be
settled up. At that time there
was nothing but buffalo and
wolves, and wild rowing Indians.
| was very much surprised some
twenty years ago when | went
through on the train, to see the
great change that the country had
made. But | could recognize
many an old land mark. | was
told by the conductor that old Ear
ah had been torn down.
Now mister Marshal | hope
You'll not get tired reading this
letter. If you have a good paper,
and the editorsso desires and will
answer this letter and give me
his name ! will write up a good
article on the Peacock massacre,
and on hunting wolves in Western
Kans. in the early..days, free gratis.
| have written this to you, as |
know no one in Great Bend, and
to show. you that sometimes the
papers make mistakes publishing
letters written by some crank.
Very Truly Yours,
Sim Ely.
Note-The statement Mr..
Ely makes, that ''Zarah was west
of Great Bend" may have refer
ence to the river entirely and not
to the city of Great Bend. as the
bend of the Arkansaw reaches a
point further north on section 32,
east of the site of Fort Zarah,
than it does at Great Bend.-Ed.
Mr.. Thomas Newell, Of Oklahoma