The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-10-31

mouth as large and full Of teeth as q
gorilla, and there was no more hair on
his head than there is on a billiard ball.
He was captured in a prolonged
fight and taken to the village Of the
tribe, where the principal chief resided.
That dignitary gave one disguised
look at the prisoner and said that
he was "bad medicine" and, If not
the "evil spirit" himself, closely re
lated to it. The chief ordered his
subordinates to furnish the prisoner
with a pony, loaded with provisions,
provided him with rifle and told him
to go back to bis people.
For the reasons stated the Indian Of
the great plains and Rocky mountains
would rather take one scalp Of a IA
nous scout or army officer who had
successfully chastised, them-for ex-
ample, Custer. Sully, Miles OF Crook
than dozen scalps Of ordinary white
men.
There are many instances Oh record
where men have been scalped and yet
survived the terrible ordeal, butin every
case the scalper supposed his victim
dead, the latter taking good care that
his foeman should not be disabused
OF the supposed fact.
In 1887 a party Of Indians took up
rail on the Union Pacific railroad and
laid distractions on the track. After
dark a freight train ran into the trap
and was wrecked. The engine driver
and fremen were instantly killed. The
conductor and brakeman jumped of,
to find themselves beset by a band
of yelling savages. The engineer es-
capped in the darkness, but the luck
less brakeman was shot and fell. The
Indian who had fired disnsounted from
bis pony, scalped him, stripped him
OF his clothing and rode away.
Early in the morning another freight
train was tagged by hideous looking
object, which turned out to be the
brakeman, who had been shot through
the body and scalped. He had re-
covered his senses, and, knowing that
the train was due, walked some dis
lance down the track to save it from
being wrecked. He was taken on
board, and the train moved up to the
wreck, which, after plundering it, the
Indians left just as it was thrown over
through their devilish act.
saw the unfortunate man some
months afterward. He was perfectly
recovered, but with a horrible looking
head. He stated that the bullet, al
though knocking him down, had not
made him unconscious, and the
greatest trial during the awful night
was the necessity of shamming dead,
he not daring to even groan while the
Indian was saving at his scalp with
o very dull knife.
The other instance which has come
under my own observation is that Of
Robert McGee. In 1864 McGee, a
slender STRIPPING Of lad, came to
Leavenworth, Kan, seeking employ
nent. That town was the base Of gov
ernment supplies for all the frontier
military posts, even as far away as
Arizona. A freight caravan was at
that time loading for Fort Union, n.
NJ. The wagons and whole outfit were
owned By a contractor named Il. G..
Barret, but he would not take the
chances Of the long and perilous rip
of more than 100 miles through the
Indian infested plains unless the
government leased the train outright
Or gave him an indemnifying bond or
assurance against loss. The bond was
given and Barret proceeded to hire
teamsters-a hard task on account Of
the danger attending the journey.
young MCGEE was among the number
engaged, and the caravan started on
July l, 1864.
1t took the old Santa Fe trail, strik-
lng the Arkansas river at the great
bend Of that stream near its con-
auence with the Walnut. The region
was very rough and called the OZARK
and bloody ground" for some Of the
worst Indian massacres In the history
Of the plains were perpetrated there.
Some insignificant skirmishes with the
indians had taken place, but nothing
10 cause any serious alarm, and now,
IS the caravan was approaching the Vi
,inity Of Fort Larned, its proximity
was believed to be sufficient protection
rom further possible danger.
On the afternoon of July 1S-it had
been an excessively hot day-the cara
7an went into camp at an early hour.
Ehe escorting troops stacked arms
about half a mile distant but in full
1iew Of the train The men should
have kept a good lookout for sur
did in a way-but
here was a feeling Of security in the
that regular attack by
savages is rarely made until the early
hours Of the morning, when sleep is
heaviest.
About 4 O'Clock, however, band Of
3rule Sioux, under the lead Of Little
Turtle, descended from the sand hills
n all the fury Of q tornado, uttering
heir wild war whoops, and Of all the
;mall army of men employed by the
caravan young Robert MCGEE alone
.ame out alive to tell the story Of the
massacre. Every individual was shot
lead and scalped as he lay or sat at
.ho t,nacc 70 hla Hha xa,1lac Of naurEp